2 J Hurda Street (Wikimedia Commons).
Anton Starkopf (EKM j 55803 FK 1093).
Hurda 2
- The residence of the sculptor Anton Starkopf
2 J Hurda Street and Anton Starkopf
The house at the end of Hurda Street in which lived the sculptor, Anton Starkopf (1889-1966), was designed by the city architect, Arnold Matteus, and was built in 1931.
Starkopf was one of the best-known Estonian sculptors of the twentieth century. He also participated in the founding of the Pallas Art School in Tartu in 1919, and was head of its sculpture department. Several of Starkopf’s works can be seen in the sculpture park in Raadi, as well as in Tartu’s cemeteries (such as Pauluse Cemetery and Raadi Maarja Cemetery).
Anton Starkopf lived at his house at 2 J Hurda between 1931 and 1966 when he passed away. He was buried under an apple tree in his own garden. The grave is also marked with a granite sculpture by the man himself, dating from 1962 and labelled ‘Kalevipoeg ja Saarepiiga’ (‘Kalevipoeg and Saarepiiga’).
In his will, Starkopf asked for the studio on the ground floor of his home to be turned into a branch of the Tartu Art Museum so that it could exhibit his works in future. His home was already being visited by hundreds of tour groups while the man was still alive. Art collector Rudolf Tamme claims that his garden and home became another focal point of the Tartu art scene, next to the Art Museum itself. His house museum was even visited in March 1964 by Sylvi Kekkonen, wife of the president of Finland who was on a trip to Tartu.
After the sculptor’s death, though, his children refused to execute his will, which was followed by court action. The Anton Starkopf House Museum was still opened in 1972, but in more restricted conditions than the sculptor would have liked. In the turmoil of the 1990s, though, the museum was closed due to a shortage of funds and a lack of interest by visitors. These days, the numerous sculptures which a curious passer-by can see, if they quickly glance into the garden at 2 J Hurda Street, hint that the place was once the home of a famous sculptor. Hopefully the former owner of this building will not be forgotten in the future. If there is any luck then perhaps even the sculptor’s wish will come true one day and his house museum will be opened there. According to the writer, Vaino Vahing, the place felt like a true artist’s studio back in those days.