Presidential office presents Alar Karis portrait by Tõnis Saadoja

Estonia’s presidential office presented a portrait of President Alar Karis on Thursday, painted by Tõnis Saadoja at Karis’s request, ERR reported.

The portrait will join the gallery of heads of state in the presidential office’s Kadriorg building. The gallery represents the continuity of Estonian statehood.

The tradition began during President Lennart Meri’s term in the 1990s, when portraits of Estonia’s heads of state from 1918 onwards began to be brought together in Kadriorg. The collection also includes heads of state who performed presidential duties in exile during the occupation period.

Earlier portraits were created by Tiit Pääsuke, Miljard Kilk, Nikolai Guli and Olev Subbi. Among the presidents of restored independent Estonia, Jüri Arrak painted Lennart Meri, Valli Lember-Bogatkina painted Arnold Rüütel, Kaido Ole painted Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Alice Kask painted Kersti Kaljulaid.

Each head of state has chosen their own artist, who could select an individual approach and aesthetic. The gallery therefore reflects both Estonia’s political history and the different styles of its portrait artists.