Media tour:
Rūdolfs Heimrāts 100. Legacy

On Tuesday, 15 September 2026, at 12.00 the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design invites mass media representatives to the press tour of exhibition Rūdolfs Heimrāts 100. Legacy.

Registration of participants:
11.30–12.00

From 16 September to 22 November 2026, the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design will host the exhibition Rūdolfs Heimrāts 100. Legacy, dedicated to the centenary of the outstanding textile artist Rūdolfs Heimrāts (1926–1992) who was professor at the Art Academy of Latvia and founder of the Latvian textile art school.

Rūdolfs Heimrāts at the opening of his solo exhibition. 1974. Photo: Alise Zīverts

Black-and-white close-up of a man shaping a clay vessel at a pottery wheel, bent over the vessel with his hand inside.

Rūdolfs Heimrāts – student of the Ceramics Department at the Art Academy of Latvia. First half of the 1950s. Photo from the private archive of Mārtiņš Heimrāts

Black-and-white photograph of a man in a white shirt seated at a loom, working with fabric.

Rūdolfs Heimrāts at the loom in the workshop of the Textile Art Department at the Art Academy of Latvia. Mid-1960s. Photo from the private archive of Mārtiņš Heimrāts

A man in a dark coat and suit holds a bouquet of flowers while standing against a bright, rippled background.

Rūdolfs Heimrāts. Photo: Atis Ieviņš. From the private archive of Mārtiņš Heimrāts

The exhibition unveils Rūdolfs Heimrāts’ multifaceted creative and pedagogical legacy, highlighting his significant contribution to the development of Latvian textile art in the second half of the 20th century. Alongside tapestries, decorative textiles, fabric print designs, and ceramics, special consideration is given to his work as an educator at the Art Academy of Latvia who has inspired several generations of textile artists. Visitors will enjoy exploring Heimrāts’ works from various museum collections, learn about the unrealised creative projects from his family archive, documentary films and photographs from private archives and the Latvian State Archives of Audiovisual Documents. The display also features vibrant fabric prints and innovative textile designs in different techniques. For the first time a particular focus has been placed on Heimrāts’ collaboration with architects and his contribution to the development of interior design.

The exhibition presents Rūdolfs Heimrāts’ oeuvre through several thematic sections that were especially close to him: love for his native land, the beauty of nature, traditions associated with folk celebrations and everyday life, and an understanding of the distinctive values of textile art – from classical tapestry to contemporary innovation and creative experimentation.

Woven textile depicting a group of men and women in folk costumes against a grey background with floral and bird motifs.

Rūdolfs Heimrāts. To the Song Festival. 1960. Tapestry. Wool, linen. Collection of the Latvian National Museum of Art, Riga. Publicity photo

Rūdolfs Heimrāts. Sketch for the tapestry The Gardener. 1962. Family collection. Photo from the private archive of Mārtiņš Heimrāts

Abstract rug with red, orange and black rectangular fields and white shaggy borders.

Rūdolfs Heimrāts. The Flaming Years. 1966. Wool, linen, rya technique. Collection of the Latvian National Museum of Art, Riga. Publicity photo

Four stylized wooden figures with round heads and black-and-white ornamental patterns against a neutral background.

Rūdolfs Heimrāts. The Family, I–III. Man. Woman. Child. 1967. Garden ceramics. Chamotte. Collection of the Latvian National Museum of Art, Riga. Publicity photo

A textile artwork on the wall made of brown, gray and dark brown long-pile fur or fabric, forming a V-shaped composition with hanging threads in the background.

Rūdolfs Heimrāts. The November. 1971. Textile. Collection of the Latvian National Museum of Art, Riga. Publicity photo

Restaurant interior with a red carpet, tables laid with white cloths, and large decorative textile wall hangings.

Rūdolfs Heimrāts. Textiles at the Café Leningrad in Riga. 1972. Photo: Laimonis Stīpnieks

Colorful textile wall hanging with suspended fringed tapestry shapes and circular motifs on a white gallery wall.

Rūdolfs Heimrāts. Butterflies of Jāņkalni. 1974. Wool, nylon, mixed technique. Collection of the Latvian National Museum of Art, Riga. Publicity photo

Tapestry with a naked man and woman in a garden filled with flowers and leaves, surrounded by birds and fruit-like round motifs.

Rūdolfs Heimrāts. The Ancient Motif. 1977. Tapestry. Wool, linen, brocade threads. Collection of the Latvian National Museum of Art, Riga. Publicity photo