{"id":287151,"date":"2026-03-24T11:26:22","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T09:26:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitdaugavpils.lv\/287096\/"},"modified":"2026-03-24T12:03:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T10:03:15","slug":"287096","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitdaugavpils.lv\/lt\/287096\/","title":{"rendered":"A fresh encounter with Mark Rothko in his birthplace: Rothko Museum to unveil new permanent display"},"content":{"rendered":"

On 24 April 2026, the Rothko Museum in Daugavpils will unveil a new permanent display of paintings by Mark Rothko, offering a renewed encounter with one of the defining figures of twentieth-century art in a place where his story began.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Drawn from the private collections of Christopher Rothko and Kate Rothko Prizel, the exhibition \u2013 on view until April 2029 \u2013 continues the museum\u2019s distinctive role as the only institution in Eastern Europe to offer permanent access to Rothko\u2019s ground-breaking creative vision.<\/p>\n

Conceived as a focused, evolving presentation, the display traces the entire arc of Rothko\u2019s artistic development \u2013 from early figurative and Surrealist compositions to multiform experiments and the luminous colour field paintings of his mature period. Together, they reveal a decisive shift: from representation to abstraction, from image to presence, and from form to colour as a vehicle of emotional and spiritual experience.<\/p>\n

Anchored in the institution\u2019s founding vision, the exhibition is produced in close collaboration with the artist\u2019s children, whose continuous support maintains a rotating display of Rothko paintings in his birthplace. So far, visitors have encountered twenty-four artworks from the Rothko family collection, and each new selection affords a fresh perspective on his art.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a privilege to present these works in Daugavpils, where Rothko\u2019s life began,\u201d says M\u0101ris \u010ca\u010dka, Director of the museum. \u201cThe lasting generosity of Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko allows us to keep sharing Rothko\u2019s paintings with audiences from Latvia and beyond. Each new rotation invites a slower, more attentive way of looking and deepens the dialogue between his legacy and contemporary artistic practice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Born in Daugavpils in 1903, Mark Rothko spent his formative years here before emigrating to the United States. Although his career unfolded abroad, the city remains an essential point of origin. Opened in 2013, the Rothko Museum honours this connection, inviting visitors to encounter his work not as an illustration of biography, but as an intimate and immersive experience shaped by colour, light and stillness.<\/p>\n

The opening day programme on 24 April extends this conversation across disciplines. At 4 p.m., the new Rothko display will be unveiled alongside \u201cTransposition. The Rothko Motif\u201d, a satellite project by the Latvian textile artist Iveta Vecen\u0101ne, where she translates selected paintings from Rothko\u2019s lesser-known Surrealist period into tapestry, echoing his expressive line and complex chromatic structures.<\/p>\n

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At 5:30 p.m., the museum\u2019s concert hall will host \u201cFields of Colour\u201d, an acoustic jazz performance by the Matthias Van den Brande Quartet (Belgium), inspired by Rothko\u2019s art.<\/p>\n

The opening day programme will mark the 13th anniversary of the Rothko Museum and will be accessible free of charge. Advance online registration for the concert will be required via the museum\u2019s\u00a0website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With: Collection of Kristopher Rothko; Collection of Kate Rothko Prizel.<\/p>\n

Support: Daugavpils City Council; Latvia\u2019s Culture Capital Foundation; JCDecaux Latvia; Caparol.<\/p>\n

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Publicity images:<\/p>\n