Mark Rothko the Latvian born, American, Abstract Expressionist painter has had a gallery devoted to his work opened in his birthplace in Latvia. The new Mark Rothko Arts Centre opened in the eastern town of Daugavpils, which is the Baltic country’s second biggest city. Six paintings donated by the artist’s family are featured in the first permanent Rothko installation in Eastern Europe.
Daugavpil’s Mark Rothko Art centre is a multifunctional institution of contemporary art, housed in the perameters of the fortress Arsenal building located at 3 Mihaila Street. Visitors may see Rothko original works along with reproductions and digital presentations of the artist’s biography and images of paintings. Everyone is encouraged to visit the Rothko Silent Room, video hall, cultural and historical expositions and temporary exhibitions featuring new artists’ from Latvia, Europe and the World.
The grand opening ceremony of the Mark Rothko Art Centre took place on April 24th, 2013. The 110th anniversary celebration of his birth will take place in the art centre on September 25. The Latvijas Pasts Government corporation in cooperation with the specialists of the Mark Rothko Art Centre also plan to issue a new stamp of “Mark Rothko” with the value of 60 centimes to coincide with his Birthday.
Rothko’s son Christopher Rothko told a news conference.“This centre, I think, is going to become an important archive, an important resource for Rothko scholars to draw on, and also for Rothko’s public,” Mark Rothko’s parents came to the United states when he was 10, to flee a wave of antisemitism. He committed suicide in 1970 after suffering many years of cronic depression.