Latvijas Nacionālais mākslas muzejs

About the museum

The museum’s origins go back to the 19th century: in 1869 a municipal art gallery opened in Riga, based on the painting collection of the collector Domeniko de Robiani. After several temporary locations, the city museum and the Rīgas Mākslas veicināšanas biedrība (Riga Art Promotion Society) had a special building erected in 1903–1905 – the first in the Baltics designed specifically for an art museum. Its architect and first director was the German-Baltic architect and art historian Vilhelms Neimanis.

After Latvia proclaimed its independence in 1918, the museum’s focus shifted to the national art heritage. Systematic building of a collection of Latvian art began in the 1920s and 1930s, when the museum was headed by the painter Vilhelms Purvītis. In the Soviet period the collections were divided: Latvian and Russian art went to one museum, foreign art to another. The institution received its present name in 2005.

The building is a state-protected architectural monument and one of the most impressive historicist buildings in the ring of boulevards around Riga’s Old Town. After reconstruction it houses modern exhibition rooms, restoration workshops and an underground depository for around 40,000 works of art. The collection contains Latvian painting, graphic art and sculpture from the 18th century to the mid-20th century, as well as three memorial collections dedicated to Jāzeps Grosvalds, Gustavs Šķilters and Teodors Zaļkalns.

Highlights

• Permanent exhibitions of Latvian art from 1780 to 1940
• The first building in the Baltics constructed specifically for an art museum (1903–1905)
• Memorial collections of Jāzeps Grosvalds, Gustavs Šķilters and Teodors Zaļkalns
• Large exhibition hall with changing exhibitions
• Restaurant, museum shop and free WiFi

Permanent exhibitions

• Latviešu māksla 1780–1915 – An overview of Latvian art from the late 18th century to the early 20th century.
• Latviešu māksla 1915–1940 – The development of Latvian art from the First World War to the early 1940s.
• Latviešu modernisti Krievijā 20. un 30. gados – An exhibition on the work of Latvian artists in Russia in the 1920s and 1930s.

Founded

1869

Admission & discounts

Free admission: The permanent exhibitions are free on the last Sunday of every month, on International Museum Day (18 May) and during Museum Night.

The ticket for the permanent exhibitions gives admission to the 1st to 4th floors. The reduced price applies on presentation of the relevant document. Tickets can also be bought remotely via the Mobilly app.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

All exhibition rooms can be reached by lift, platform lift and ramp. The main entrance on Krišjāņa Valdemāra Street has 21 steps, but there is also an entrance with automatic doors and one from the Esplanāde park side. Wheelchairs and portable seats can be borrowed at the information desk in the first-floor vestibule. The lift buttons are marked in Braille and the floor plans include tactile information. Accessible toilets are on the ground floor and the third floor.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

Strollers may be brought in; if necessary they can be left at the cloakroom on the ground floor. The changing table is in the ground-floor toilet opposite the restaurant. The museum offers programmes for families with children.

Getting there & parking

There is one free parking space for holders of a disability card on the right-hand side by the main entrance. Passengers can get out on the driveway between the museum and the Latvijas Mākslas akadēmija (Latvian Academy of Art).

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers
• Wi-Fi

The museum has a restaurant and a museum shop; free WiFi is available throughout the building.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Information on renting rooms is published on the museum’s website.

Plan your visit