Date 14 January, 2023 – 8 April, 2023
TimeAll day
Location Art Museum RIGA BOURSE, Doma laukums 6, Rīga
Izstādes darbs
Shail Choyal (1945). City. West India. Cardboard, gouache, pencil. LNMA collection. Publicity photo

From 14 January to 8 April 2023, the Art Museum RIGA BOURSE in Riga (Doma laukums 6) presents an exhibition India – the Land of Tradition.

India is one of the oldest civilizations in the world which cultural heritage is built upon centuries of history. It is diverse, full of traditions, various religions and old crafts preserved from generation to generation.

The research of the Indian art collection of the Latvian National Museum of Art (LNMA) with a study of the history of its formation, a review of the terminology related to Indian art and a complete contextualization of the collection in cooperation with the Indian research institution Eka Archiving Services in New Delhi, was the groundwork for making this exhibition.

The interest in Indian culture, literature, philosophy, ethics and religious practices started in Latvia during the first third of the 20th century. Nevertheless, up until 1958, when the museum received a considerable number of Indian traditional artworks from the All India Handicraft Board via the State Museum of Oriental Art collection in Moscow, LNMA had only a few Indian objects. Now, with its recent years’ donations from the Baltic German diplomat Karl Köhler (1942–2022), the collection consists of more than 500 items making it the biggest in the Baltics.

Art and crafts are very present in every aspect of Indian life and culture may it be people’s households, religion ceremonies and rituals, clothing and accessories or items for leisure or modes of travel. Indian households can combine almost all that is displayed at the exhibition – textiles of various designs and techniques, kitchen utensils, and even living room accessories like tea sets, water pots and decorative items.

The Indian religious and ritual objects in the museum’s collection are mostly Hindu, consisting of images of deities for personal or household worship, amulets and ritual vessels.

Various clothing and accessories are also an integral part of Indian everyday life, celebrations, religious ceremonies, and performances. Due to the different geographical locations, cultural and religious diversity every region has unique norms of colour, fabric, material, garments, accessories, shoes, and bags.

The exhibition displays around 260 objects from the museum’s collection offering an insight into Indian cultural heritage. Each item is an intricate work of art with elaborate ornamentation, motifs and designs kept alive for generations.

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays 10.00–18.00, ticket office 10.00–17.30

Fridays 10.00–20.00, ticket office 10.00–19.30

Closed on Mondays

The museum is closed on all public holidays: 1 January, Good Friday, Easter, Midsummer Eve and Day (23–24 June), Christmas (25–26 December), 31 December.

Reduced individual admission fee for groups of 10 or more people.

Free admission for the person in charge of the group.

Adults:                                   3,50 EUR

Pupils, students, seniors:        2,00 EUR

Family ticket (1–2 adults with 1–4 children or family having many children): 5,00–7,00 EUR

Free admission for LNMA Annual ticket holders.

Free entry is also for: pre-school children; orphans or children not under parental care (valid status identification card required); children with a disability up to 18 years, 1st and 2nd group disabled persons (valid status identification card required) and one person accompanying either a child with a disability up to 18 years or a 1st or 2nd group disabled person; pupils of Latvian art schools or professional secondary art schools (valid status identification card required); full-time students of the Art Academy of Latvia (valid status identification card required); students attending institutions of professional secondary education or colleges who are studying or receiving training in visual or applied art, design, cultural history, museology, architecture, restoration as part of their studies or training (on submission of a written application to the museum director at least one day earlier); employees of Latvian museums (valid status identification card required); members of the International Council of Museums (ICOM, valid status membership card required); members of the Latvian Artists’ Union (valid status identification card required); Friend of the LNMA card holders; media representatives who are covering museum events (valid status identification card required); group (no less than 10 persons) leaders – guides or teachers; Ukrainian citizens by presenting an identity document or other document proving Ukrainian citizenship; everyone on the international event Museum Night from 19.00; all visitors to the permanent display on the last Sunday of every month and on International Museum Day – 18th May.

  1. Please do not visit the museum, if you have symptoms of a respiratory infection, or if you must be in self-isolation, home quarantine or strict isolation. The museum has the right to prohibit the entry to the museum to persons with signs of respiratory infection and ask them to leave the museum.
  2. The museum recommends its visitors to wear a medical face mask or respirator. Children between the ages of 7 and 11 may use non-medical (fabric) masks. Please use a face mask correctly, covering the nose and mouth, throughout the visit.
  3. During the visit, a distance of 2 meters from other visitors and museum staff must be kept.
  4. Please use contactless payment and bank cards or register on Mobilly mobile app and conveniently purchase tickets on your phone.
  5. Please take care of hand disinfection. Museums’ premises and surfaces are regularly cleaned and disinfected.