Image: M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum, Kaunas
A 55-minute Lithuanian radio documentary and the exhibition ‘Tylūs horizontai’ are examining the legacy of painter Antanas Žmuidzinavičius as Lithuania marks the 150th anniversary of his birth in 2026. The museum presents him as one of the leading cultural figures of the Dainava region. The anniversary programme revisits the artist’s landscapes, public activities, reputation and place in the country’s cultural history, while the exhibition presents his work at the A. Žmuidzinavičius Creations and Collections Museum in Kaunas.
The documentary, ‘Dvylika istorijų apie meną ir žmones: dailininkas Antanas Žmuidzinavičius’, was broadcast on LRT Klasika’s ‘Laikas kultūrai’ on Friday 21 August at 10.05, the programme’s regular Friday slot. Hosted within a series devoted to significant figures in art and culture, the episode asks why Žmuidzinavičius’s apparently simple, realist and traditional views continue to affect viewers, and why his paintings have attracted substantial interest from collectors. It also addresses the public image surrounding the artist and his contribution to the creation of an independent Lithuanian state.
Jolanta Kryževičienė produced the programme, which includes contributions from Jurgita Rimkutė-Vainiuvienė, director of the A. Žmuidzinavičius Creations and Collections Museum and an art historian, and Laima Laučkaitė, an art historian and doctor of humanities. Rimkutė-Vainiuvienė describes the recognition many Lithuanian viewers experience in Žmuidzinavičius’s landscapes, while Laučkaitė contrasts the artist’s reception among major painting authorities with his broad popularity among the public. The episode also raises questions about the Žmuidzinavičius family’s position during the Soviet period and how that shaped later perceptions of the artist.
The accompanying exhibition, ‘Tylūs horizontai’, places Žmuidzinavičius’s landscapes at the centre of the anniversary programme. According to the museum, the paintings are presented not only as depictions of scenery but as states of experience containing emotional and cultural meanings. The selection follows the geographical range of the artist’s travels, from Lithuania to the United States, and considers changes in light, climate and mood across those settings.
The exhibition’s interpretation extends beyond landscape as an aesthetic subject. The museum presents the works as expressions of identity, values and civic consciousness, suggesting that landscape could serve as a source of strength and spiritual support during periods of national trial. It also acknowledges that landscape can function as a tool of ideological representation and contribute to the construction of political narratives. The exhibition is curated by Jurgita Rimkutė-Vainiuvienė, with Daina Zozaitė as coordinator.
The M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art, based in Kaunas, oversees the A. Žmuidzinavičius Creations and Collections Museum, one of its constituent branches. ‘Tylūs horizontai’ is open from 5 May 2026 through 16 February 2027, with admission available through a museum visitor ticket. The exhibition is supported by the Dr. Jaunius Gumbis Lithuanian Art Foundation and lists a range of partner institutions, including the Lithuanian National Museum of Art and the Vytautas the Great War Museum.
