10.03.2026.
14.00
Museum of Decorative Arts and Design
Media tour:
Art Deco to This Day. Design and Craftsmanship in France
On Tuesday, 10 March 2026, at 14.00 the Art Museum RIGA BOURSE invites mass media representatives to the press tour of exhibition Art Deco to This Day. Design and Craftsmanship in France.
Venue:
Museum of Decorative Arts and Design / Great Hall
Skārņu iela 10, Riga
Registration of participants:
13.30–14.00
From 12 March to 17 May 2026, the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design will host the exhibition Art Deco to This Day. Design and Craftsmanship in France presenting a powerful testament to the enduring value of craftsmanship and the creative synergy between designers and makers in today’s globalized and standardized world.
Louis Billotey (1883–1940). The Departure of the Riders. Tapestry. 1937. Wool, silk. Mobilier national collection. Photo: Isabelle Bideau
Vase made of smoked glass with a white glass outer layer, acid-etched with geometric patterns. 1923. Esterkin family collection. Publicity photo
Vase with engraved stylized floral motif. 1924. Esterkin family collection. Publicity photo
Egg-shaped vase with engraved deer image. 1925. Esterkin family collection. Publicity photo
Vase made of reddish-brown glass, blown into a pre-prepared grooved mould. 1926. Esterkin family collection. Publicity photo
Vase with the popular blue bell (campanula) motif on a cloudy white background. 1927. Esterkin family collection. Publicity photo
Vase with engraved geometric ornament. 1935. Esterkin family collection. Publicity photo
Leonetto Cappiello (1875–1942), Francis Jourdain (1876–1958). Parrots. Fireplace screen. 1925. Wool, silk, amboyna wood. Mobilier national collection. Photo: Isabelle Bideau
Jean Lurçat (1892–1966), Éric Bagge (1890–1978). Odalisque. Fireplace screen. 1933. Tapestry, wool, silk, mahogany, wood. Mobilier national collection. Photo: Isabelle Bideau
Raoul Dufy (1877–1953), André Groult (1884–1966). Champs-Élysées. Chairs from the furniture suite Paris. 1933. Wool, textile, lacquered beechwood with gilded decoration. Mobilier national collection. Photo: Isabelle Bideau
Leonetto Cappiello (1875–1942). Spring. Tapestry. 1934. Wool. Mobilier national collection. Photo: Isabelle Bideau
Jean-Camille Bellaigue (1893–1931), Georges Bourgeois (1898–1937). Furniture design series Aviation. 1937. Wool tapestry, stainless steel. Mobilier national collection. Photo: Isabelle Bideau
Victor Vasarely (1906–1997). Domb A. Tapestry. 1979. Wool. Mobilier national collection. Photo: Isabelle Bideau
Sylvain Dubuisson (1946). Suite ingénue. Armchair. 1991. Painted leather, lacquered steel, metal, synthetic resin. Mobilier national collection. Photo: Isabelle Bideau
Christian Ghion (1958). Armchair. 2013. Carbon fibre shell, epoxy resin, glossy varnish. Mobilier national collection. Photo: Isabelle Bideau
Alongside tapestries and furniture from the French Mobilier national (National Furniture Foundation) collection, the exhibition is further enriched by a selection of Daum Art Deco glass vases, courtesy of the Esterkin family’s private collection. These exceptional pieces, the likes of which are rarely on display in Latvian museums and collections, offer a nuanced insight into the heritage and legacy of European and French design and craftsmanship.
The Art Deco style left a lasting impact on 20th-century design as a whole. Its hallmarks – bold, symmetrical patterns, clean lines and aerodynamic, streamlined forms – have influenced architecture, interior design and fashion to this day. A century after its debut in Paris in 1925, movement continues to inspire with its modern sensibility, elegance and formal freedom, evoking a sense of nostalgia by bringing together perspectives of the past and the present. Visitors will be able to fully appreciate this by exploring the exhibits on display.
