The National Gallery of Art of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art, after more than 15 years, presents a new permanent exhibition of the first half of the 20th century Lithuanian art. Following the opening at 6 pm Wednesday, 30 April, the programme of accompanying events will continue during the weekend.
The rehang of the permanent exhibition is a move of consequence not only in the history of the
National Gallery of Art, but within the broader strategy of the LNMA that aims to enhance the relevance of cultural heritage to contemporary visitors. The creators of this new exhibition have revisited the canonical narrative of the Lithuanian art to offer a fresh perspective, providing an opportunity to experience the artistic life of the country in the first half of the 20th century – its reality, expectations and visions – in a broader historical context. The rehang was curated by the art historians Prof. Giedrė Jankevičiūtė and Gabrielė Radzevičiūtė, designed by the architect Mindaugas Reklaitis and graphic designer Milda Šiulytė.
‘The concept of “a permanent exhibition” today strikes as a rather paradoxical, as these days people are so used to thinking in short-time projects, constantly renewed initiatives, that they perceive as everything as changing and nothing as permanent. This must have been one of the reasons why the rehang of the display of the first half of the 20th century Lithuanian art at the NGA was inevitable. The process took quite a long time, as it relied on recent research on the period in Lithuania, which lead to highlighting of some previously overlooked artists and placing, alongside with the major art figures, some lesser-known men and women who produced equally interesting art, but did not enjoy equal publicity. Giedrė Jankevičiūtė and Gabrielė Radzevičiūtė, a duo of art historians representing different generations of art scholarship, invite us to a fresh experience of the seemingly well-known period in the history of art of the country. They offer to discover it in a new context and from unexpected angles. I am positive that this provocation will be engaging to our visitors!” Dr Arūnas Gelūnas, director general of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art, is excited about the change.
Artistic visions among historical shifts
The visual narrative begins with the presentation of the heritage by Vilnius based artists of the early 20th century. It sets the stage of the period’s reality, of artistic expectations and social contexts, which influenced the development of art before and during WWI. The story continues into the rooms that introduce visitors into inter-war cultural environment – the artists and art nurtured by the then independent Lithuanian state, artistic experiments taking place in European context and the tensions the artists concerned themselves with.
The display is shaped of the works from the artists of different generations – from the major figures to artists, lesser known to the broad public. Featured are Gerardas Bagdonavičius, Jan Bułhak, Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, Barbora Didžiokienė, Mstislavas Dobužinskis, Adomas Galdikas, Antanas Gudaitis, Adasa Gurevič-Grodzka, Antanas Ingelevičius, Vytautas Kairiūkštis, Petras Kalpokas, Marcė Katiliūtė, Viktoras Petravičius, Moišė Ravivas-Vorobeičikas, Petras Rimša, Ferdynandas Ruszczycas, Antanas Samuolis, Domicelė Tarabildienė, Stasys Ušinskas, Antanas Žmuidzinavičius and other artists. In terms of branches of art, the display includes not only paintings, sculpture pieces and graphic prints, but also photography, animation and book design.
One, semi-annual segment of the permanent exhibition is designated to reflect new themes and research, also to present the artwork lent from other museums, collections and archives. The first of such thematic segments will introduce the artists’ perception of leisure and entertainment in post-war Lithuania.
‘With the rehang of this permanent collection, we wanted, besides highlighting the well-known moments in the history of Lithuanian art, to include the previously lower voices. It is an invite to take a fresh look at the history of Lithuanian art not as a finite story, but as an open, alive and continuously expending narrative,’ Prof Giedrė Jankevičiūtė says.
The opening programme and meetings with the curators
The opening night, 30 April, will include a live sound excerpt from Café existans (stage director Paulius Markevičius, composer Jonas Narbutas) by the theatre group Tolyn gilyn. Café existans is this year’s winner of the Golden Stage Cross and of uniqueness award from Vilnius International Theatre Festival Sirenos. The sound performance at the opening event will be by the actors in Café existans Aistė Lasytė, Viktorija Žukauskaitė, Vygandas Vadeiša and Karolis Norvilas / Šarūnas Datenis.
Those interested in a deeper understanding of new thematic approaches and the backstage of artwork selection are invited to curator-guided tours: at 5.30 pm 2 May, with art historian Prof. Giedrė Jankevičiūtė; at 2 pm 3 May, with curator Gabrielė Radzevičiūtė. Guided tours are included into regular ticket fee, yet advance tour booking is required at https://forms.office.com/e/D8BLkWSFHU [1].
Open to diverse visitor needs
The new display is visitor experience and accessibility centred. The NGA, in collaboration with the Lithuanian Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired, continues the project Blind Date, which seeks to create adequate conditions for visually impaired people to familiarize with the national artistic heritage.
A special corner designed for the Gallery’s youngest visitors will invite children and families to see children’s books from inter-war years, to enjoy their illustrations and to create their own characters from the books, inspired by the aesthetics of the period. The space is designed in collaboration with Ieva Šimkonytė, specialist for inclusive design for children.
‘The children’s space is conceived like a bridge between historical heritage and contemporary children’s curiosity. We wanted to create opportunities for everyone, even our smallest visitors, to see and experience art as engaging their imagination, playfulness and creativity. These are very important ways to discover one’s relationship to art from childhood,’ co-curator of the exhibition Gabrielė Radzevičiūtė explains their idea.
The nucleus of the rehung display comes from the collection of the LNMA, with the addition of valuable pieces and documentary materials from different Lithuanian museums, memory institutions, and private collections.
‘Permanent exhibitions in museums are not only official representations of their collections. They are a long-lasting commitment to not only safeguard individual artwork, but to keep revisiting the themes of identity, legacy and collective memory,’ Dr Lolita Jablonskienė, director of the National Gallery of Art points out.
Exhibition opening will take place at 6 pm 30 April at the National Gallery of Art
(Konstitucijos Aven. 22, Vilnius). We invite the Gallery’s regulars and those who only start their familiarity with Lithuanian art, to the encounter with the history of art which speaks today.
Curators: Giedrė Jankevičiūtė, Gabrielė Radzevičiūtė
Architect Mindaugas Reklaitis
Designer Milda Šiulytė
Coordinator Eglė Juocevičiūtė
Inclusive design for children by Ieva Šimkonytė
Blind Date curators: Matas Drukteinis, Agnė Matulevičiūtė, Eglė Nedzinskaitė
Production design by Ugnė Balčiūnaitė
Text editors: Audra Kairienė, Rūta Tumėnaitė
Translator Aušra Simanavičiūtė
Project organized by the National Gallery of Art of the LNMA
Institutional partners: M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art, Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, National Museum of Lithuania, Lithuanian Museum of Theatre, Music and Cinema, Lithuanian Archives of Literature and Art, Lithuanian Central State Archives, Šiauliai Aušra Museum, Samogitian Museum Alka, Vilnia Gaon Museum of Jewish History, Kupiškis Ethnographic Museum, The Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, Lithuanian Art Centre Tartle, Antanas Gudaitis Art Foundation, private individuals
Project funded by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania
Supporter Exterus Fundermax
Information partner JCDecaux Lietuva