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IMANTS LANCMANIS
" THE STORY OF AN APPLE " - photography and retrospection " PAINTINGS "

08.09.2011. - 01.10.2011.


There’s small choice in rotten apples   (William Shakespeare, a writer in England, – „The Taming of the Shrew”)

Every rotten apple has the right to have its own story    (Rudu, a girl in Latvia, somewhere on the Net)               

Don’t eat this apple. It’s a piece of art   (Guntis Berelis, a writer in Latvia)

An apple is an individual being   (Imants Lancmanis, an artist in Latvia)

Photographs are shown as little pieces of Nature. One must only see what is important – an apple. Over the course of a year a child of an apple-tree grows, dies and vanishes to be reborn in spring. It is both a joyous and sad event in the orchard of apple-trees.

Photographs have the ability to show Nature and try to capture its perfection. Nothing else matters. Everything in Nature is harmonious, well-balanced, pure, beautiful and fulfilled; even a coincidence has its own internal order. A man, in a self-confident manner, tries to alter, contort and improve it, calling it an art.

There is a desire to show as much as possible as can be seen in Nature. These are mainly portraits of apples. Apples are watching, turning away distrustfully, running in fear; one apple is crushing the other. They are eaten, bitten and thrown away. All the apples are doomed. There are different characters, looks, states of health and life stories.

An apple speaks for itself. One must only try to reproduce the joy of colours of Nature. Photographs do not need frames, glass, titles, captions or tasteful arrangements.


IMANTS LANCMANIS                                  
CV

Born in Riga, 29 July 1941.
 
1951–1959  Janis Rozentāls Secondary Art School
1960–1966  Department of Painting, Latvian Academy of Art
Since 1966  Participates in exhibitions
Since 1976  Rundāle Palace Director

Awards and acknowledgments
Since 1998     Honorary Doctor of Art History
1994         Three Star Order of Republic of Latvia
Since 1992     Honorary Member of Latvian Academy of Sciences
1987         Medal “Mare Balticum” awarded by Martin Karl Adolf  
Böckler Foundation
1982         Honoured Artist of Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
1981         The Order “Sign of Honour”

Selected solo exhibitions:
2009     “THE FIFTH COMANDMENT REVOLUTION AND WAR”. The Latvian War Museum, Riga / Latvia
2006     “KALĒTI”. Riga Gallery, Riga / Latvia
1999     “IMANTS LANCMANIS. PAINTINGS”. Riga Gallery, Riga / Latvia

Selected group exhibitions
2011    "Vilhems Purvitis' Award". Latvian National Art Museum Exhibition Hall Arsenāls, Riga / Latvia
2006    “Latvian Art. 2nd half of the 20th century”. Latvian National Art Museum Exhibition Hall Arsenāls, Riga / Latvia
2004     “Still Life in Latvian 20th Century Art”. Latvian National Art Museum Exhibition Hall Arsenāls, Riga / Latvia
2003     “Still Life”. Gallery Māksla XO, Riga / Latvia
1999     “The Joy of Being”, Latvian National Art Museum, Riga / Latvia
1996    The Zachęta Gallery of Contemporary Art, Warsaw / Poland
Central Exhibition Hall Manege, St. Petersburg / Russia
1996     “Personal Time”. Art of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania 1945–                                        
1989     “Autumn 89”. Exhibition Hall Latvija, Riga / Latvia

Works in public collections
Latvian National Art Museum, Riga / Latvia
Aizkraukle Bank collection for the upcoming Latvian Contemporary Art  Museum, Riga / Latvia
Latvian Academy of Sciences, Riga / Latvia
Artists’ Union of Latvia Museum, Riga / Latvia
IMANTS LANCMANIS. SELF-PORTRAIT AT THE APPLE CROWN. 2011



IMANTS LANCMANIS. THE STORY OF AN APPLE. SPRING



IMANTS LANCMANIS. THE STORY OF AN APPLE. SUMMER



IMANTS LANCMANIS. THE STORY OF AN APPLE. AUTUMN



IMANTS LANCMANIS. THE STORY OF AN APPLE. WINTER



IMANTS LANCMANIS. I THE PYRAMID OF REVOLUTION. 2006-2009 (from series of paintings THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. Revolution and war) ABLV BANK COLLECTION FOR LATVIAN CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM HOLDINGS



IMANTS LANCMANIS. II IN MEMORIAM. 2006-2009 (from series of paintings THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. Revolution and war) ABLV BANK COLLECTION FOR LATVIAN CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM HOLDINGS



IMANTS LANCMANIS. III THE SACRIFICIAL VICTIM. 2006-2009 (from series of paintings THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. Revolution and war) ABLV BANK COLLECTION FOR LATVIAN CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM HOLDINGS



IMANTS LANCMANIS. IV THE FOURTH RIDER OF THE APOCALYPSE. 2007-2009 (from series of paintings THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. Revolution and war) ABLV BANK COLLECTION FOR LATVIAN CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM HOLDINGS



IMANTS LANCMANIS. V NON OCCIDES. 2008-2009 (from series of paintings THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. Revolution and war) ABLV BANK COLLECTION FOR LATVIAN CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM HOLDINGS



IMANTS LANCMANIS. VI ATTACK. 2007-2009 (from series of paintings THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. Revolution and war) ABLV BANK COLLECTION FOR LATVIAN CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM HOLDINGS



IMANTS LANCMANIS. VII THE SUNKEN MEMORIAL. 2007-2009 (from series of paintings THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. Revolution and war) ABLV BANK COLLECTION FOR LATVIAN CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM HOLDINGS



IMANTS LANCMANIS. VIII MOURNING THE LAMB. 2007-2009 (from series of paintings THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. Revolution and war) ABLV BANK COLLECTION FOR LATVIAN CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM HOLDINGS



IMANTS LANCMANIS. A PRESENT FOR MY WIFE. 1987-1989



IMANTS LANCMANIS. VANITAS. 1996 (Ainārs Gulbis' collection)



IMANTS LANCMANIS. DAY FOR TEARS. WIFE'S PORTRAIT. 1999



IMANTS LANCMANIS. VANITAS WITH WHITE BUTTERFLY. 2004 (Ainārs Gulbis' collection)



IMANTS LANCMANIS. A BALLAD MOTIVE 1998. (Ainārs Gulbis' collection)