Klaipėda residents and visitors are invited to the opening of the exhibition “Old Masters from Ukrainian Museums: The Lviv National Art Gallery Named After Borys Voznytskyi” on Thursday, January 30, at 5 PM at the Clock Museum, a branch of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art (LNMA). This event is a continuation of the exhibitions of old art masters from Ukrainian museums, previously held at the Vilnius Picture Gallery and the Radvila Palace Museum of Art. The exhibition in Klaipėda features additional works by European masters not shown in Vilnius. Since 2022, following the outbreak of war, LNMA has been evacuating, preserving, researching, restoring, digitizing, and showcasing Ukrainian cultural artifacts in Lithuania.
“From the very beginning of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, the LNMA community has made every effort to support Ukrainian colleagues in enduring the challenges of war. By the end of 2022, we agreed with Taras Voznyak, director of the Lviv National Art Gallery, to evacuate masterpieces from Ukraine’s major museums to LNMA storage facilities. After executing this plan in 2023, and as soon as the works arrived in Vilnius, we began organizing unplanned exhibitions of these treasures, hosting eight across different LNMA branches in Vilnius. This year, these remarkable works will reach art lovers in Lithuania’s coastal cities, Klaipėda and Palanga. We hope these encounters with art will serve as a reminder that the war is not over and that support for Ukraine remains essential,” said LNMA General Director Dr. Arūnas Gelūnas.
“The masterpieces of 16th-19th century European painting from the Lviv National Art Gallery’s collection will add meaningful depth to the Clock Museum’s exhibits on the evolution of art forms. For Klaipėda residents and visitors, it will be a wonderful opportunity to witness world-class heritage and deepen their understanding of art history,” stated Romualdas Martinkus, director of the LNMA Clock Museum.
“Since the first day of the war in Ukraine, the Lithuanian National Museum of Art has been providing all possible assistance to our Ukrainian brothers and sisters. We supplied Ukrainian museums with materials and equipment for safeguarding art treasures, organized shipments of electric generators in collaboration with the ‘Strong Together’ initiative, and worked tirelessly to protect, study, digitize, restore, and exhibit the many unique cultural artifacts evacuated to Lithuania. The LNMA ‘dream team,’ supported by volunteers from the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union, law enforcement, customs officials, and countless project partners and supporters, has organized a series of Ukrainian art exhibitions. In 2025, this series will continue in Klaipėda and Palanga, with three exhibitions to be held at LNMA branches along the coast. It begins with the ‘Old Masters from Ukrainian Museums’ exhibition at the Clock Museum in Klaipėda,” shared one of the exhibition’s curators, Skaistis Mikulionis.
Art Collections Connecting Lithuania and Ukraine
According to the exhibition’s curators, the museum collections of old art in Ukraine and Lithuania share many similarities. Many were formed from private collections bearing the names of historically significant families like the Potockis, Sapiehas, Tyszkiewiczs, Branickis, Przezdzieckis, and Wiśniowieckis. Through inheritance, friendships, or shared interests, these collections often traveled between estates, sometimes across great distances, to delight new owners or simply to survive turbulent times.
The Ukraine-Lithuania route continued into the 20th century, as affluent entrepreneurs and public figures joined the ranks of noble collectors, establishing the first public galleries and museums through private initiatives. Despite geographic distances, the enthusiasts of that era communicated and collaborated through letters, visits, published texts, and gifts.
A Multifaceted Ukrainian Cultural Heritage
The exhibition showcases treasures from the Lviv National Art Gallery, Ukraine’s largest art museum with 18 branches. Many featured paintings are by renowned artists such as Francisco Goya (1746–1828), Prospero Fontana (1512–1597), Jan Davidsz de Heem (1606–1684), Alexander Adriaenssen (1587–1661), Corneliu Baba (1906–1997), and Jean-Pierre Norblin (1745–1830), who worked at the court of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Works by representatives of the Vilnius Art School, Jonas Rustemas (1762–1835) and Juozapas Olekšis (1777–1830), as well as Polish art masters Jan Matejko (1838–1893) and Henryk Siemiradzki (1843–1902), are also included.
The exhibition “Old Masters from Ukrainian Museums” highlights the rich cultural heritage of present-day Ukraine and its museum collections. According to the curators, the collection on display at the LNMA Clock Museum reflects the typical profile of old art collections, providing an opportunity to revisit and remember treasures lost to history due to similar circumstances.
The exhibition will run from January 30 to December 1 at the LNMA Clock Museum (Liepų St. 12, Klaipėda).
Organizers: Lithuanian National Museum of Art, Clock Museum, Lviv National Art Gallery Named After Borys Voznytskyi
Patrons: Lithuanian Minister of Culture Šarūnas Birutis, Ukrainian Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications Mykola Tochytskyi
Project Leaders: LNMA General Director Dr. Arūnas Gelūnas, Lviv National Art Gallery Director Taras Voznyak
Curators and Coordinators: Aistė Bimbirytė, Giedrūda Kazonienė, Mykhailo Kobrin, Skaistis Mikulionis, Eglė Rumbutytė-Šimienė, Dalia Tarandaitė, Joana Vitkutė
Exhibition Architect: Jurgis Dagelis
Exhibition Designer: Lina Bastienė
Translators: Džiulija Elena Fedirkienė, Ruslan Skrobačas
Editor: Ieva Puluikienė
Project Partners:
- Embassy of Lithuania in Ukraine
- Embassy of Lithuania in Poland
- Embassy of Ukraine in Lithuania
- Lithuanian Armed Forces
- Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union
- Lithuanian Customs
- Ukrainian Patrol Police
- State Customs Service of Ukraine
- State Border Guard Service of Ukraine
Main Sponsor: BTA Baltic Insurance Company
Supporters: Klaipėda Musical Theatre, UAB “AD REM,” CLS “Brokerage Company,” JSC “Nova Post Lithuania,” Café “Liepžiedis”
Media Partner: Klaipėda Tourism Information Center
Special Thanks: Andriy Chernegai, Volodymyr Chornohor, Lyubomyr Demianchuk, Valdas Dovydėnas, Robertas Gabulas, Tadas Gečauskas, Olga Grigoryeva, Rita Grochovskienė, Tomas Ivanauskas, Renata Kanarskaja, Mirijana Kozak, Serhiy Kryzhnenko, Valdemaras Sarapinas, Narimantas Savickas, Inga Stanytė-Toločkienė, Andrius Šulskis.
For inquiries: LNMA Clock Museum, email: laikrodziu.muziejus@lndm.lt, tel. +370 46 410413