Jekabs Arturs Springis

Mushrooms with a basket. 1978, watercolor on paper, 75x55 cm

1978

Jekabs Arturs Springis (1907– 2004) Painter, Latvia 1924 – 1927 – he studied at Aizpute Secondary School 1927 – 1930 – studied at Liepaja Art Craft School, department of decorative painting 1930 – 1936 – studies at Academy of Art in Latvia, figurative master class of G. Eliass (diploma work “At the kitchen”) 1933 – 1940 – co – fonder and member of the artist’s society “Green Country”, participates in the society’s exhibitions 1936 – 1944 – teaches drawing, draughtmanship and art history at the Talsi State Grammarschool, the district and Jewish schools 1944 – 1946 – conscripted into the German labor service, captured by US forces. P. O. W. camp in France, filtration camp in Tallin 1946 – 1969 – drawing teacher and librarian at the Talsi 2nd Primary School and Talsi Secondary School. He runs a drawing club whose members’ works have been exhibited in India, Japan and other countries. Two pupils (Maris Springis and Janis Andris Osis) were awarded the Silver Medal at the World Exhibition in Riga 1964 – Accepted into the Artist’s Union of the Latvian SSR 1980 – He lived and worked to Riga and at summertime painted at Talsi Solo exhibitions: 1942 – at Kuldiga’s Museum 1979 – Riga, Latvia at Artist House (aquarelles) 1982 – The 75 Anniversary exhibition at Talsu Museum (aquarelles) 1987 – The 80 Anniversary exhibition at Talsu Museum (aquarelles) 1992 – The 85 Anniversary exhibition at Talsu Museum (oil paintings) 1997 – Solo exhibition “The reflections and shades”, gallery “Riga”, Latvia 2002 – The 95 Anniversary exhibition at Talsu museum (aquarelles) Group exhibitions: 1939 – 2001 – took part at all exhibitions of Talsu district 1958 – Took part at 1st republican aquarelles exhibition in Riga, Latvia Since 1995 artist took part at Talsu Artist group exhibitions in Riga, Latvia and foreign (Denmark, Sweden and Estonia) Honors: 1992 – Receives prize for best work of visual art at the 42nd Latvian Culture Days in Sydney, Australia Since 1998 – life stipendiary of the Latvian Culture Capital Foundation 2001 – The diploma at International aquarelles exhibition, Klaipeda (Lithuania) His works are in the collections of the: State Art Museum, exhibition hall “Arsenals”, Latvia’s Artist Unity collection, Talsu museum, Cesu Museum, Tukuma Museum, Bauskas Museum, State Russian Art Museum St. Petersburg, Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, the Khirghizia Museum of Art In Private collections- Finland, Germany, UK, Denmark, Sweden, Australia, Mongolia, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Lithuania, Belarus, Poland, Estonia, Russia.