About Latvian National Museum Of Art
The Latvian National Museum of Art is home to the richest collection of national art in Latvia, with more than 52,000 works of art reflecting the development of professional art in the Baltic area and in Latvia from the middle of the 18th century until the present time.
After the reconstruction and renovation, the Latvian National Museum of Art now has modern infrastructure and environment for the exhibition and preservation of works of art, the making of exhibitions, as well as for public education and quality free time. Important strategic values in the museum's work are openness and accessibility for the broadest public, thus raising the quality of life for the society around it.
The new underground volume is a treasure trove for art lovers, containing storage space for 40,000 works of art, as well as conservators' studios. The place houses the art collection of Latvian paintings, graphics and sculptures encompassing the period from the 18th century to the middle of the 20th century, including three memorial
collections that contain a multitude of works of art, documents and memorial objects of Latvian artists Jāzeps Grosvalds, Teodors Zaļkalns and Gustavs Šķilters.
The museum is located in the historical Janis Rozentāls sq. 1 building in Riga, which is an architectural monument and was designed by the German architect Wilhelm Neumann and built-in 1905. The historical building situated next to the building of the Latvian national Academy of Art is one of the most impressive on the boulevard. It was the first building in the Baltics purpose-built as a museum. The announcement of the museum's reconstruction took place on 25 May 2010 and it finished on 1 December 2015.
All visitors can enjoy the cultural tour and explore all permanent exhibitions such as Latvian art (1780-1915, 1915-1940, 1986-2000) and Latvian Modernists in Russia in the 1920s and 30s. Museum regularly hosts temporary exhibitions of Latvian artwork that has significant importance in cultural history.
History of Latvian National Museum of Art
Latvian National Museum of Art has undergone many changes and transformations over time, including its name, ownership, and operating policy. The origins of several Riga museums are associated with the name of the doctor Nikolai Himsel.
The Riga City Art Gallery was founded in 1869 when the Riga council acquired the paintings of collector Domenico de Robiani. The gallery was initially housed in the Riga Realschule and was open to the public from the very beginning. In 1870, the Riga Society of Art Promotion (Kunstverein) was founded with the aim of promoting the visual arts in the Baltic region. The society held art exhibitions and encouraged its development in the area.
Since the museum needed a new home, the question of where to build it and how to finance it had been raised several times since the 1870s. From 1903-1905, the main building of LNMA was constructed at 1 Janis Rozentāls square to accommodate the Riga City Museum of Art and the Riga Society of Art Promotion.
The historic building was built specifically for the needs of an art museum in Latvia. Designed by German architect and art historian Wilhelm Neumann (1849-1919).
The museum's goals shifted upon Latvia's independence in 1918, now focusing on national art heritage and contemporary developments. The collection of Latvian visual art began to take shape in the 1920s and 30s under the leadership of notable Latvian painter Professor Vilhelms Purvītis (1872–1945).
In addition to the Riga City Museum of Art from the 1920s, there was another art museum - State Museum of Art. The Riga castle became home to a collection of national art, with a parallel collection of foreign art also being formed. These art museums were distinguished by their ownership – the city and the state respectively.
The independent first Republic of Latvia lasted for twenty years, during which the museum experienced a lot of growth and success until it was interrupted by the Soviet occupation in 1940.
The Soviet regime(witch last half of the 20th century) reorganised the Latvian national museum of art in Riga, envisaging the formation of one museum that would concentrate on the collections of Latvian art, and a second museum focusing on foreign art. When this division occurred, professional Latvian art went to the State Museum of Latvian and Russian Art.
The Association of Latvian Art Museums was abolished by the Ministry of Culture in 2000, and the member museums were reorganized. It was decided to give independent legal status to individual museums.
Today the organization of Latvian National Museum of Art consists of four museums and one exhibition hall: Latvian National Museum of Art, Art Museum RIGA BOURSE, Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, Museum of Romans Suta and Aleksandra Beļcova and ARSENĀLS Exhibition Hall.
Nowadays it is not only become a top museum in Latvia but is responsible for the development of art and regularly hosts cultural events, and educational programmes.
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