Exhibition "Hello, Paris! The Path of Litvak Artists" at M. Žilinskas Art Gallery in Kaunas

On 30th January an exhibition "Hello, Paris! The Path of Litvak Artists" opened its doors at M. Žilinskas Art Gallery of M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art (Nepriklausomybės sq. 12, Kaunas).

This exhition is the first public showing of long-accumulated works by famous Litvak representatives of the École de Paris, from the collections of Lithuanian Expatriate Art Foundation,Lewben Art Foundation and M.K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art.

The artists Marc Chagall, Pinchus Krémègne, Michael Kikoïne, Theo Tobiasse, Emmanuel Mané-Katz, Simon Glatzer, Ossip Zadkine, Jacques Lipchitz, Jokūbas Mesenbliumas, Max Band, Neemiya Arbit Blatas, and others, formed the new trend of French Expressionism in art, and enriched the artistic expression of modern European art.

Litvaks who were born into and raised in religious Jewish families in small towns in Eastern Europe, or shtetls, brought a unique perception and outlook to Paris. In Litvak art, the Jewish shtetl culture and their distinctive approach to national art became intertwined with the trends that prevailed in art at the time in Paris, such as Post-Impressionism, Cubism, Futurism and Fauvism. This synthesis shaped a trend in the École de Paris that was also known as French, or French-Jewish, Expressionism.

The works presented in the exhibition reflect the individuality of the artists and the stylistic diversity of French Expressionism: they depict Paris, a city of dreams, its inhabitants, details of interiors, and places in France and other countries favoured by the artists as participants in plein-airs.

The curators of the exhibition: dr. Vilma Gradinskaitė, Inga Jonikiene

The exhibition runs from January 30 to April 13, 2014.