Presented in October 2019 at Hotel Charming Santa Fosca in Venice, the exhibition Vedute Veneziane showcased the work of Sara Ieva Breiksa, a Latvian painter born in Riga in 1978. Her artistic journey began in her native Latvia before developing into a professional career spanning multiple continents and artistic themes.
Training and Early Career
During her final year of art secondary school, Breikska won an international competition organised in France by the Louis Vuitton Foundation for young artists, enabling her to study for three months at the Academy of Fine Arts in Paris. She completed formal training in art and returned to Latvia in 2003 to pursue a Master’s degree in Culture Management. Her studies, travels, and passions became integrated into her artistic practice.
Artistic Signature
Breikska’s work is characterised by a distinctive fusion of rapid brushwork, intense warm-toned colour, and clear, bright light. This approach appears consistently throughout her career, serving as her artistic trademark. She has employed this technique both to portray the sensual atmospheres and movements of historical tango and to depict contemporary visions of Venice.
In her Venetian paintings, the lagoon city emerges in full splendour, animated by coloured movement that renders it almost alive. Rather than depicting realistic detail or the crowds of tourists, her work transforms Venice into an evocative subject where the slow, continuous movement of shimmering water and suggestive architectural views create an emotional amalgam. Her painting is fundamentally sentimental—composed of colour, light, and inner moments—aimed at capturing not a tangible image but rather a pulse, an atmosphere that conveys emotions transcending time and space.
Exhibition History
Since 2004, Breikska has exhibited extensively across Latvia, Italy, and France. Her shows have included personal exhibitions focused on tango themes, such as L’anima del Tango (2013) and Il caldo abbraccio del Tango (2017), as well as group exhibitions including participation in the Venice Biennale laterals (2013) and the Rome Biennale (2011). Recent works have concentrated on Venetian subjects, with Vedute Veneziane (2019) representing her most recent major exhibition.
Frequently asked questions
When was Sara Ieva Breikska born and where?
Sara Ieva Breikska was born in Riga, Latvia in 1978. Her artistic journey began in her native Latvia before she studied in Paris and Italy.
What are the defining characteristics of her artistic style?
Her work is characterised by rapid brushwork, intense warm-toned colour, and clear, bright light. She uses these elements to capture atmospheric emotion rather than realistic detail, whether depicting tango scenes or Venetian landscapes.
What significant early recognition did she receive?
During her final year of art secondary school, Breikska won an international competition organised in France by the Louis Vuitton Foundation for young artists, which allowed her to study for three months at the Academy of Fine Arts in Paris.
