Avo Keerend started his studies at State Industrial Art School (1936–1940) as a printmaker. He then studied painting at the same university (1941–1943) and attended courses at a drawing studio in Berlin in 1943. After the war, he studied at Tallinn State Applied Art Institute of the ESSR (1946–1947) and in the painting faculty of Tartu State Applied Art Institute of the ESSR (1947–1949). Keerend worked as an art teacher, he created ex librises, prints and illustrations. In 1987, he won Kristjan Raud Art Award. The artist is one of the most outstanding printmakers in Estonia. Initially, he focused on intaglio and then moved on to linocut, becoming one of the most unique examples of “severe style”. Keerend created an array of interesting still lifes in addition to book illustrations and ex librises. In the 1980s, he headed at a new, geometrically abstract decorative direction, focusing on letterpress printing. He developed his artistry in several series, managing to avoid monotony and surprising with his resourcefulness and impeccable taste. His legacy in Estonian printmaking has been acknowldeged with Wiiralt Prize lifetime achievement award (2010).