Eesti kunsti oksjonid

Oil on canvas. 1979.
Signature: KÕKS 79 / London: Portobello Market Oil, 1979 Endel Kõks

In 1979, Endel Kõks (1912-1983) managed to travel a lot. In addition to trips to the USA and Canada, he also visited England, Ireland, Scotland, Brussels and Luxembourg. The canvases that fit in a portfolio offered an ideal opportunity to capture his impressions and a year later, he organized a unique exhibition in Stockholm, in which the condition for participation was that the size could not exceed 30 cm. Five works by Kõks himself were on display there, including this one.

While visiting England, Kõks, who loved to tell stories, ended up in one of London’s largest and noisiest markets, Portobello. Here, the artist captured a group of three musicians who seem to come from another era, not 1979 – there is no swinging London here. Rather, the scene features three traditional players with their pipe organ, guitar and banjo, symbolizing timeless folk entertainment and bustling market culture. The text in the background about the market’s world-famous status is, of course, humorous in the context of what is depicted in the painting, highlighting Kõks’ own character.

In July 1980, a total of 15 Estonian artists participated in the exhibition “Small Works of Art” held at the Foreign Estonian Gallery in Stockholm, including Erich Pehap, Olev Mikiver, Pauline Leps-Estam and Osvalt Timmas. In addition “London Portobello Market”, Kõks exhibited “Brussels,” “Chiconquac, Mexico,” “The Bagpipe Player” and “Texas” (Tiiu Talvistu “Endel Kõks. With Courage, Freedom and Joy,” p. 259. TKM, 2013).

This painting comes to auction from the Endel Kõks estate.

Text: Katre Palm, Harry Liivrand