Mark Rothko Art Centre

Mark Rothko was born Markus Rotkovics in Dvinsk, now Daugavpils, in 1903 and left for the United States at ten, and the centre opened in 2013 in the restored arsenal building of the nineteenth-century Daugavpils fortress is the only place in eastern Europe holding original works by him: a group of canvases lent by his children, shown in a dedicated darkened gallery in the conditions he specified for viewing. Around it the centre runs Latvian and international contemporary exhibitions, artist residencies, a collection of Latvian art and displays on Rothko's life and the city he came from. The fortress around it is a large early nineteenth-century complex being restored in stages.

What you actually see

• The Rothko canvases - the original works in the dedicated gallery.
• The arsenal building - the restored fortress structure the centre occupies.
• Contemporary exhibitions - the changing programme in the other galleries.
• Daugavpils fortress - the nineteenth-century complex around the centre.

When to go

Year round; the centre is indoors and closes on Mondays. The Rothko gallery is small and shown in low light, and timed entry may apply at busy periods. Exhibitions change regularly.

Honest expectations

The number of original Rothko works is small and they are shown in deliberately low light. The rest of the centre is contemporary programming rather than Rothko. Daugavpils is a long way from Riga. The fortress is only partly restored.

Nearby

Daugavpils fortress surrounds the centre; the Daugava loops are north.