Dreams of Various Length: Manifestations of Surrealism in Latvian Printmaking in the 1970s–80s. Exhibition from The Generation cycle

The exhibition focuses on interpretations of Surrealism in the oeuvre of eight graphic artists – Māris Ārgalis (1954–2008), Ilmārs Blumbergs (1943–2016), Valija Brence (1941–2009), Maija Dragūne (1945), Arthur Nikitin (1936–2022), Aija Ozoliņa (1932–2023), Māra Rikmane (1939), and Lolita Zikmane (1941). Currently not equally known and studied, these talented authors worked under Soviet occupation in the 1970s and 80s, when Surrealism, alongside Abstractionism, was placed on the list of art directions undesirable to Soviet ideology.   Unlike all previous expositions in The Generation cycle, which were usually dedicated to the heritage of individual masters, this is a group exhibition, and it highlights a specific medium – printmaking, based on research of the museum’s collection. To give a broader insight into the creative output of the featured graphic artists, works from the LNMA collection are supplemented by pieces from other sources, including the Art Collection of the National Library of Latvia, the Museum of the Artists’ Union of Latvia and the Blumbergs Foundation.

Artists: Māris Ārgalis (1954–2008), Ilmārs Blumbergs (1943–2016), Valija Brence (1941–2009), Maija Dragūne (1945), Arturs Ņikitins (1936–2022), Aija Ozoliņa (1932–2023), Māra Rikmane (1939) un Lolita Zikmane (1941)

Curators: Monta Cimdiņa, Dr. art. Elita Ansone  

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About museum

The Latvian National Museum of Art is the most important art museum in Latvia and the first building in the Baltics designed specifically for the needs of an art museum. The museum's building is an architectural monument of national significance. It is one of the most impressive historicist buildings in the Riga Boulevard Circle.

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Admission ticket to the exhibition according to the museum’s price list. For annual pass holders, participation in the event is free of charge.