Raimonds Vējonis
Valsts prezidents atklāj izstādi “Nepieradinātās dvēseles. Simbolisms Baltijas valstīs” Orsē muzejā Parīzē
When opening the exhibition “Wild Souls. Symbolism in the Baltic States” at the Orsay Museum in Paris on Monday, 9 April 2018, President of Latvia Raimonds Vējonis emphasised the historic significance of Latvian artists in shaping Latvia’s statehood.

“Art was preceding our statehood moving ahead with such significant steps that the works of Latvian artists turned into a gift for our diplomats in the year when the state was founded. Just one hundred years ago, the Latvian ambassador started the conversation with the topic of art when initiating talks with the French government on the recognition of the emerging state of Latvia,” noted Raimonds Vējonis.

The President of Latvia stressed, “Today, we represent a free country with the artistic treasures cherished for more than a century to be shared with the French nation. Moreover, just like our artists syphoned a free Latvia a century ago, today we will devote our imagination and energy to the benefit of the European project to live, prosper, and exist forever.”

Exhibition “Wild Souls. Symbolism in the Baltic States” (“Ames sauvages. Le symbolisme dans les pays baltes”) have been created by the four national art museums of the Baltic States in Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius, and Kaunas as a joint project to be displayed in Paris, France. This is one of the most ambitious joint projects to mark the centenary of the Baltic States, and one of the most significant events dedicated to the hundredth anniversary of Latvia organised abroad.