Eesti Meremuuseumi kunstikogu sündis koos meremuuseumiga 1930. aastate alguses. Raamat annab esmakordselt põhjalikuma ülevaate selle kunstikogu saatusest ja sisust. Lisaks tuleb juttu meremaalist kui ühest populaarseimast maaližanrist ning sellest, mida võiks tähele panna laevamaali vaadates.

Mis teeb meremuuseumi kunstikogu eriliseks? Suur osa selle teoste autoritest ei ole õppinud kunstikoolides, vaid merel – nad on olnud meremehed, kalurid, laevakaptenid. Mere kutse on neil olnud ühtaegu nii hinges kui ka veres.

The art collection of the Estonian Maritime Museum was born in tandem with the maritime museum in the beginning of the 1930s. This book, for the first time, gives a thorough overview of the fate and content of that art collection. In addition, it also focuses on marine painting as one of the most popular painting genres and discusses what we should pay attention to when looking at a painting of a ship.

What’s special about the art collection of the maritime museum? A large proportion of the artists of its works have not studied at art colleges but at sea – they have been sailors, fishermen, ship captains. The call of the sea has been in their blood and soul.