The Latvian National Museum of Art has existed as a collection of artworks and a centre for cultural activities in Rīga ever since the early 19th century.

Today the museum is Latvia’s most important facility for the presentation of art, with a fairly branched structure in museum and economic terms. The museum’s collections, exhibitions and exhibition facilities are in four different buildings, all of which are architectural monuments of national importance, as well as in one memorial apartment. In each case, the full range of museum functions is ensured.

The museum’s collection is made up of nearly 100,000 units, and that offers a wealth of information about the development of the professional fine arts and applied arts in Latvia in a very broad and diverse way. The collection illustrates overall trends, as well as the place and importance of certain individuals in the world of art.

Of great importance in many senses is the collection of foreign artworks. On the one hand, it testifies to the fine tastes of the civil society in Rīga, and on the other hand, it offers a look at important artefacts from global culture. Particularly important at the museum is the collection of paintings and porcelain artworks from Western Europe in the 18th and 19th century, as well as a collection of visual evidence about the culture of the Far East.

The exhibition halls of the museum offer major arts events. Along with the personal exhibitions of artists who are working today, there are conceptual art shows that are based on artistic heritage or contemporary issues. These are organised by the museum’s curators with the help of outside specialists as needed. Among the wide range of exhibitions, of particular importance are international exhibitions which are presented in partnership with foreign colleagues.

The museum has a wide range of visitors, and this range has become particularly diverse in recent years, when the museum has offered targeted educational programmes to children and students, as well as in the context of lifelong learning.

Dear visitor, we are here to offer you informal educational opportunities which will allow you to learn about the cultural treasures that are gathered here. We are here to offer you simple happiness and pride about Latvia’s cultural heritage. Countless creative individuals have assembled that heritage as living confirmation of the Latvian people’s creativity and talent. We are here to show you the lives of Latvian artists today, focusing on the thoughts and ideas which are the centre of their world in the 21st century.

We have invested a great deal of hope in the new facilities for the Museum of Foreign Art that are being prepared at the old Rīga Stock Exchange and are scheduled to be open in 2011. More than anything else, however, we are looking forward to the reconstruction of the main building of the Latvian National Museum of Art, which will continue through the year 2014.

May we all work together in ensuring that the Latvian National Museum of Art truly is the place where the past comes together with the future!

Māra Lāce, director

Latvian National Museum of Art