“Art Collection 2020” includes over 300 contemporary artworks which have been added to the collection of the Latvian National Museum of Art.

With the aim of “reducing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the culture sector, giving support to actively working artists affected by the crisis and simultaneously qualitatively adding to the museum’s collection” (Cabinet of Ministers Order No 339 of 18.06.2020), in the summer of 2020, the Latvian National Museum of Art was granted 550 000 euros from the state budget for acquiring artworks.

To ensure a qualitative and transparent artwork selection process, the museum established an Expert Committee comprising five specialists from the museum and five experts invited from outside. Based on the Statutes, the experts appraised the art scene of the last 30 years as reflected in the museum’s collections to determine which artistic trends and artists of the period are completely unrepresented or only have a handful of works in the LNMA collection.

Through a unique acquisition programme, 325 works by 107 currently-active artists of all generations were added to the museum’s collection. A broad spectrum of visual arts spheres is represented in the collection, including painting, sculpture and objects, photography and video, as well as mixed-media installations, interdisciplinary projects, and design artworks. The works cover a wide range of subjects and moods, from universal, globally articulated values to evocations based on personal experience, and neutral observations to ironic or provocative messages. 

While it would be impossible to simultaneously show all of “Art Collection 2020” in the exhibition hall, it will be available online for everyone. The digital catalogue provides information about the circumstances of creation and concept of each work, as well as technical information and images. 

Head of Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre, Member of the Visual Arts Council of the Ministry of Culture.

“I believe that the greatest value of art and museum work, in general, is an acknowledged and supported artist. In the last forty-fifty years, this seems to be the largest acquisition of LNMM, which will continue the story of Latvian art of today and of future generations. I am pleased with the constructive cooperation with colleagues in the Expert Commission and the balance in the procurement between the generations of artists and different art media, balancing the procurement with the works of authors which already were in the collection and finding an opportunity to supplement the collection with the works of the authors which were not represented yet.”

Art critic, member of the Visual Arts Council of the Ministry of Culture.

"LNMM acquisition of contemporary art is a compensatory mechanism for the art market adversely affected by the pandemic, which has allowed artists to be rewarded for creating outstanding works of art, while allowing the state to acquire works of art which form the canon of contemporary art, unfortunately, have not been publicly available to the public until now.

I am glad that the diversity of the circle of experts has allowed to create a wide and multi-layered canon without avoiding awkward topics and technologically complex media. Art is known to be a tool for self-reflection in society, and collecting it is arranging and articulating this experience, the way in which we define what is essential for us. I believe that the newly acquired works of art are an important joint achievement not only in financial terms, but also serves as a mental reference point for the common direction of Latvian contemporary culture.”

Director of the Association “Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art”, Chairwoman of the Visual Arts Council of the Ministry of Culture.

“This was a unique and priceless opportunity not only to support the artists affected by the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic but also to significantly supplement the collection of the Latvian National Museum of Art. Working together with a team of competent industry experts, we managed to fill many “white spots” in the Latvian art scene that have emerged in the last 30 years not only because there were no regular acquisitions of works of art, but also because we still do not have a Museum of Contemporary Art. This is the largest acquisition of works of art since the restoration of Latvia's independence, which will serve as a valuable resource for the future exhibitions of the LNMM and will form the basis for the research of recent art history.”

Kim? Program Director, Member of the Visual Arts Council of the Ministry of Culture.

“I look back at participating in the LNMM Procurement Commission as an exciting adventure driven by a serious sense of purpose and mission. As a result of regular group meetings which took place several months (face-to-face, online, study visits), works of art or their series conceptualized and implemented by authors and collectives over the past thirty years have been selected. The acquisition of these works for the LNMM collection marks an ambitious, large-scale mental and material diversification of the “material” of the locally most important art institution, for instance, by including in the collection works by such authors as Santa France or Ella Krugļanska who are at different stages of their careers. With the Commission concluding its work, LNMM takes over not only the care for the new acquisitions but also the responsibility for contextualising them both within and outside the LNMM collection.”

“A unique investment in the support of artists has an invaluable “side effect” – the LNMM collection and thus the society, in general, has become richer by having access to many new works of art. In the future, the museum's exhibitions will be able to better reflect Latvian art in the last thirty years both horizontally – in certain periods of time, and vertically – demonstrating the succession, development, and expansion of art practices. Many already well-known works have obtained a context that will stimulate next generations to get to know and study Latvian art.”

Head of the Collection and Research Department “ARSENĀLS” of the LNMM (2nd half of the 20th century – 21st century), Chairwoman of the VKKF Visual Arts Expert Commission.

“This hyper-acquisition has resulted in a complete collection that can be basically contextualized with the global discourse of Western culture in the 21st century. It is an art that, as it expands its boundaries, does not stop questioning the true nature of art, it challenges us to discuss, to get involved in the game with it, and to talk about it. Sometimes this art is not clear to the viewer and also does not seem too beautiful. However, in our rapidly changing and multifaceted era where there are more questions than answers, it becomes natural and absolutely necessary for the spirit of this era to be defined in the art as well. I would like to draw parallels with the events that took place 100 years ago when the Riga Group of Artists began to "conquer" the Riga art scene and the works of these authors supplemented the museum collections. At that time, their art was an object of hot disputes, but today we cannot imagine Latvian art without it at all. I would also like to note that this acquisition, in terms of the number of works of art and current discourses, is equivalent to what the museum has been able to acquire gradually over the last ten years.” 

Daina Auziņa, LNMM Latvian Visual Arts Department Collection Manager.

“The allocated funding has enabled LNMM to systematically and purposefully implement a contemporary art assemblance campaign, successfully revealing the pluralism of trends and tendencies characteristic of the last 30 years of Latvian art. The expanded composition of the Expert Commission played an important role in the discussions and selections, as the experience and competencies of each member of the Commission significantly expanded the range of knowledge and opinions. The acquisition of works of art is very valuable to all parties involved: the museum (as one of the most historically ambitious precedents for supplementing the collection), experts (as a platform for professional and meaningful conversation about art over the past 30 years) ad artists (as both professional and financial evaluation of their creative work). The acquired works of art will be maintained under the auspices of the museum as an important part of the national heritage, providing for their public availability. The identified amount of informative materials will be useful in the museum's research and collection work in the future as well.”

LNMM exhibition curator, Head of the Purvītis Prize Expert Working Group, Member of the Visual Arts Council of the Ministry of Culture.

“At a time when there is still uncertainty about the future of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Latvia, one of the most important tasks of which would be to regularly supplement the collection of contemporary art and perform the research, I believe that this acquisition is a necessary support to artists and a significant contribution to documenting Latvia's contemporary art. I would especially like to emphasize that this acquisition means a significant supplement to the LNMM collection of 2nd half of the 20th century – 21st-century art with video works, installations, photographs, and interdisciplinary projects (such as performance, procedural art, etc.), which will allow for more detailed research and exhibition of these media in both temporary exhibitions and permanent exhibition in the future. It should be noted that this acquisition has provided an opportunity to purchase works of art of the younger generation of artists who have already established themselves in the international art arena. In general, I would like to say that a lot of work has been done, but even more important is the research of acquired works of art and their interpretation in the processes of Latvian contemporary art.”

LNMM Deputy Director for Collection, Chairman of the LNMM Collection Commission.

"Although the work of the Expert Commission took place in the shadow of the precautionary measures imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a strict time schedule and available funding, these three months were very intense and creative. The exchange of expert opinions has provided the museum with extensive information and incentives for further research of contemporary art phenomena, developments, and the creative work of individual authors, which will hopefully result in meaningful supplements to the collection in the years to come. The strong impetus given by the 2020 procurement program to the assembling of the museum's collection of contemporary art, launched already several years ago, should continue with regular and predictable funding for this purpose. 

I would like to express my deepest respect and gratitude to all the artists who submitted their portfolios to the Expert Commission and accepted us in their workshops. Thank you for the inspiring conversations and time spent preparing the technical information requested by the museum. Special thanks to Indriķis Ģelzis, Maija Kurševa, Elza Sīle, and Līga Spunde, who donated their works to the museum as an addition to the acquisition.”

Director of LNMM, Member of the Visual Arts Council of the Ministry of Culture.

"We are very pleased that politicians from the Ministries of Culture and Finance, the Saeima and the Cabinet of Ministers listened to the proposal of the Visual Arts Council of the Ministry of Culture to establish such a program and farsighted found the opportunity to finance it. Firstly, it is a support for more than 100 artists. Secondly, it means an understanding of the accumulation of our cultural values in the context of already wider heritage. The acquired works of art, becoming part of the museum's collection, will be a qualitative supplement that researchers, curators and other interpreters will be able to work with. In the course of the work, the process of assembling the collection turned out to be creative and surprisingly inspiring. The individual contribution of each expert was considerable and respectable, and it must be acknowledged that despite of different opinions we were able to take decisions supported by the majority.” 

Works of contemporary visual art, created by Latvian artists over the last 30 years

Works of contemporary visual art, created by Latvian artists over the last 30 years

About the project

Expert Commission

Find in art collection