The Latvian Museum of Naïve Art is located in Andrejsala in a building that used to be a customs warehouse.

On the 30th of September, the Andrejsala-based Latvian Museum of Naïve Art concluded its fourth season (address: Rīga, Andrejostas iela 4).

The Museum’s fourth season began with a solo exhibition of works by Latvian artist Ņina Abizova. ‘There are no more than 85 works, but they do show very well the ways of my life. As a girl from Ieriķi (a small place about 70 km north of Rīga – ed.) I enjoyed flowers and trees, clouds, birds, snowflakes and rainbows instead of real toys. Such a small everlasting world’, said Abizova. Although she has been drawing pictures throughout her life, it was not until the early 1990’s that she realised she was a painter, supported and prompted by her neighbour Maija Tabaka, one of the most famous Latvian fine artists. Last year Abizova turned 65, so her exhibition at the Museum of Naïve Art was far from coincidence. She has the ability to easily see simple and natural values, and that vision of hers is like a window of contrast to the modern-day world, driven by materialism.

Last season, the Museum of Naïve Art also offered a new solo exhibition of paintings by Nikolajs Stūris (b. 1908, d. 1996) to honour his 101st anniversary. In these paintings that had not been previously displayed, the painter revealed his contemplations of the meaning of life as well as his interests and own experience. Visitors were thus given the chance to travel back to a time when the Latvian nation was facing tough moments in Siberia and then, years later, returned to the simple, yet wonderful ordinary life in their homeland. Stūris’ works encompass a broad spectrum of painting varieties which ranges from landscape or still life to portraits and figural compositions. He is also known as the only Latvian naïve artist to have painted battle-pieces as he wanted to emphasise the perils of war.

Besides the two solo shows there was also a great basic exhibition of works by Vija Vētra, Jāzeps Osmanis, Arnolds Akmanis, Arnolds Skrastiņš, Erich J. Grübel and others. The Museum offered two solo exhibitions from the preceding season by Irīna Piļķe (drawings and cartoon) and Daina Kučere (a collection of hand-made rag dolls almost of the size of a human being!).

The Latvian Museum of Naïve Art was established in 2006. Its regular and thematic exhibitions have succeeded to attain great public interest. The masters whose works have been displayed at the Museum are often appraised for their daring and non-conformist approach. Visitors have often noted that artwork appeals to them just as much as the building of the Museum, a former customs warehouse which perfectly matches the artistic content amidst the charming environment that Andrejsala is known and loved for.

The Latvian Museum of Naïve Art first opened to public in May 2006. It singled itself out in 2007 by becoming the first privately owned Latvian museum to receive an official national accreditation. The museum is popular among Rīgans and visitors, accessible to a wide range of viewers and at the same time creates an ingenious and sophisticated new attraction in Andrejsala, the district known as the modern arts and culture hub near the centre of the Latvian capital.

The LMNA's objective is to explain and popularise the processes of naïve art, the meaning and the distinguishing features of the genre within the broader cultural context, thus increasing awareness and recognition of naïve art among Latvians and foreign visitors alike. By exhibiting original artwork, the museum also seeks to educate general public about the unique facets and core values of the genre and the ways it is expressed in Latvia.

The museum's team considers it important to preserve the Latvian naïve works of art for the future and already uses it to widen the scope of arts available to viewers. For that reason, the LMNA has been working actively toward collecting, researching, preserving and promoting not just modern-day naïve artwork but also older pieces, some dating back even to the 18th century. In practical terms, the museum's activity consists of meticulous investigation, conservation and exhibiting, at its headquarters in Andrejsala, of contemporary Latvian naïve art ranging from paintings and sculptures to several other sub-genres. The material gathered and systematised by the experts allows the LMNA to formulate and spread ample and accurate information about the Latvian naïvist artwork both domestically and abroad.

The opening hours of the Museum in 2009 (May to September): 12.00 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, except Mondays and Tuesdays.  

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