Skonto Būve has been a guardian of the Latvian National Ballet for the 9th year in a row. This support has allowed the troupe of the Latvian National Opera and Ballet to create several luxurious ballet performances and go to important guest performances and implement new, creative ideas every season. With a support from Skonto Būve the ballet performance Pie zilās Donavas, with the music of Johann Strauss, has also been staged this season. The new production is created in the honour of the 110th anniversary of its choreographer, the legendary ballet master Helēna Tangijeva-Birzniece.

Thanks to support from Guntis Rāvis and "Skonto Būve" the Ballet troupe of the Latvian National Opera will be able to fulfil plans that otherwise would have been impossible.

For the 2010 season, the Ballet troupe of the Latvian National Opera has prepared several impressive new productions – Sleeping Beauty and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The troupe will also be able to visit Estonia, Italy, Greece, and Moscow to participate in the prestigious Golden Mask ballet festival with Der Sandmann.

The timing of support is optimal, because this is a very important moment for us – we must not lose the high artistic level that has been achieved, the ballet troupe must create new productions, develop and continue their path to international success.

Selga Laizāne, Managing Director of the Latvian National Opera

 

http://www.opera.lv/lv/

The cooperation between SIA “Skonto Būve” and its Director Guntis Rāvis with the Daugava art gallery (www.galerijadaugava.lv) has existed for 15 years already. The entrepreneur’s financial support provides the possibility to organise exhibitions outside Latvia, to publish art editions, as well as to support the creative expressions and artistic development of young artists. But significant support is provided also to the outstanding masters of Latvian art, such as Imants Vecozols, Džemma Skulme and others.

During the cooperation between Guntis Rāvis and Daugava gallery the following books have been published:

• a selection of works by painter and professor Imants Vecozols “Vecozols. Glezniecība” (Vecozols. Painting, 2008 – 290 pages),
• the catalogue “Latvijas mūsdienu glezniecība” (Contemporary Painting in Latvia, 2008 – 80 pages),
• an album of one of the heights of Latvian painting – Biruta Baumane “Biruta Baumane. Glezniecība” (Biruta Baumane. Painting, 2010 – 384 pages),
• a book about sculptor Vilnis Titāns “Vilnis Titāns” (2011 – 152 pages),
• a selection of works by photographer Karmels Skutelskis “Karmels Skutelskis” (2012 – 92 pages),
• a book about the works of Sigulda parish national applied arts studio “Vīgrieze” and members of “Vīgriezes laiks” (2012 – 155 pages),
• a painting album by artist Biruta Delle “Biruta Delle” (2013 – 263 pages).

Guntis Rāvis has been attending art exhibitions for 15 years already. It all started with the purchase of some paintings and now has grown into a close cooperation.

For example, preparations for a large exhibition in the Ludwig Museum of Budapest are currently under way. He has also arranged premises for exhibitions in Geneva and Vienna stressing that he wants the artists to have practical gains from his support. To support new artists, Guntis purchases their paintings. And not only from young ones, but also the likes of Imants Vecozols, Džemma Skulme and others.

 

Skonto Būve also supports the publishing of art books because it is impossible to publish them without financial support. For example, currently a 400-page album is in preparation and will be published to honour the 88^thbirthday of Biruta Baumane.

 

Another remarkable fact is a grant for three students of the Academy of Arts provided by Guntis Rāvis.

 

Anda Treija, Gallery Daugava

In March of this year, company Skonto Būve decided to lend its support to the renovation of the most outstanding monument of baroque and rococo art in Latvia, by providing financial investment for the renovation works of the Large Gallery wall-painting. The palace is one of the most outstanding monuments of baroque and rococo art in Latvia. In the Latvian history of art, the Large Gallery painted using the tempera technique is an unusual occurrence – it is the only sample of such monumental Italian baroque art in Latvia. It is planned that the renovation works may continue till spring of next year, when the works will be fully completed.

During the second construction period of the palace (1763-1767), the Large Gallery was formed from five small rooms into a 30 m long dining hall; it joins the White Hall and the Golden Hall. The Gallery is one of two rooms in the palace, where the walls are painted using the tempera technique on a lime plastering foundation. The wall-painting was discovered quite unexpectedly. During the renovation works, by removing the layers of paint on the Western wall, under three layers of repaint the renovators discovered the original painting from the 18^th century, the authors of which were Italian artists of that time – Francesco Martini and Carlo Zucchi.