Zuzāns Collection - Mākslas centrs Zuzeum

Comprising over 30 000 artworks, the Zuzāns Collection is the result of passionate and purposeful collecting over three decades, starting from the 1990s. Jānis Zuzāns and his family began collecting Latvian modernist paintings and decorative art objects, an embodiment of the development undergone by art in Latvia during the country’s period of transformation. Reflecting the collectors’ interests, the Collection expanded over time to include the art of other Baltic region countries, works by contemporary Latvian artists, and famous international artists.

The initiative to make the private collection accessible to the public dates back to the unveiling of Mūkusala Art Salon in 2010, which saw works from the Collection actively exhibited in various themed and solo exhibitions.

The growing body of artworks, by now – the largest private collection of Latvian art, required much more space, and so the Zuzāns Collection found a new home in 2020 in the former Dream Factory, a legendary Riga nightspot – the 1800s building of Kriegsmann’s Cork Factory (A. Kriegsmann Korkenfabrik), an excellent example of industrial architecture converted to suit the needs of an art centre by the Annvil interior architecture office.

There is no permanent display at the art centre; however, works from the Collection are shown as part of temporary exhibitions, and a unique selection of works is on view in the Zuzeum public areas and the Sculpture Garden. Thanks to active collaboration with museums and exhibition spaces in Latvia and abroad, works from the Zuzeum Collection are regularly shown at exhibitions outside the Zuzeum.

Jānis Zuzāns, the founder of the Zuzāns Collection, has been supporting art for two decades, providing funds for the representation of Latvian art abroad, national participation at the Venice Biennale, art and music festivals, and art publishing. He patronizes the Purvītis Prize – awarded every two years for the most outstanding achievement in Latvian professional visual arts. He is also a member of Tate’s Central and Eastern Europe Plus Acquisitions Committee (CEEPAC).