Purvītis Prize

Purvītis Prize
Native namePurvīša balva
Awarded forContemporary visual art in Latvia
CountryLatvia
Reward€28,500
Established2008
First award2009
Websitepurvisabalva.lv

The Purvītis Prize (Latvian: Purvīša balva) is a biennial Latvian visual art award named after the painter Vilhelms Purvītis.[1][2] It is awarded to an artist or artist group representing Latvian art, and the winner is selected by an international jury from a shortlist of finalists.[3][4] The prize was founded in early 2008 and first awarded in 2009.[5][6]

History and format

The award is named after Vilhelms Purvītis, a central figure in Latvian landscape painting and Latvian art education.[2] It was established for professional visual art and is awarded once every two years.[3][7] The first award ceremony took place in February 2009, when Katrīna Neiburga received the award for her video work Solitude.[6]

Candidates are selected over a two-year period before the award ceremony. For the 2025 prize, an independent expert working group evaluated work by 24 artists and artist groups from the period from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2024 before naming the finalists.[8] The final winner is chosen by an international jury of art professionals.[3][9]

The main prize has included a monetary award of €28,500 before taxes in recent editions.[10][11][9] A separate lifetime contribution award was first presented in 2019, when the painter Džemma Skulme received it.[2][10]

Winners

Year Winner Work
2009 Katrīna Neiburga Solitude[6]
2011 Kristaps Ģelzis Varbūt (Maybe)[12][13]
2013 Andris Eglītis Zemes darbi[14]
2015 Miķelis Fišers Netaisnība[5][7]
2017 Krišs Salmanis, Anna Salmane and Kristaps Pētersons Dziesma[15]
2019 Ieva Epnere Dzīvo atmiņu jūra[10]
2021 Amanda Ziemele Kvantu matu implanti[4][16]
2023 Ance Eikena Our Heavenly Father[11]
2025 Romāns Korovins LET'S DIE TOGETHER[9]

Finalists and exhibitions

The award process includes an exhibition of the shortlisted works. In 2019, the shortlisted works were shown in the Great Hall of the Latvian National Museum of Art before the winner was announced.[3] The 2023 finalists were announced after an expert working group evaluated exhibitions, events and projects from the 2021–2022 period.[17] The 2025 finalists included artists and artist groups working in painting, installation, sculpture, photography and other forms of visual art.[8]

In 2021, eight artists or artist groups reached the final stage, including Skuja Braden, Valdis Celms, Krista and Reinis Dzudzilo, Kaspars Groševs, Ieva Kraule-Kūna and Elīna Vītola, Rasa and Raitis Šmits, Aija Zariņa, and Amanda Ziemele.[4] In 2025, the shortlist included Indriķis Ģelzis, Romāns Korovins, Ieva Kraule-Kūna, Inga Meldere and Luīze Nežberte, Luīze Rukšāne, Krišs Salmanis, Elza Sīle and Paula Zvane.[8]

Lifetime contribution award

The lifetime contribution award was introduced in 2019. Džemma Skulme was the first recipient, and the award carried a separate monetary prize of €10,000.[2][10] Later recipients included Maija Tabaka in 2021 and Edīte Pauls-Vīgnere in 2023.[4][11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "L'Officiel ART | The Purvītis Prize". L'Officiel Baltics. 5 November 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "The Purvitis Prize 2019". The Baltic Times. 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Chance to check out candidates for Latvia's major art prize". LSM English. Latvian Public Broadcasting. 18 March 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Purvīša balvu 2021 saņem Amanda Ziemele". Satori (in Latvian). 11 June 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  5. 1 2 "«Purvīša balvu 2015» ieguvis Miķelis Fišers". LSM.lv (in Latvian). Latvian Public Broadcasting. 20 February 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 "Latvian artist Katrina Neiburga wins Purvitis' Award". The Baltic Course. 13 February 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Miķelis Fišers announced the winner of "Purvītis Prize 2015"". Echo Gone Wrong. 24 February 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 "Purvītis Prize 2025 nominees announced!". Arterritory.com. 28 January 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 "Romāns Korovins receives the Purvītis Prize 2025". Arterritory.com. 24 May 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "«Purvīša balvu 2019» saņem Ieva Epnere par darbu «Dzīvo atmiņu jūra»". LSM.lv (in Latvian). Latvian Public Broadcasting. 12 April 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 "Ance Eikena receives the Purvītis Prize 2023". Arterritory.com. 26 May 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  12. ↑ "Purvīša balva - Kristapam Ģelzim". Ir (in Latvian). 18 February 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "Kristapam Ģelzim piešķirta prestižā "Purvīša balva 2011"". Jauns.lv (in Latvian). 18 February 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  14. ↑ "Purvīša balvu saņēmis mākslinieks Andris Eglītis". LSM.lv (in Latvian). Latvian Public Broadcasting. 15 February 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  15. ↑ "«Purvīša balva 2017» piešķirta Krišam Salmanim, Annai Salmanei un Kristapam Pētersonam". LSM.lv (in Latvian). Latvian Public Broadcasting. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  16. ↑ "Purvīša balvu 2021 iegūst gleznotāja Amanda Ziemele". LSM.lv (in Latvian). Latvian Public Broadcasting. 11 June 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
  17. ↑ "Purvītis Prize 2023 nominees announced!". Arterritory.com. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
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