Heini Paas
Heini Paas was an Estonian art historian.
Personal life and education
Heini Rosilda Paas was born on 6 October 1918 in Mõniste Parish in Võru County. She was from a farming family.She attended Mõniste primary school followed by Valga Common Gymnasium and left in 1938. She attended the University of Tartu from 1938 until 1945, studying art history as her major subject in the Faculty of Philosophy. Voldemar Vaga was among the lecturers. In 1968, after working under the supervision of Voldemar Vaga, she was awarded a candidate's degree for her dissertation on the work of the sculptor Ferdi Sannamees.
Paas turned 100 in October 2018 and died in September 2021, at the age of 102.
Career and research
Paas undertook research into the history of Estonian sculpture. She curated sculpture exhibitions, researching and writing the exhibition catalogues. She also catalogued the sculpture collection of the Estonian Art Museum.After graduating, although her degree was not formally awarded until 1948, Paas worked as a laboratory assistant in the Department of Art History at the University of Tartu from 1945 until 1950. She then worked as a bibliographer at the Tallinn Central Library. From 1958 she was the custodian of the sculpture collection at the Estonian Art Museum. She was appointed head of the Sculpture Department in 1978. She retired in October 1985.
In 1968, Paas became a member of the Estonian Artists' Union, and was also a member of the Estonian Museum Association.