Anniversary exhibition "Kazimieras & Titas Simanonis - Virtuosos of Jewellery Art"

30 November - 7 January 2018

This exhibition presents over two hundred and fifty pieces of jewellery art created in the period from the 1960s to our days. They include ornate jewellery sets made from the noble metals and minerals, filigree brooches, rings decorated with engraving, melted silver and other techniques, bracelets, dishes for special occasions, clocks and art designs. Each work is unique for its artistic approach and testifies to the highest professional master craftsmanship. Besides the newest works, the exhibition also displays amber and silver jewellery that has been recognised and has featured at numerous shows in the world. These additional works will help give an indication of the dynamism of trends in jewellery art and to understand the lasting value of a piece of jewellery. The exhibition presents the work of two artists who work closely with one another, yet are from different generations and display different creative approaches. 

Kazimieras Simanonis (b. 1937) is one of the most renowned jewellery and interior metal plastic art creators in Lithuania, an innovator and leader in numerous fields. He set off on his creative path in the 1960s when metal art was just taking its first steps in Lithuania. This artist of extraordinary skill laid the foundations for the modern Lithuanian jewellery tradition, encouraging its modernisation and international integrated development. Kazimieras acquired his professional knowledge at the Art Institute in Tallinn, known for a long time for its fine metal art traditions. As a result, he entrenched in Lithuanian jewellery art high requirements for professional master craftsmanship, started to use classic, long-forgotten techniques, noble metals as well as precious and semi-precious gemstones. He returned to jewellery the status of an exclusive accessory, a luxury piece of art, and embarked on a new, individualised stage of free creative expression. The expressively sculptural works of Kazimieras Simanonis combine Baroque decoration, the vitality of shapes inspired by nature, as well as modern, painterly plastic art forms. He remains one of the few metal artists who are capable of freely improvising with complex technologies which demand a high level of knowledge, achieving unexpected shapes and subtle pulsating and brilliant metal effects. 

The artist left a distinctive impression in creating amber jewellery as well – he revealed the new plastic art qualities of natural amber that had hitherto never been used in jewellery creation, rehabilitating the artistic image of amber works. 

The works of Kazimieras Simanonis have on numerous occasions represented Lithuania in various countries of the world, being presented as gifts to the wife of the US president Richard Nixon, the Queen of Denmark Margrethe II and Pope John Paul II. The Lithuanian Art Museum also has a sizeable collection of his works. 

Titas Simanonis (b. 1967) is a designer and jeweller who became well known in Lithuania after 1995. After having successfully graduated from the Department of Design at the Vilnius Art Academy (then the Vilnius Art Institute) in 1990, he spent around five years working in New York for the Eurokraft company which cooperated with world famous jewellery houses such as Bulgari, Tiffany & Co. and Cartier. The young designer acquired invaluable professional experience that helped form his artistic principles and his own creative style, based on the highest grade of jewellery design criteria. Returning to Lithuania, Titas Simanonis continues to work in the jewellery field, searching for new creative ideas and seeking to create a unique character for each piece. Titas’ jewellery items stand out for their constructive, laconic approach and their optimal ratio of plastic art expression and materials. Whilst constructing the shape of his miniature pieces, the author sees it as a complete system of functional parts in 3D: when viewed from various aspects, the silhouette changes, and optical nuances become pronounced. In each case the designer searches for the most effective options concerning composition and technology, yet avoids the superficial shine of expensive jewellery materials – their value is highlighted by the quiet reserve of their artistic expression and perfected aesthetics of their refined forms. Even if a particular detail is not visible from the facade aspect, every detail is an original and perfect element of the structure of the piece. Texture plays an important role, adding emotion and the sense of true hand-crafting to the purified form. The subtle, high-grade jewellery created by Titas Simanonis is noted for its comforting intimacy and individuality. 

Gražina Gurnevičiūtė

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