The permanent exhibition in the main building of the Latvian National Museum of Art shows the richness of the museum's collection, the history of its formation as well as the most outstanding achievements of national art from the end of the 18th century to the end of the 20th century.
World War I brought difficult challenges for the Latvian people, which inspired a strong wave of national self-consciousness in artists. Jāzeps Grosvalds was the first to take up the pressing subject of refugees and riflemen in painting. Jēkabs Kazaks, who was significantly influenced by contemporary French painting, also turned to depiction of the dramatic historical events.
During World War I, many Latvian artists ended up in Russia, but most returned to Latvia following the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. Latvian artists – Gustavs Klucis, Kārlis Johansons and Aleksandrs Drēviņš – chose to stay in Soviet Russia and to take part in the formation of Russian avant-garde art.
The Asian Art Gallery is situated at the 3rd floor of the museum and introduces the visitors with the sizeable Asian Art Collection of the Latvian National Museum of Art.
The exhibition of works by the outstanding artist and thinker Nicholas Roerich (1874–1947) is located on the third floor of the museum. The tranquillity of this room helps viewers to delve into the Himalayan peaks created by the master with an amazingly clean tempera palette.
The Ancient Greek and Roman Art Chamber is situated on the third floor of the museum and introduces the visitors to Ancient Greek pottery, Ancient Greek and Roman coins as well as marble sculptures from the collection of the Latvian National Museum of Art.
On the fourth floor in the former safe room, which has been transformed into the Silverware Chamber, is a display of items from the museum’s precious metals collection, covering the period from the late 17th century until the early 20th century. The items were made in the Russian Empire, including the Baltics and Europe.
The Ancient Egypt Chamber is located in one of the three large safes of the former Riga stock exchange. The doors decorated in neo-Gothic style have retained their original form allowing us to visualise the time when it was an important and well-guarded room.
In 2012 the Art Museum RIGA BOURSE acquired a new, permanent and internationally renowned highlight – the artwork Gondola by the world-famous Russian artist Dmitry Gutov.
The exhibition of seven granite sculptures introduces the artwork of the 2nd half of the 20th century, created by the sculptors Laimons Blumbergs, Ojārs Feldbergs, Lilija Līce, Ojārs Siliņš, Juris Zihmanis, and Zenta Zvāra.
Exhibition, Dismantling the Wall. Latvian Art 1985–1991, is on display in the left wing halls of the 2nd floor of the main building of the Latvian National Museum of Art in Riga (Jaņa Rozentāla laukums 1), which tells about the processes in Latvian contemporary art during the period of socio-political change.
A significant amount of works from the first half of the 20th century by Belgian artists are stored at the Latvian National Museum of Art – more than 700 paintings, graphics, sculptures and medals, as well as lace created between the 17th and the early 20th century. The artistic quality and the unique history of the collection’s creation determine its important position.
From 19 February 2022, the new permanent exhibition 12 Photographers / 125 Photographs / 10 Series is open to the public in four small cabinets in the right wing of the 2nd floor of the main building of the Latvian National Museum of Art in Riga (Jaņa Rozentāla laukums 1).
Hundreds of “Rīgas audums” printed fabric patterns give us an idea about the fashion, leading art styles, technological development of the time, and tell us about textile artists’ creativeness.
Exhibition Classical Values on the 2nd floor of the museum tells the story of Latvian decorative applied arts in the period from the end of the 19th century until the 1960s.
Woodblock printing workshop is a practical activity aimed at getting to know the ancient textile printing technique and its widespread use in textile design under the guidance of a textile artist.
The museum and its exhibition is an exciting world full of noteworthy events and individuals! In this activity, school students will learn about different historical artistic processes in Latvia and the most important masterpieces, highlighting each period's most significant, most outstanding phenomena and artists as well as their innovations.
The museum's exhibition of classical art (19th century – mid-20th century) presents a variety of themes and diversity of artistic language which has changed over the course of time. Nevertheless, several basic categories have remained. This activity in the permanent exhibition will foster a better understanding of the basic principles that underpin the work of our old masters as well as modernists.
The Museum of Decorative Arts and Design presents Madernieks' Atelier, an activity zone where big and small are invited to independently engage in gluing, drawing, arranging letters and creating their own ornaments.
Design Studio for Children is a place where, through play, you can try out your abilities in ceramics, kinetics, poster design and weaving, feel the differences between materials used in design and discover the stories presented by the interactive loudspeaker, Babbit. The activity zone has earned acclaim among professionals, receiving the Latvian Annual Design Award 2023 in the category Service Design.
We invite you to hold lectures, excursions or sketching classes for school teachers and university professors in the Antique and Renaissance Plaster Cast Exhibition, taking into account the internal rules and the maximum number of people in the exhibition.
Romans Suta and Aleksandra Beļcova Museum offers visitors of different ages the opportunity to get to know the work of Latvian classical modernists – Suta and Beļcova – in the first half of the 20th century.
An interactive activity for preschool and primary school students with the aim of introducing them to the world of the museum and art in the form of an exciting adventure.
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