Culture event

"Aspazija/Rainis: rebel/humanist" exhibition in Paris


Venue
UNESCO House
7 place de Fontenoy, F-75007 Paris, France
Event dates
April 20 - April 24

Last updated on 24 February 2015, 17.51

The exhibition Aspazija / Rainis: rebel / humanist. This story of two Latvian poets introduces European society to the greatest Latvian personalities of the 20th century, the poets Rainis and Aspazija, their creative work, and their contribution to the development of the history of ideas in the context of the development of global culture and society. The exhibition is intended as a dialogue between two personalities through their ideas and creative work.

The exhibition consists of letters to each other that reveal their love, quest for creative work, and future vision. The correspondence between Rainis and Aspazija was acknowledged as being a significant part of the world’s cultural and living history, and it was entered into the Latvian National Register for the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme. In 2015, both poets will celebrate their 150th anniversary, an event that it is marked on the UNESCO Memorable Dates Calendar.

Rainis and Aspazija were European and world-class litterateurs and public figures. For over a century their creative work has served as a yardstick of Latvian literature and political public opinion. The contribution by these poets, especially Rainis, is still significant for the development of philosophical thought.

The exhibition has been created in cooperation with the Latvian Association of Memorial Museums.

In June, it will also be on display in the Yanka Kupala Museum, Minsk, Belarus.

Rainis during his exile in Slobodsk, 1901. Photo: M.Polakov. RTMM 741164Aspazija 1903. Photo: Osvalds Lange. RTMM 55140Rainis and Aspazija at the seaside town of Jūrmala, 1905. Photographer unknown. RTMM 18675Rainis and Aspazija in their summer house at the seaside town of Jūrmala, 1905. RTMM 95558