Oxbridge in Tartu - Brunch + Private Art Museum Tour
Dear friends,
This spring, the Oxford and Cambridge Society of Estonia is heading to the City of Good Thoughts. We've wanted to hold a proper event in Tartu for quite some time to bring together both those of you based in and near Tartu as well as some of our Tallinn contingent. The Voltaire exhibition - curated by our wonderful member Sophie Turner - offers the best excuse to finally make it happen.
The idea is simple: an unhurried afternoon of good food, sharp ideas, and even better company - with Voltaire as our unlikely guide.
Programme
• 13:30 — Brunch at Sinimandria
• 15:30 — Private curator’s tour of “Voltaire: Making History” at the UT Art Museum by Dr Sophie Turner
• 17:00 — Optional: relaxed drinks, dinner, and walk around Tartu
We kindly ask you to register by Sunday, 1 March (later registrations via Luma are welcome too, but we ask this is done as soon as possible, so we can let the brunch venue know). Friends and partners are also very welcome to join, so please share the invite with those you think would not like to miss out!
We’ll start with brunch at Sinimandria, one of Tartu’s new hotspots (Kompanii St 2). The restaurant pays homage to a legendary pre-war Tartu establishment, making it the perfect place to set the tone before heading into the Enlightenment.
From there, we’ll move on to a private curator’s tour of the exhibition “Voltaire: Making History” at the University of Tartu Art Museum, led by Dr Sophie Turner, French cultural historian and visiting lecturer at EKA. Sophie is also an active new member of the committee of the Oxford and Cambridge Society, and a great balancing force, having attended both universities.
Sophie has been working on creating this exhibition for over two years, ensuring the arrival of specifically selected works of art from many museums outside of Estonia.
The tour explores how French Enlightenment ideas (and objects) reached Estonia and shaped local intellectual life. A particular spotlight is placed on the 1920s and 1930s, when Voltaire became a symbol of cultural modernity for the Estonian intelligentsia in the young Republic. Expect surprising connections, fresh perspectives, and a gentle dismantling of the idea of Estonia as a cultural backwater on Europe’s margins. Read more about the exhibition here: https://muuseum.ut.ee/en/content/exhibition-voltaire-making-history
**Please note that entry to the museum is 8 euros, to be paid on location, or free with the Museum Card (Muuseumikaart).**
After the tour, we will continue with casual drinks, and dinner and a stroll around Tartu, for those who fancy it.
PS! For those travelling down from Tallinn and wishing to go together, we’re planning to travel by the following trains:
• 10:25–12:41 — Train from Balti jaam (we suggest to pre-book on the Elron website)
• 20:04–22:17 — Train back to Balti jaam (we suggest to pre-book on the Elron website)
Whether you’re based in Tartu already or just need a good reason to escape Tallinn for an afternoon, we hope you’ll join us for this special Oxford and Cambridge Society outing in the City of Good Thoughts.
We look forward to seeing many of you soon!
Sophie, Britta, Katre, David and Alistair
Please note that this event may be photographed or recorded. By attending, you acknowledge that images may be used for promotional and communication purposes by MTÜ Oxford & Cambridge Club Estonia (80389897)