NAIVE ART MUSEUM OF LATVIA
News
History
Idea about Naive art museum of Latvia came into existence in year 2000, when a long-time friend and supporter of NOASS Einars Priede and Juris Pigits presented for cultures and arts project NOASS a collection of Arnodls Skrastins works. This present gave an inspiration for the first project connected with naive art – ”Naive and primitive in art and literature” – realization.
This project gained a large interest and responsiveness of society, and after this successful exhibition NOASS arose an idea, acquired on A. Skrastins works, to begin to form wider collection of Naive art, a great investment for its foundation has given art’s scientist Aivars Leitis.
Thankfully for support of SIA “‘Jaunrīgas atīstības uzņēmums” in autumn of year 2006 in Andrejsala, in former customs warehouse building, was formed Naive art museum of Latvia. In result of a successful collaboration in 20th of May at Museum night’s for the first time museum opened its doors for visitors. Opening of museum, where a ceremonial speech was told by culture’s minister Helena Demakova, became one of the evening’s brightest events.
In 2006 summers season museum with several interesting expositions successfully declared itself to inhabitants of Riga and guests and gained a large society’s responsiveness, therefore already in 6th June 2007 Naive art museum of Latvia received museums accreditation certificate (with significant number 99) and was included in Latvia’s accredited museums list. Accreditation is valid for 5 years, till 5th June of 2012.
Till now museum’s collection has been formed from presents and the personal collections, that are handed over to museum for storage on not fixed time, but a part of works are acquired in purchases way. At the moment in the main collection, which is included in Latvia’s national collection, are 179 naive art masterpieces, but in ancillary collection are more than 900 work’s and photoreproductions. Constantly museums collections are increasing and have been deliberated constantly new naive art authors and their works.
Mission
Mission of the museum is to make an insight about naive art’s cultural processes for inhabitants of Latvia and guests, to show its importance and originality for promoting Latvians self – confidence and pride about inheritance of naive art. And also with the help of original works introduce society with the unique basic values and essential style features of naive art.
Museum wants to introduce audience with the source of naive artists’ inspirations and instigations for better understanding of their wish to show feelings and emotions in art. At the same time museum wants to summarize wide and varied naive art’s collection and in future make branches of museum in Daugavpils, Valmiera and Liepāja thereby making collection accessible for much wider part of society.
For saving Latvia’s naive art’s inheritance of cultural history for next generations and use it for inhabitants educational work, Naive Art museum of Latvia its actions aim sees in collecting naive artists works from 18th century till today, in its conservancy, study and popularization. Museum heeds special attention to nowadays Latvian naive art painters, sculptors and other profile artist works exploration, conservation and making of main exposition in museum.
Based on collected and investigated materials museum makes wide educational complex of measures, with special attention in popularization of Latvian naive artists works in Latvia and foreign countries.
Facts
- In autumn 2006 “Cultures and Arts project NOASS” chairman of board Dzintars Zilgalvis and “Jaunrīgas attīstības uzņēmums” Ltd. chairman of board Valters Māziņš agreed to create museum in Andrejsala;
- „Jaunrīgas attīstības uzņēmums” Ltd. is owner of the museum space and bigest supporter;
- In February 2006 Dzintars Zilgalvis invited art historians Aivars Leitis and Inese Baranovska to form the very first expozition in museum;
- In October 30, 2006 “Cultures and Arts project NOASS” decided to found a structural unit “Naive Art museum of Latvia” and approved museums council in following personel: Aivars Leitis, Astrīda Rogule, Māra Ādiņa, Dzintars Zilgalvis, Valters Māziņš, Alise Tīfentāle, Arno Jundze, Māra Misiņa;
- In December 13, 2006 in the exhibition hall “Arsenals” of the Latvian National Museum of Art opened an exhibition “Naive Latvia” (“Naivā Latvija”) whichs notable part was compiled from artworks from collection of Naive Art museum of Latvia;
- In June 6, 2007 muzeum received acreditation certificate which is valid till June 5, 2012;
- From February 2007 till december 2007 museums director was Aivars Leitis;
- Presently duty of museum fulfil Dzintars Zilgalvis and keeper of collection AliseVetrova.
Exhibitions
I season (2006)
May 20 - Muzeum night „MUZEO ZONE” opening of Naive art museum of Latvia and first expozitions with participation of naive artists
July 26 – October 31 – Vija Vētra “Efflorescence”
II season (2007)
Year 2007 – artworks from Modris Sapuns and Andris Biezbārdis took part in exhibition in Moscow „Festnaive 07″
February 23 – April 15 – exhibition from collection of Naive Art museum of Latvia in Arts and musics school of Bolderāja
May 1 – opening of new seasona and new expozition
May 19 – Muzeum night „MUSEUM FREAK PARTY”
June 16 – certificate for acreditation of museum
July 25 – September 30 – Līna Dzērvāne „Potencial of God”
August 17 – September 17 – „People and Animals in the city”
August 25 – Cultural forum “White Night”
October 22 – seasons closing
III season (2008)
May 17 – Museum night “CAM MORGEN WIEDER!”, opening of museum season and new expozition, 2 new solo exhibitions – Irīna Piļke “Little Bird’s Diary” and Daina Kučere “Citizens”
May 30 – June 29- „About harbors, ships and a lot of water”
July 18 – August 19 – Hungarian naive artists exhibition “Destiny of a Roma”
August 19 – seasons closing
IV season (2009)
May 16 – Muzeum night “Where have you been?”, opening of new season [1]
May 16 – September 30 – solo exhibition dedicated to Nikolajs Stūris 101 years birthday [1] [2]
May 16 – July 19 – solo exhibition of Ņina Abizova „Ieriķi-Rīga-Jūrmala” [1] [2]
July 31 – August 29 – Jāzeps Osmanis “In spite of everything” [1] [2]
September 15 – September 30 – solo exhibition of Taisija Švecova [1]
September 19 – September 30 – People’s Fine Arts Society “Cinnabar” works “Andrejsala” [1]
September 30 – seasons closing
V season (2010)
May 15 – Museum night “Ecology”, opening of anniversary season with guests “Mitki” – artists group from Russia [1] [2]
May 15 – June 15 - exhibition “Requested stops” by artists group “Mitki” [1] [2]
May 15 – June 15 – exhibition “King of animals” dedicated to Filip Salajev [1] [2] [3]
May 15 – September 30 – exhibition of works which will represent Latvia in international festival “Festnaive-2010″ in Moscow [1]
What is naive art?
Even today there is no fixed definition which can precisely and exactly characterize term – Naive art. It is compared with Art Burt and Outsider art, as well as similarities we can see in Primitivism and Folk art.
At the turn of 19th and 20th century Naive art became one of the branch of the Modern art and ranked next to such artistic concepts as expressionism, cubism, abstractionism, surrealism and others, and it developed like an alternative for academic art, which became as an barrier for arts development because of the strict rules, ideals and standards for that.
True Naive artists consider those who haven’t got special artistic education in special schools or academies. Every artist his own talent and skills develops singly without professional assistance, it is free, unlimited expression.
Naive artworks can be recognized by childish, plainness and simplicity, inaccurate forms, substandard perspectives and proportions and bright colors, artists do not keep to standards and criterions but on the same time they put in great part of emotions and experience. Often naive artists are trying to portray “real” artists but with their own improvements, in such works can be seen naive artists ideas about popular artworks and artists; they are similar to originals but a little bit odder and more entertaining.
Information for visitors
Location:
Andrejsala, Andrejostas street 4, Riga, LV-1045
How to get there:
by tram no. 5., 7., 9. (stop - Ausekla street)
Working time:
Museum is open from Wednesdays till Sundays from 12:00 – 19:00, at Mondays, Tuesdays – closed ( museum is closed during the winter from October till May)
Contact us:
Tel./fax (+371) 6773240
Director
Dzintars Zilgalvis
Mob. (+371) 294744001
E-mail: dzintars@noass.lv
Collection keeper
Alise Vetrova
Mob. (+371) 26348218
E-mail: alise.vetrova@gmail.com
©2009 NOASS - phone: +371-2947-4401 / fax: +371-6716-7161 / AB - Dambis 2, Riga, LV-1048, LATVIA