At the beginning of the previous century designer boudoir or sofa dolls were created that were intended for decorating interiors. They could be very luxuriant – embroidered with pearls or dressed in silk and velvet. The colouring of the dolls was often adjusted to the colour of wallpapers or furniture fabric. At the same time semi-figure dolls appeared where the upper part of the body was made of porcelain, however the lower one was functional, where, for example, the skirt served as a teapot warmer or could be supplemented with a needle pillow. The elegant beauties were produced in various doll factories in Germany, France and other places. The exhibition “Winter Roses” shows the dolls manufactured by Lili Baitz enterprise (Germany), each of which has its name – Rita, Irena, Betija. It was often that the making of dolls was ordered to specialized workshops and Riga boasted having such ones. Besides it was possible to buy parts of dolls in shops and make a self-made a doll.

“The small doll collection created by myself is devoted to Art Nouveau and Art Deco. The dolls were made between 2007 and 2014. The creation of some of the dolls was inspired by the graphic art of Aubrey Beardsley and Erté, others are my phantasy,” says the artist about her designer dolls. The exhibition will feature the first demonstration of the exclusive souvenir series branded ALC Art. The design of the souvenirs has been created by the artist’s daughter Aleksandra Cudnovska based on the doll images from the family collection.

Artist Tamara Cudnovska has graduated from Rozentals Art Secondary School and Art Academy of Latvia. She is a member of the Latvian Designers’ Society and the chief artist of the Baltic Guild of Designer Dolls and Toys. Since 1992 she has been making her own designer dolls and has been collecting dolls since 1993. At the moment the collection consists of about 3000 exhibits –toys, dolls, postcards and household objects which characterize the period from year 1900 till nowadays. The artist has participated in many exhibitions in Latvia and abroad, her works can also be found in private collections.