In early 2025, the Latvian Museum of Photography successfully completed its move to the Art Academy of Latvia building at Kronvalda bulvāris 4, Riga. To celebrate this occasion, the museum’s public space will host the exhibition from January 17, presenting a unique collection of colour photographs from the early 20th century for the first time in the museum’s history.
Shortly after 1907, when autochrome, the first commercially successful colour process in photography, was patented by the Lumière brothers, Latvian photographers also began to produce colour photographs on glass plates. Due to their fragile nature, relatively few autochromes have survived. The Latvian Museum of Photography has the second largest collection of autochromes in Latvia—mostly still lifes, landscapes, and portraits by Eduards Gaiķis (1881–1961). The research process has also identified autochromes preserved in other museums and private collections, giving an idea of the number of objects available in Latvia.
«Autochromes are not only aesthetically beautiful, but they also change the perception of a time in history that is usually seen only in black and white. It is also emotionally thrilling to discover exactly what the photographers wanted to capture in colour for the very first time. These are precious memories entrusted to fragile pieces of glass,» says Džūlija Rodenkirhena, historian and exhibition curator at the museum. The exhibition is designed by Antra Augustinoviča.
Due to the deterioration of the previous location of the museum, building at Mārstaļu iela 8, and the need for reconstruction, a decision was taken to move the museum to temporary premises at Kronvalda bulvāris 4.Currently, in collaboration with the architecture studio Gaiss, a modern and multifunctional museum public space has been created, suitable for small exhibitions, lectures, educational programmes, and other events. The public space is also housing an extensive library dedicated to the field of photography. As this is a temporary space, there are no plans for a permanent exhibition. However, anyone can make an appointment to see the objects in the collection that they are interested in. The extensive collection of the Latvian Museum of Photography contains almost 70 000 items, ranging from daguerreotypes dating back to the mid-19th century to contemporary photography. The collection is complemented by a diverse collection of photographic equipment.
The exhibition of the autochrome collection at the temporary premises of the Latvian Museum of Photography at Kronvalda bulvāris 4, Riga, will be on view from December 17 during museum opening hours, every working day from from 10:00 to 17:00.
Viedokļi