Latvia’s Honorary Consul John Medveckis Gifts Painting to Embassy

23.03.2022. 23:15

In honor of 100 years of diplomatic relations between Latvia and the United States, Honorary Consul to Philadelphia John Medveckis presented the Embassy a painting by artist Ēvalds Dajevskis titled New York El. Mr. Medveckis’s generous gift will now adorn the Embassy’s reception hall where it can be enjoyed by all visitors of the Embassy.

Ambassador Māris Selga explains, “the Embassy’s building is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places and holds cultural significance for Washington, D.C. Because of this, it is visited not only by diplomats and politicians, but the local community at large.  Mr.Medveckis’s generous donation will serve to introduce Latvian art to the wide spectrum of people who visit our building each year.”

Artist Ēvalds Dajevskis (1914-1990) grew up in Liepāja, Latvia before becoming a refugee during World War II and eventually moving to New York. The New York subway lines were a powerful visual influence on Dajevskis. “He would spend weeks surveying, drawing and documenting the superstructures of trestles and tracks,” says his son Peteris Dajevskis. The painting New York El reflects the view under the tracks under Brooklyn’s Broadway, after the subway crosses the Williamsburg Bridge into Brooklyn. Dajevskis spent over a year working on the painting and it was the second to last painting he completed before passing away.

John Medveckis has been Latvia’s Honorary Consul to Philadelphia since 2007. As a businessman, philanthropist, patron of the arts, collector, and amateur historian, Mr. Medveckis actively leverages his professional expertise in support of his passions and the community at large. He is the recipient of The Cross of Recognition from the Republic of Latvia and has an Honorary Degree from the University of Latvia.

The Embassy expresses its thanks to Mr. Medveckis for his generous gift and looks forward to sharing the work of Ēvalds Dajevskis with visitors of the Embassy.