Lembit Peegel

Fotografiska welcomes the new year, during which Tallinn will hold the title of European Capital of Sport, with a focus on Estonian sports photography. On January 24, 2025, Fotografiska will open a retrospective exhibition of the legendary sports photographer Lembit Peegel, titled Peegel/Pildis.

The exhibition offers a cross-section of Peegel’s work over the past 60 years, highlighting the most striking and impactful photographs that have marked the brightest moments and diverse stories of Estonian sports culture. The main emphasis of the exhibition is not solely on sports photography but also on capturing historical moments, the spirit of a re-independent Estonia, and emotional depictions of the times. With his bold and swift reactions, Peegel masterfully conveys these moments. Visitors to Fotografiska's exhibition hall will witness a variety of sports events and moments that have shaped Estonian society over several decades and contributed to the story of Estonian sports culture.

As one of the most influential chroniclers of sports life of his time, Lembit Peegel holds an invaluable role in the cultural history of his homeland. His solo exhibition represents an important step toward preserving his legacy, which has largely remained inaccessible to the broader public until now. The exhibition features approximately 60 photographs, covering iconic moments and major sports events, including the Tartu Ski Marathon, which attracted more than 10,000 ski enthusiasts at its peak in the 1980s, the Pirita-Kose-Kloostrimetsa Circuit races, the Olympic Games, and more. The stories behind the photographs have been documented with the help of experts from the Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum, enriched with Lembit Peegel’s vivid and direct memories of the moments captured.

The exhibition is curated by Fotografiska Tallinn in collaboration with the Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum and sports advocates Are Altraja and Peeter Keek.

Lembit Peegel

Lembit Peegel was born on November 18, 1936, in Tallinn. As a youth, he was a dedicated boxer, winning silver medals in the Estonian championships in the flyweight category (up to 51 kg) in 1957 and 1958, and being crowned Spartak champion from 1955 to 1958. Peegel began working in sports photography in the early 1960s under the guidance of physical education photographer Gunnar Vaidla, whom he regards as his greatest inspiration and mentor in photography. Peegel worked at Spordileht from 1989 to 1993 and at Eesti Päevaleht from 1993 to 2000. He has documented the Olympic Games in Barcelona, Lillehammer, Atlanta, and Nagano. As a photographer, he has won several awards, including the grand prize for the best sports photo at the Finland-Estonia photo competition in 1989. Lembit Peegel was awarded the Order of the White Star, Fifth Class (2001), and the national sports lifetime achievement award (2008).

Lembit Peegel’s collection comprises approximately 600,000 negatives. Including digital photographs, his work amounts to around one million frames. Peegel continues to photograph to this day and can still be seen with his camera at major sports events.