A new exhibition of the National Gallery of Art presents the artistic domains of Rimtautas Gibavičius
Exhibition opening at 5 pm on Friday, 20 June, 2025
Friday, 20 June, the National Gallery of Art (NGA) of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art opens an exhibition Rimtautas Vincetas Gibavičius (1935–1993): The Count of Countless Talents, dedicated to the 90th anniversary of one of the foremost Lithuanian artists of the 2nd half of the 20th century. The art by Gibavičius, who was known among his friends as the Count, is marked by intellectual irony, aesthetic finesse and broad cultural contexts.
The exhibition, which has been put together in collaboration with Vilnius Academy of Arts (VAA), presents several artistic domains where the artist contributed most intensely: graphic arts, stage design and sgraffito. His career was remarkably diverse in creative practices from graphic prints to wall paintings, from stage set design to book design, and the visitors will have an opportunity to see his art pieces reflecting all of these fields.
Gibavičius’s artistic explorations became part of modern Lithuanian visual glossary. His pieces subtly reference the then officially proscribed art trends: Op Art and Pop Art, Abstract Art and Minimalism. Vilnius, probably the best-know series of graphic prints by the artist of city views from unexpected vantage points appears a visual diary of the capital. The artist branded himself as a master of precise line, of clean, yet profoundly meaningful world of signs.
The best-know murals by Gibavičius are his sgraffito pieces the Nine Muses (1969) and Historical Portraits (1980 – 1990) that grace the premises of the Faculty of Philology at Vilnius University until today. Over time, these monumental works have become inherent to the image of Vilnius University. The artist himself was not remote from academic world: for three decades he taught at the then State Art Institute (Vilnius Academy of Arts at present) and was actively involved in the formation of three generations of graphic artists. He was a teacher who combined intellect with the high aesthetic standards, was sociable and demanding to himself and to his students.
The exhibition is notable also as a dedication to the memory of the art researcher and historian Ieva Pleikienė (1971–2024), the long-term explorer of Gibavičiaus’s artistic legacy. She had planned an anniversary exhibition and was writing a monograph on the artist. Sadly, an unexpected illness prevented her plans from being brought to fruition. Dr Jolita Liškevičienė, Senior Fellow at the Art Research Institute of Vilnius Academy of Arts, took the challenge to complete these projects, including the curation of this exhibition. The exhibition Rimtautas Vincetas Gibavičius (1935–1993): The Count of Countless Talents therefore alongside with the artwork by Gibavičius includes also the expounding texts by Ieva Pleikienė, to provide a context to his creative legacy.
“This exhibition celebrates the artist’s jubilee, but not only, as it also pays a subtle homage to the memory of Ieva Pleikienė. Her long years of dedicated research of Gibavičius’s art and the explorations into the depths of his artistic language have defined the structure, content and tone of the exhibition. One can say that she created this exhibition together with the artist”, says curator Jolita Liškevičienė. The most recent monograph on the artist, started by Pleikienė and completed by Liškevičienė, will be presented this September, with the exhibition drawing to a close, to mark the actual date of the artist’s birth. The book will be published by the Vilnius Academy of Arts Press.
The artwork for the NGA exhibition comes from the collections of the LNMA and other memory institutions, from private collections and the artist’s family archives.
The exhibition opening is at 5 pm, Friday, 20 June at the National Gallery of Art of the LNMA (Konstitucijos Av. 22, Vilnius). The exhibition will be on until 19 October.
Organisers: National Gallery of Art of the LNMA, Vilnius Academy of Art
Curator Jolita Liškevičienė
Coordinator Ernestas Parulskis
Architect Mindaugas Reklaitis
Graphic designer Ugnė Balčiūnaitė
- Purchase an e-ticket for this exhibition
- Book a guided tour of this exhibition by phone +370 5 219 5961, email edukacija@ndg.lt
- Plan your visit to the National Gallery of Art
22 Konstitucijos Ave, LT-08105, Vilnius, Lithuania
+370 5 212 2997,
info@ndg.lt
www.ndg.lt
