Lithuanian painting 1960-2013

Aimed at both Lithuanian and foreign audiences alike, this album presents the finest work by young artists tracing the evolution of Lithuanian painting from the revival of modernist painting in 1960 to the present day, showcasing 358 paintings by 91 artists from the Modern Art Center’s collection.
Collection curator Dr. Raminta Jurėnaitė opens this album with a comprehensive introduction to the evolution of painting in Lithuania, a discussion of the creative context of certain historically significant pieces, and an overview of the artistic movements and trends that characterized each decade reviewed. Focus is devoted here on the individual contributions of each artist, as well as a revealing look into the relationships between various artistic groups: opposing and uniting, formal and informal.

In preparation for this publication, renowned art critics from abroad were also invited to acquaint themselves with the collection presented here. Three foreign art critics and curators contributed essays on Lithuanian painting for this album: Edward Lucie-Smith, of the United Kingdom, a leading authority on art criticism and contemporary art and the author of a series of popular books on art that have been translated into many foreign languages;  Eckhart Gillen, of Germany, recognized art historian and internationally acclaimed exhibition curator; and Krzysztof Stanisławski, renowned critic of Polish contemporary art and film and curator of numerous Polish and Lithuanian art exhibitions. These essays contribute new insights from the global art scene into ongoing Lithuanian art history research. It is our hope that readers will find this material to be an interesting and useful educational tool to understand how Lithuanian art is being received in an international context.

We begin the album with the works of three artists who were the anchors of classical inter-war modernism — Antanas Gudaitis, Leonas Katinas and Algirdas Petrulis, and then continue with the creative contributions of Jonas Švažas and his generation of artists of the 1960s. This is followed by the works of Povilas Ričardas Vaitiekūnas and his circle of artists, paintings by Kostas Dereškevičius, Arvydas Šaltenis, and Algimantas Jonas Kuras, and finally the artistic contribution of the newest generation of artists, born after 1980. The album displays work not only from the two main Lithuanian art hubs — Vilnius and Kaunas — but also the creations of artists living and working in smaller cities and towns. Also included here are artistic contributions from the minority ethnic communities residing in Lithuania. The album concludes with the biographies of 91 artists, with a listing of their more significant exhibitions.

Until now, no single album, book or directory has been published in Lithuania that presented a comprehensive review of the evolution of Lithuanian painting over the past five decades. It is our hope that this publication, with its wealth of reproductions and its broad overview of such a large number of talented painters, will promote new interest in Lithuanian painting among art lovers, while encouraging those already familiar with it to delve deeper into its history.

A portion of this album’s circulation will be published in English to increase awareness of Lithuanian art among critics, curators, museum professionals, collectors and art lovers abroad. We are also confident that this album will serve as a wonderful educational tool in our centers of learning.

This attractive publication will be beneficial not only to the community of artists and art critics, but will also, we hope, be of interest to the public at large. This album is part of the continuing effort of the Modern Art Center to develop the artistic education of children and adults, and to record, preserve and promote the creative legacy of Lithuania’s most talented artists, thereby encouraging our society’s pride in its culture and the strengthening of the Lithuanian identity.