Eduard Wiiralt (1898-1954) – Jacques-Benigne Bossuet’ Portree (1928)

Eduard Wiiralt (1898-1954) is a celebrated Estonian artist known for his etching of Jacques-Benigne Bossuet’ portree (1928). The artwork measures 11.5 x 6.7 cm and is made on paper. The etching is signed on the left with “H.Rigaud pinx”, in the middle with “Bossuet”, and on the right with “Wiiralt”. Wiiralt studied at the Tallinn School of Arts and Crafts from 1915-18, and at the “Pallas” Art School in Tartu from 1919-24. He further honed his skills in sculpture at the Dresden Academy of Arts master class in 1922-23. Wiiralt lived in Paris from 1925-39 and 1946-54, in Tallinn from 1939-44, and in Vienna and Stockholm from 1944-46. His solo exhibitions have been held in various cities around the world including Strasbourg, Amsterdam, Johannesburg, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Buenos Aires, Springfield, New Haven, New York, Hamburg, Freiburg, Göttingen, Marburg, St. Petersburg, Riga, Kaunas, Vilnius, and Yerevan.