On 19 May at the Riga Castle, President Egils Levits awarded the Order of the Three Stars, Third Class, to Vija Celmiņš, a Latvian painter living in New York, for her outstanding merits to the field of culture and significant contribution to the development of the world contemporary art processes and the maintenance of national identity.
"You are one of the world's most outstanding and well-known Latvian artists. Your artistic handwriting is unique. I thank you for your contribution to the development of Latvian, American and world art," said E. Levits, congratulating the painter.
The Chapter of Orders awarded Vija Celmiņš the Order of the Three Stars, Third Class, and appointed her Commander of the Order of the Three Stars at its meeting on 18 October 2019. The artist expressed her wish to receive the award in Latvia. Celmiņš has arrived in Latvia after the opening of the exhibition "Double Vision" at the Hamburg Museum of Art.
