Gallery: A portrait painting of President Alar Karis unveiled at Kadriorg
On Thursday, a portrait painting of President Alar Karis was presented at the Office of the President, created by painter Tõnis Saadoja at Karis's request.
The portrait gallery of heads of state located in the President's Office in Kadriorg carries forward the continuity of Estonian statehood. The tradition of shaping the gallery began during President Lennart Meri's term in the 1990s, when portraits of earlier Estonian heads of state starting from 1918 began to be gathered in Kadriorg, including heads of state who fulfilled presidential duties in exile during the occupation period. The portraits of earlier heads of state were created by Tiit Pääsuke, Miljard Kilk, Nikolai Guli and Olev Subbi.
Of the presidents of re‑independent Estonia, Lennart Meri's portrait was painted by Jüri Arrak, Arnold Rüütel's portrait by Valli Lember‑Bogatkina, Toomas Hendrik Ilves's portrait by Kaido Ole, and Kersti Kaljulaid's portrait by Alice Kask.
Each head of state has chosen their own artist; the artists have been able to create their own approach and choose their aesthetics. Thus the gallery reflects, in addition to Estonia's political history, the different styles of Estonian portrait art and artists.
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Editor: Mari Peegel, Argo Ideon
