New York hosts Baltic Art Exhibition

RIGA – On Jan. 25, an exhibition representing 43 contemporary painters and sculptors from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania staged a world premiere at New York's National Arts Club. It will be on display until Feb. 12. and then it will travel on to Washington D.C., Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles.

An estimated 1 million people living in the United States trace their ancestry to the Baltic region. The exhibition is expected to attract them as well as art historians and the general public.

A broad spectrum of works was chosen by the curator, Barbara Crane in teamwork with the Artists' Union of Latvia, the Lithuanian Arts Project Studio and the Center for Contemporary Art of Estonia.

"The artists have lived a majority of their lives under an oppressive regime, cut off from Western culture. The art has sprung unconsciously from the deep creative instincts that have always burned brightly in the Baltics despite isolation, limited resources and intellectual oppression," Crane said.

The exhibition was conceived and organized by Hamil Ladjevardi, a New York-based fund manager specializing in Baltic investments. "After being actively involved in the Baltics for eight years, I have developed a deep appreciation for the Baltic people . . . their culture, rich heritage and captivating art," Ladjevardi said.