Exhibition: Anšlavs Eglītis at 120

On 14 October, an exhibition celebrating the 120th anniversary of the writer, playwright and painter Anšlavs Eglītis opened at the cultural centre “Siguldas DEVONS”. It invites visitors to explore the life and creative legacy of this multifaceted cultural figure, with a particular focus on lesser-known aspects of his life: summers in Inciems, his years as a painter, and his time in exile in Hollywood. At the heart of the exhibition are three significant milestones in Anšlavs Eglītis’s life, revealing him not only as an outstanding writer but also as a talented painter and an astute observer of his time. Photographs, artworks, diaries and other historical records offer a closer look at his personality, creative interests and life experiences, which shaped his outlook on the world.

Three milestones in Anšlavs Eglītis’s life

The exhibition focuses on three important periods in Anšlavs Eglītis’s life: Inciems, where he spent summers and gained significant life experience; painting, which demonstrates the writer’s multifaceted artistic talent; and his years in exile in Hollywood, where he continued his creative work and was connected to the wider cultural world.

“Together with Bārbala, as we developed this exhibition, we wanted to offer a different perspective on Anšlavs Eglītis, highlighting in particular the facets of his life that most surprise visitors to Inciems—the period he spent there, his talent as a painter, and his encounters with Hollywood stars of his time. These three milestones became the foundation of the exhibition. We have brought paintings from the Latvian National Museum of Art, diaries from the Turaida Museum Reserve, and Anšlavs’s own voice can also be heard in the exhibition space. Margarita helped us bring our ideas together into a unified story and create a scenographic design that gave them spatial form, while Anete crafted the exhibition texts with concision and care,” says Ilze Ceļmillere, exhibition curator and head of the Anšlavs Eglītis exhibition.

The exhibition brings together expertise and creative ideas from different fields of culture and art to offer visitors a multilayered story about Anšlavs Eglītis. Paintings from the Latvian National Museum of Art, diaries from the Turaida Museum Reserve and other historical records complement the exhibition’s spatial design and written narrative, while the writer’s voice evokes his presence and offers a closer look at his personality.

Creative team and exhibition makers

The curators of “Anšlavam Eglītim 120” are Bārbala Gulbe and Ilze Ceļmillere; the scenographer is Margarita Budze, and the text author is Anete Konste. Contributions from each creative discipline form a unified exhibition story in which historical records, artworks, text and space complement one another.

The exhibition aims to broaden perceptions of Anšlavs Eglītis, inviting visitors to see him beyond his familiar image as a writer. His interest in painting, experiences in Inciems and life in Hollywood reveal the diversity of his character and encourage renewed interest in his life and creative legacy.

The exhibition “Anšlavam Eglītim 120” will be on view at the cultural centre “Siguldas DEVONS” until 14 November.

About Anšlavs Eglītis

Anšlavs Eglītis (1906–1993) was a Latvian writer, playwright, painter and journalist. His varied creative legacy holds an important place in Latvian literature and culture. Inciems is a significant place in his life and memories, while during his years in exile in Hollywood he continued his literary work and maintained ties with Latvian cultural life outside Latvia.