[1] Villem Raam was born in Pärnu and studied art history at Tartu University.
He was allowed to return to Estonia in 1956 and was able to continue working in his academic field, first as an employee at an institution with the purpose of registering architectural monuments.
In 1957 he was admitted and eventually made a member of the board of the Estonian SSR Artists' Union.
[2][3][4] In 1996, Raam was awarded the Order of the National Coat of Arms, 3rd class.
[5] Between June 2010 and May 2011, an exhibition his architectural photographs was made at the Art Museum of Estonia to mark the centenary of his birth.