Paintings collection
The collection of paintings consists of works of art reflecting important themes and figures of Latvian history from the 17th to the 21st centuries.
The works of art mostly have been included in the museum’s collection until the mid-20th century from the Riga Latvian Society collection, the Monuments Board, the Riga Dom Museum and the Courland Provincial Museum collections, the Grosvalds family collection, archaeologist Francis Balodis (1882–1947) collection, etc. However, new additions to the collection also arrived in the second half of the 20th century and still today.
Noteworthy in the paintings collection are examples of 17th-century church paintings: parts of Kalnamuiža Lutheran Church winged altarpiece and Renda Lutheran Church painting “The Last Judgement”, influenced by Mannerism and Baroque.
The portrait paintings in the collection include works by the court painter of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, Friedrich Hartmann Barisien (1724–1796), as well as portraits of members of the Kettler, Taube and Biron families. The collection also holds several 19th-century documentary realism portraits by Jānis Staņislavs Roze (1823–1897).
The 1930s Latvian art stage is represented by sketches made by artists Kārlis Miesnieks (1887–1977), Ludolfs Liberts (1895–1959), Arvīds Gusārs (1906–1995), Oto Skulme (1889–1967) and Augusts Annuss (1893–1984) for the Riga Castle Festival Hall Mural Competition.
Curator of the collection Anete Ulmane
In order to research the museum’s collection in person, those interested are invited to fill out the contact form, indicating the topic of interest and the chronology. After receiving the form, a museum specialist will contact you.