Museum of Decorative Art & Design, Riga

The Museum of Decorative Art & Design was first opened to the public on July 6th, 1989. Housed in the oldest in Riga stone building, the museum exhibits Latvian artwork and design objects created mainly by local artists. Some of the permanent collections also include foreign-made decorative items which came as private donations. The exhibits are divided into 7 categories, namely: textiles, metal objects, ceramic and porcelain art, glass, artistic woodwork, leather and design. The collections cover the period from the 19th century to the present time and, as such, provide great insight into the Latvian culture and art.

The second floor is dedicated to the decorative art of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Visitors can admire the largest collection of modernist items created by artists of the Baltars porcelain workshop. Decorative items, inspired by the Latvian folklore and ethnography, are also present in large numbers in the museum. The third floor is dedicated exclusively to the contemporary decorative art, and displays objects from the 1970s onwards. New items are purchased for the collection, from time to time, to reflect today’s trends in decorative art.

While the second and third floors are used for permanent exhibits, the first (ground) floor is dedicated to temporary exhibitions and creative workshops.