Jaan Koort was mainly known as a sculptor and achieved international recognition in that sphere by displaying his works in Paris. He got to Paris through the Stieglitz Art School of St Petersburg, where among others also Konrad Mägi and Nikolai Triik had studied. Koort lived and worked in Paris for ten years and then moved on to Moscow, where he continued to participate in exhibitions. After Moscow he came back to Estonia, living at first in Tartu and later in Tallinn. He worked there zealously until various conflicts led him to move to Moscow again, where he unexpectedly passed away.