ABOUT US
ROTKO MUSEUM is a multifunctional contemporary art, culture and education centre in the historic artillery arsenal building of Daugavpils Fortress, where you can see exquisite examples of
contemporary art and have a rich and stimulating cultural experience.
Rothko Museum is an ideal destination for school excursions in Latvia, offering the opportunity to discover original works by world-famous artists, as well as to participate in creative art classes under the guidance of professional artists. This is an opportunity for pupils not only to visit the museum, but also to create their own unique work, learn about contemporary art, colours, forms and means of expression.
The museum offers not only cultural enjoyment, but also a meaningful way to spend time with children. Families with children can explore the world of ceramics, visit open-air exhibitions and get creative in the Martinsons’ house.
The museum’s main exhibition is a selection of original works by the world-famous Daugavpils-born artist and master of colour square painting Mark Rothko – currently the only permanent exhibition of Rothko’s works in Europe
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Designed in retrospect, it traces the development of the artist’s oeuvre throughout his creative life: from the early figurative paintings of the 1930s through the transitional period of the 1940s to the revolutionary “classical” period of the 1950s and 1960s.
The museum’s changing exhibition programme is implemented over four seasons, offering visitors around 30 high-quality art projects on an area of 2500 square metres each year. In 2022, the Rothko Museum acquired a new exhibition space dedicated to the medium of ceramics – Martinsons House – located opposite the main building of the museum. In addition to the permanent exhibition “City of Dreams” with works from the collection of the outstanding ceramicist Peter Martinsons, it houses changing exhibitions and an open-air ceramics repository. Next to Martinsons’ house, the open-air repository of the Rothko Museum’s contemporary ceramics collection is freely accessible in the casemates of Bastion 7, built into the rampart of Daugavpils Fortress. It houses works by more than 100 artists from 40 countries. The open access nature of the artworks allows visitors to explore the different expressions of the ceramic medium and to appreciate the creative and professional performance of the artists working with a variety of materials (clay, chamotte, stoneware, porcelain) and firing techniques.
ARTEDUCATION PROGRAMMES
The Rothko Museum offers several creative art education programmes for children and young people. During these programmes, pupils are guided by a teacher to explore the main exhibition of the Rothko Museum or Martinsons House or one of the changing exhibitions and, inspired by what they have seen and experienced, create their own work of art to take away as a memento under the guidance of a professional artist. The programmes develop an understanding of contemporary art, reinforce knowledge of art terms, exercise attention, develop creativity, imagination and judgement as students discover high quality examples of contemporary art.
Children’s programme 4,00 EUR (1 h)
Youth programme 6,00 EUR (1,5 h)
Free admission for the group leader.
Special prices are also available for guided tours in Latvian, Russian or English for school groups to all Rothko Museum exhibitions and the Daugavpils Fortress.
For creative programmes and tours please call +371 22471925 or email zanna.jemeljanova@daugavpils.lv