BluOr Bank supports the return of a historic painting to Latvia

In May 2025, while searching for paintings by Vilhelms Purvītis that had been lost after the Second World War, experts from the Purvītis Museum discovered Tillbergs’ work in art repositories in Germany. This is the third known case in Latvia’s recent history when a museum has returned an important piece of the country’s cultural heritage to Latvia.

“The process of bringing the lost painting back to Latvia proved to be complex and time-consuming. Without additional support, it would not have been possible,” said Žanete Grende, Chair of the Board of the Purvītis Museum. “The Imants Ziedonis Foundation ‘Viegli’ and the Purvītis Museum express their gratitude to BluOr Bank, the art gallery Ola Foundation, and SIXT Car Rental for their financial and practical support in locating and returning this significant work of cultural heritage to its homeland,” Ž.Grende emphasised during the presentation of the painting.

Jānis Roberts Tillbergs (1880–1972) was a Latvian painter and sculptor, a lecturer at the Art Academy of Latvia, and the founder of the representative portrait tradition in Latvian art.

Vilhelms Purvītis (1872–1945) was a landscape painter and educator, one of the founders of the Latvian national school of painting and one of the most important figures in the history of Latvian art.

Image: Jānis Roberts Tillbergs, “Latvian Girl”