Permanent Exhibition

The permanent exhibition features statuary – examples of the best-known works from the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic periods of Greek art presented in their original size as plaster casts. The latter were bought for the Art Museum from museums in Great Britain, Germany, France and Italy in the 1860s. The exhibition halls are decorated with ornamental Pompeian wall paintings, which create a complementary background for the sculptures. The exhibition also offers a display of ancient originals: coins, vases, clay lamps, statuettes, and cuneiform tablets. The Art Museum of Tartu University is granted a special status among other Estonian museums, being the only museum exhibiting ancient art.