Lembit Peegel

solo exhibition

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

The exhibition “Peegel/Pildis” by sports photographer Lembit Peegel was held in Fotografiska Tallinn from January 24 to May 18, 2025. It showed eloquent and compelling photographs that tell a part of the story of Estonian sports culture from 1970 to 1990, along with glimpses of later sporting moments. Thanks to his exceptional ability to capture the beauty, charm and pain of sport, the film reel has captured the authentic and vivid moments of sport, which have shaped Estonian society and its cultural history.

Lembit Peegel (born 1936) first became acquainted with sport in the fifties of the last century when, as a young boy, he took up boxing for practical reasons – self-defence – due to the era he lived in. Boxing also became an important foundation for his future career, teaching him a deeper appreciation for sport and allowing him to be focused and fast at the same time. Lembit began to capture sport in the early 1960s – his first intentional sports photo dates back to 1962.

BIOGRAPHY

Born on 18 October 1936 in Tallinn
1954 Tallinn youth champion in flyweight boxing
1956-1963 Tallinn Jewellery Factory
1956 and 1957 Tallinn boxing champion
1957 and 1958 Estonian Championship silver medal in flyweight boxing
1955-1958 Boxing Champion of Soviet Union’s All-Union Sports Association Spartak
1962 Lembit Peegel’s first intentional sports photograph
1963-1977 Tallinn Measurement Instruments Factory
1987-1989 First photographer of paper Maaleht
1989-1993 Photographer for Spordileht
1977-1987 Central Council of “Autom” of the Estonian SSR
1993-2000 Photographer for Päevaleht and Eesti Päevaleht and editor of the column Ajapeegel
Freelance photographer since 2000
Photographer for Jalka magazine since 2007
2015-2019 Sport magazine, co-author
Photographed at four Olympic Games: Barcelona 1992, Lillehammer 1994, Atlanta 1996 and Nagano 1998
Awards and recognition: Grand Prize of the Finnish-Estonian photo competition (1969 and 1989), Order of Merit of the newspaper Edasi (1989), Order of the White Star, Fifth Class (2001), State Sports Lifetime Achievement Award (2008), Silver Merit of the Estonian Football Association (2009), Annual Award “Crossing Borders” of the International Olympic Committee (2016), Estonian Olympic Committee 100 Medal (2023)

Allpool on valik fotodest, mille suurused leiad fotole klikkides. Ostuhuvi korral on iga pildi juures ka kontakivorm toodud. Kõik fotod on raamitud, kaetud mittepeegelduva muuseumiklaasiga, fotode tootmisel on kasutatud on kõrgkvaliteedilist kunstipaberit ning teostel on ka UV kaitse.