Exhibition of the Fine Arts Collection of Edmundas Armoška.
Outcrops of Lithuanian Art 16th–21th Centuries

 

Annotation of the exhibition

Virtual exhibition (Lithuanian)

Annotation of the exhibition

 

Exhibition Collection of paintings by Edmundas Armoška

 

Nijolė Tumėnienė

 

Edmundas Armoška has been collecting paintings, sculptures and applied arts works for over 40 years. He had also collected an especially valuable collection of furniture, and had other interesting Western and Russian works of art. However, after his experience as an art collector, he decided to turn his focus on Lithuanian philology and painting. He relinquished many of his artworks, starting with those of lesser value, and gradually turned away from other art fi elds. The current E. Armoška collection is of distinctive value, as it has been compiled very comprehensively, seeking to encompass all Lithuanian painting manifestations, and is thus the largest and most important of all private painting collections.

The prime focus of his collection now is Lithuanian painting from the times of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, with most works being from the formation of the Vilnius Art School to our times. The exhibition presents only a selection of E. Armoška's painting collection of over 200 works. This is a third of the collector's complete works from this branch of art. The most valuable paintings from the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century are featured in this exhibition, among them are works that other Lithuanian art museums would gladly have in their own collections. In a certain way, these paintings from the 20th century broaden our knowledge about famous painters and the culture of those times.
An especially valuable and rare painting by an unknown 16th century painter is a particular highlight of this exhibition – the icon The Holy Mother of God with Child – as its stylistics share much in common with the traditions of the Lithuanian Grand Duchy. Based on the opinions of the authors of Lithuanian Sacral Art, Vol. I, it may be stated that the iconography in this painting has ties to 15th–16th centuries West European art. Also of special interest is another painting by an unknown author, The Blessed Virgin Mary with Infant, St. John the Baptist and St. Laurence, which approximately dates to the 17th century.

The works of artists from the Vilnius Art School, their students and others continuing their traditions are important to the history of Lithuanian culture. In addition to the founder of the school of Lithuanian art, and fi rst head of the painting department, Pranciškus Smuglevičius' allegorical painting Allegory of Redemption, other rare works by this artist's relatives can also be seen – Lukas Smuglevičius, palace artist for Poland's King and Grand Duke of Lithuania, Stanislovas Augustas Poniatovski, and portraits by the lesser known Feliksas Smuglevičius. Karolis Ripinski's Portrait of Lenksa, a student of Jonas Rustema, is also exhibited. The exhibition signifi cantly increases our present knowledge of several generations of the Romeris family of artists: those who are known – Alfredas, Edvardas Matas and Sofija Dembovskytė Romerienė, and those less well known – Steponas, Ona Soltanaitė and Elena Römerytė.

 

Of exceptional value and rarely viewed in Lithuania (the Lithuanian Art Museum has only one work by this artist) are works by the Head of the Warsaw Art School, and active participant in the fi rst Lithuanian art exhibitions taking place in the early 20th century, teacher at the M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art, Kazimieras Stabrauskas, whose eight paintings and pastel works refl ect the early and Vilnius periods. The consecutively collected collection encompasses also the works of Petras Segijevičius and Česlovas Znamierovski, students of Stepan Bathory University, as the 20th century successor of the traditions of Vilnius University.

E. Armoška has collected a rare yet large collection of works of students from the Vilnius School of Drawing (1866–1915), namely, Boleslovas Bujkas, Juozapas Balzukevičius and Lina Balzukevičiūtė, Konstantas Gurskis, Adomas Miendzyblockis, Ludomiras Slendzinskis and others. Although the above artists were active in the life of the Vilnius Art Society and other artists societies, with the exception of Juozapas Baliukevičius, they are not widely known in Lithuania's museums. Thus, this has been the most diffi cult part of the collection to acquire, and as such is very important to our culture.

Based on the fi rst half of the 20th century's collection of paintings from independent Lithuania, highlighting the integrity of of E. Armoška's collection, a rather comprehensive impression of the paintings of that time can be made, and conclusions may be drawn about its development, variety of directions, the safeguarding of artists individuality and their main orientation to West European art.

 

We can see both portraits by the founder of the Kaunas Art School, Justinas Vienožinksis, and the works of its teachers – Adomas Galdikas, Vladas Didžiokas, Petras Kalpokas, Jonas Mackevičius, and Kajetonas Sklėrius. The collection refl ects all the most important art directions of those times: realism, in the paintings of Jonas Mackevičius, Povilas Puzinas, Adomas Varnas, Petras Kalpokas, Jonas Vaičius, and Eugenijus Kulvietis, post-impressionism in the works by Vladas Eidukevičius and Vytautas Kairiūkštis, and other artists with a leaning towards expressionism, such as Adomas Galdikas, Antanas Samulionis, Pranas Domšaitis, and Viktoras Vizgirda. There is also the constructivist painting of Stasys Ušinskis, with both his earlier and later works expressing a return to classical traditions. Among the works on display is one of the best portraits by Neemija Arbitblatas – Portrait of Director Juozas Vaičkus.

 

The collection of works by Vytautas Kasiulis are a unique aspect of the second half of the 20th century, by which we can comprehend the attributes of this artist's painting, and even its development from the large scale, rich paintings of the war period, to the lyrical, nostalgic works created since his emigration. Another artist whose paintings span this war-emigration period is Adolfas Valeška. The collector's Latin American acquisitions of paintings by Jonas Rimša serve to complement the Lithuanian Art Museum's present collection, helping viewers to understand how the artist painted not in Tahiti, but in Bolivia.

 

The works of artists living in Lithuania have been collected taking notice of each painter's artistic achievements, giving priority to widely recognised authors, most of whom have already passed away. Of note is Antanas Gudaitis, probably the fi rst teacher of many painters, who was at the forefront of colouristic expression in Lithuanian painting. Nowhere else but in E. Armoška's collection can one find the complete works of Šarūnas Sauka. The artist's programme work The Hell is on  display in the exhibition. Also, many of Antanas Martinaitis' best works are part of  the collection – especially valuable are the last paintings to be created by the artist.

 

The older generation of high art is represented by Augustinas Savickas, Leonas Katinas, and Jonas Švažas. The younger – by Vincas Kisarauskas, Algimantas Švėgžda, Raimundas Sližys, Algimantas Kuras, Linas Katinas, Jonas Daniliauskas and Algis Skačkauskas. When assembling a collection of contemporary Lithuanian art, the sympathies and personal taste of E. Armoška is given higher priority, rather than the desire to encompass the most important directions in art, or to collect the most important works of artistic individuals in this stage in art development. E. Armoška's collection of paintings surprises thanks to the wide scope of this private art collector. And today it is clear, that this was determined not only by opportunities that others may also boast of. What was most important, was patriotism, dignifi ed life goals and an extraordinary ability to understand the art market, requiring education, good taste, perception and special talent.