Latvian Artโข World Mourns the Loss of Jฤnis Anmanis
Riga,Latvia – โคNovember 14,2025 -โฃ The Latvian art community is deeplyโ saddened by the passing of Jฤnis Anmanis,aโค remarkably versatile and influential artist,who died on November 9,2025,just before his 82nd birthday. โขA funeral service was held today at the 1st Meลพa cemetery chapel in Riga. His loss is feltโ profoundly by โhis โคloved ones โขand represents an irreplaceable voidโ in latvian culture.
anmanis wasโ a true Renaissance artist, excelling not only as a painter but also as a โขgraphic designer, illustrator, performance artist, poet, and composer. His life was a vibrant and continuous artistic expression, โคcharacterized by freedom, boldness, and a rich palette of color.
A graduate of โthe Janis Rozentals Riga Art High โSchool (1963) andโ the latvian Academy of arts’ Industrial Art Department (1969), Anmanisโฃ immediately demonstrated a distinctive style. His graduation project – a large-scale wall painting for the Academy’s canteen – foreshadowed theโข spaciousness and courage that would defineโ his future work. His โคartistic output ranged from intimate miniatureโค landscapes to expansive, โmulti-figure compositions, utilizing oil, watercolor, and tempera. Often imbued with historical context and inspired by figures and eventsโฃ from world and cultural history, his paintings blended literary โฃnarratives, intricate โคdetails, and symbolic references inโฃ a uniquely romanticโ harmony.
Beyond painting, Anmanis contributed his talents to book and press โคillustrations,โ served โฃas a scenographer at โthe Riga Film Studio, andโฃ even composed music. he was a prolific exhibitor, showcasing his work โin Latvia and โคinternationally, including in Japan,โค the USA, India,โ France, and Germany. A dedicated member of the Artists’ Union of latvia since 1970, heโ actively participated in its activities, leading the Action committee of Art Days and famously organizing lively basketballโข tournaments to foster a creative โฃandโ accessible art surroundings.His contributionsโ were recognized withโ the Orderโ of three Stars in 1998.
Jฤnis Anmanis was a charismatic and energetic figure, passionate about making art more accessible and โengaging for all. โคHe believed deeply in โthe power of soul inโค art, famously stating, โ”There must be a โsoul in art, and if it is, then the painting sings.” His six-decade career was marked by relentless experimentation and a dedication to findingโ new forms of expression. โฃ Even debilitating health challenges,โค including the loss of hisโ ability to walk, could not diminish his creative spirit. โ
His unique viewpoint, reflecting both the depths of human emotion and the beauty of the natural โขworld, will โcontinue to inspire generations of โartists and art lovers.โค Jฤnis Anmanis leaves behind an โฃenduring legacy, his work forever enshrined in Latvia’s cultural heritage as a testamentโ to his โremarkable talent and โvibrant life.
