I gladly welcome the opportunity to speak of my friendship and admiration for a painter who occupies a unique place in the artistic life in Latvia.
I met Ludolfs Liberts during the first exhibition of his work in Paris in 1926. Educated in pre-revolutionary Russia, in Moscow and Kazan, he felt attracted to the art and the liberal and humane civilization of France.
A recent visit to Riga, where I was invited by the University to lecture on French art, gave me the opportunity to become better acquainted with Ludolfs Liberts and to confirm how deep and lively was his sympathy for France.
When we consider his already immense achievement and how exceptionally swift and brilliant it was, one is struck by his astonishing capacity for work, his flexible adaptability and the sovereign ease with which he applied himself to tasks of every description.
By turns a painter of historical subjects, of portraits and of landscapes, Ludolfs Liberts appears today as the national painter of Latvia.The castle of Riga clearly reveals this aspect of his talent. But it is not only here that he has left his strong imprint. He has likewise contributed his talents to three of his country's most important institutions: the Opera House of Riga, the National Printing Office and the Mint.
For many years, he was the soul of the Opera House of Riga,whose decor and scenery he revitalised; his charming wife, the famous singer Amanda Liberts-Rebane, added the prestige of her talent. His work was furthered by his friends and his pupils.
His ability as a competent administrator and as a creative artist were successfully blended in other functions which he was called upon to perform.
