To celebrate the 289th anniversary of Rundāle Palace, the Rundāle Palace Museum (RPM) presents a solo exhibition by Imants Lancmanis, a painter, art historian and long-time director of RPM. The exhibition Imants Lancmanis: PAINTINGS will be open until 31 August on the Palace’s ground floor, and it will also feature works from the RPM’s permanent collection on the first floor.
In November 2022, the Latvian National Museum of Art hosted the most comprehensive exhibition of Imants Lancmanis’ paintings to date. A condensed version of the exhibition subsequently toured several towns across Latvia. Enriched by the artist’s latest works, it now concludes its symbolic journey at Rundāle Palace.
‘In the exhibition rooms on the ground floor of Rundāle Palace, each series or group of works by Imants Lancmanis has a special place,’ says Ginta Gerharde-Upeniece, the exhibition’s curator. ‘Each room is like a closed world, where the interaction of the paintings with the space acquires its own internal dramaturgical logic. Portraits, still lifes and landscapes form small genre stories, while the series move from message to message, creating a coherent multi-layered narrative. Lancmanis’ artistic language is closely linked to conceptual romanticism – a concept first proposed by the artist’s wife Ieva Lancmane when discussing the need to define this style.’
The exhibition also offers a fascinating insight into the creative process behind Lancmanis’ art. The RPM team played a significant role in this – staff members posed for the artist, embodying the characters they represented and contributing to the overall mood of his works. Interestingly, Lancmanis has subtly painted himself into some of the compositions, almost imperceptibly weaving his presence into the scenes.
Imants Lancmanis commented on his art: ‘Painting as an art form is a vehicle for understanding the world and the meaning of life through images, to reflect life as an inner experience, which also includes the overall tenor of one’s surroundings and the age. It allows one to capture fleeting images, opens new perspectives on the human form and landscape, provokes reflection on some historical event or prompts to revisit the noble, eternal messages of the New Testament. Art can be an encouragement, a reminder, a warning; it may affirm the good and condemn the evil. Much like a film or a play, a painting should heighten the viewer’s feelings, be it wonder, delight, sadness or anger.’
The exhibition features the artist’s latest works, along with select paintings from the Latvian National Museum of Art, Bauska Castle Museum, Ģederts Eliass History and Art Museum of Jelgava, Art Academy of Latvia and the Museum of the Latvian Artists Union. It also includes works from the Zuzāns collection, the Teterevs family collection and the collection of the ABLV Bank (in liquidation), as well as from several private collections. Additionally, the exhibition showcases pieces that Imants Lancmanis has gifted to the RPM.
The exhibition is curated by art historian Ginta Gerharde-Upeniece, with active participation by the artist himself and his sister Lauma Lancmane. The artist and graphic designer is Katrīna Vasiļevska, and the project managers are Laura Lūse and Līva Daniniece.
27.05.2025.