A-Galerii first opened its doors on 10 May 1994 in a space within the Estonian Artists’ Association building on Hobusepea Street, now home to HOP Gallery.
In 2005, A-Galerii moved to larger premises on the corner of Hobusepea and Pikk Streets, where it remains to this day.
A-Galerii’s exhibition space, the VAULT, serves as a historical link between the building’s original function as a jewellery shop established by jeweller Joseph Kopf in the 1920s and its present-day role as the leading local exhibition space for contemporary jewellery and metalwork.
The VAULT has been used as an exhibition space since 2005. The vault was installed at the initiative of Joseph Kopf following a burglary in the winter of 1925. A window facing Hobusepea Street was smashed, and jewellery worth one million Estonian marks was stolen, making it the largest burglary in terms of monetary value during Estonia’s first period of independence.
The aftermath must have been difficult for Kopf’s business, as the perpetrators were never caught and the stolen jewellery disappeared without a trace. Nevertheless, the company continued operating, and following the major theft, Joseph Kopf began locking the most valuable jewellery from the display windows in the vault overnight.
Filmed and edited by Tõnu Aru.
