31/08/2017
The development of the sketch design for the Latvian Museum of Contemporary Art building has been completed. As soon as the construction permit is received, the final stage of the design of the museum building will begin, which is due to be completed by the middle of next year. The museum is being built according to the conceptual design conceived by the winner of the international design competition: the architectural firm Adjaye Associates (United Kingdom) and AB3D (Latvia).
The construction of the Latvian Museum for Contemporary Art is being privately funded as a gift to the Latvian public from the philanthropists Boris and Ināra Teterev and the ABLV Charitable Foundation on the occasion of the nation’s centenary. Over 20 companies from Latvia, as well as Finland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Estonia are participating in the construction of the museum in areas that require specific knowledge related to museum development such as lighting and security, etc. This will enable the new museum to successfully collaborate with even the world’s most demanding artists, collectors and arts institutions.
Reflecting the broad range of contemporary art works, the building’s design includes flexibly planned groups of exhibition spaces, ranging from smaller spaces for intimate artworksto spacious galleries suitable for large-scale installations. It is also planned that the museum will contain a 200 seat auditorium for performances, concerts, film and inter-disciplinary events, as well as learning and activity spaces to cater for public programmes, a reading room and café.
During the period in which the museum building is being built, the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation and ABLV Charitable Foundation are supporting the development of contemporary art exhibitions in other locations, introducing the public to the Baltic Sea region’s most iconic collections of contemporary art and Latvian contemporary art scene. At the same time, Latvian Museum of Contemporary Art foundation has started the annual tradition in Baltic cultural life – the Baltic Young Artist Award to support the newest generation of artists.
It is envisaged that the Latvian Museum of Contemporary Art will become the most visited art museum in the Baltic States, as well as a cultural and arts centre of interregional significance, whose exhibitions are regularly included in the programmes of museums in other countries, thanks to its unique collection spanning art and visual culture in Latvia and the Baltic Sea region from the 1960s and its ability to arrange the loan of collections from private collectors.
The museum is due to open its doors to the public on 18 November 2021, marking the conclusion of the Latvian State’s centenary celebrations.
