The Museum of Applied Arts and Design of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art (LNMA) (Arsenalo g. 3a, Vilnius) invites visitors to the opening of the exhibition “Stasys Ušinskas: Iceberg of Lithuanian Modernism” on April 17 at 17.30:120 p.m. The retrospective exhibition, organized to commemorate the artist’s 14th birthday, will feature paintings, stained glass windows and their sketches, puppets and their X-rays, scenography and sketches of theatrical costumes. The exhibition will be complemented by exclusive archival footage, the puppet animation film “The Fat Man’s Dream,” and a special documentary about the stained glass windows created by S. Ušinskas for Lithuanian churches. The exhibition will run until September XNUMX.
“I would call the opening of this long and carefully prepared exhibition at our museum an event of national importance. Stasys Ušinskas is not only deservedly mentioned alongside other greats of Lithuanian art, such as Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, Petras Kalpokas or Justinas Vienožinskis, but is also undoubtedly a figure of international calibre, which is no coincidence evidenced by his awards at important exhibitions in Paris and New York. As the title of the exhibition states, S. Ušinskas’s work is like a giant iceberg, of which we usually see only a small part, and here visitors will have a unique opportunity to experience its entire spectrum – from painting to stained glass, from monumental panels to magnificent puppets, from animation to glass objects of rare beauty. For five months, the “iceberg” will emerge before our eyes in all its grandeur,” says Dr. Arūnas Gelūnas, Director General of the LNDM.
“Today, we could call one of the most famous Lithuanian artists of the 20th century, Stasys Ušinskas, a “human orchestra”. A stained glass artist, graphic artist, painter, scenographer, and creator of theatrical art – these are the areas in which this unique and innovative personality, who was able to combine the Lithuanian school and the achievements of Western European avant-garde art, left a clear mark. The title of the exhibition “Stasys Ušinskas: The Iceberg of Lithuanian Modernism” is laconic and clear, speaking of a comprehensive artist, without highlighting any branch of art that S. Ušinskas’ talent touched. We hope that this exhibition will be interesting to all our visitors – for some it will evoke nostalgic memories, for others new experiences, and for others it will be an unexpected acquaintance with one of the most interesting and prominent Lithuanian artists,” says Džiuljeta Žiugždienė, director of the LNDM Museum of Applied Arts and Design.
The amplitude of creativity – from canvas to stage
Professor S. Ušinskas (1905–1974) – one of the most famous Lithuanian artists of the XNUMXth century, an exceptionally talented painter, graphic artist, stained glass artist, glass artist, scenographer, and art teacher – drew inspiration from cubism and constructivism. Having studied under Fernand Léger and the Ukrainian-Jewish master of scenography Oleksandra Ekster, he created a unique and unique stylistic direction of his works. Among his famous works are puppets for the first professional puppet theater performance based on Antanas Gustaitis's play "Silvestras Dūdelė". The puppets were also used for the first sound Lithuanian puppet film "Storulios sapnas". The history of interwar theater is impossible without this artist. He created sets and costumes for performances at the State Theater, and for William Shakespeare's comedy "Twelfth Night", for the ballet "Piršlybos" (built in 1933) the sketches for the scenography were awarded the Gold Medal at the 1937 World Exhibition in Paris. S. Ušinskas is also considered the father of modern Lithuanian stained glass, having perfected this technology.
Opportunity to see unexhibited historical canvases
Visitors to the exhibition "Stasys Ušinskas: The Iceberg of Lithuanian Modernism" will have the opportunity to see rarely exhibited works of art glass, an impressive panel, and historical canvases that have not yet been exhibited.
Pan's "Lietuva" (1939) was commissioned by the Lithuanian state and exhibited at the 1939 New York World's Fair. The work is impressive, measuring 33 sq. m., consists of 24 parts, and was made using wax and tempera techniques.
One of the historical canvases, “The Congress of Luck in 1429 (Vytautas the Great in Luck Castle)” (1939), depicts a congress at which the issue of crowning Vytautas the Great as king was being decided. In the center of the painting are the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary Sigismund I and the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas. In the foreground on the left are the King of Poland Jogaila with his wife Sophia and the Bishop of Krakow Zbigniew Olesnicki.
The painting "Grand Duke Algirdas of Lithuania Strikes the Gates of the Moscow Kremlin with a Sword in 1369", which conveys the power of the duke in expanding the territory of Lithuania and its influence, was exhibited in the Hall of Honor of the Lithuanian Pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair and was awarded the Grand Prize.
The exhibition "Stasys Ušinskas: Iceberg of Lithuanian Modernism" will be accompanied by public lectures, an educational and cognitive program: LNDM education, special creative workshops and demonstrations with guest lecturers. The exhibition will be open until September 14.
On the opening day, Thursday, April 17, at 11 a.m., a press conference will be held at the Museum of Applied Arts and Design. The event will be attended by the exhibition curator, Prof. Dr. Ramutė Rachlevičiūtė, the project manager and director of the LNDM Museum of Applied Arts and Design, Džiuljeta Žiugždienė, the exhibition designer Marius Žalneravičius, the stained glass artist and historian Dr. Žydrūnas Mirinavičius, the puppet theater director and artist Rimas Driežis, and the daughter of Stasys Ušinskas, Rasa Ušinskaitė.
