Retrospective Exhibition of Feliksas Daukantas
26 April 2015 – 31 December 2016
The retrospective exhibition is dedicated to the 100th birth anniversary of Feliksas Daukantas, a famous Lithuanian designer and jeweller. This exhibition signifies the artist’s creative heritage, and also explicates the Lithuanian design history, as the artist laid the ground for the national design school. The Amber museum preserves a great part of the author’s creative heritage – 338 exhibits.
The jewellery articles of the artist’s early creative period were acquired in 1968 and the ones of the later period – in 1995. The artist’s works were exhibited worldwide: in „Expo-67 in Montreal (Canada); “Expo 70 in Osaka (Japan); in Paris (France) and Salzburg (Austria) in 1973; in Linz and Vienna (Austria) in 1974; in Expo 2012 Josu (South Korea), where the Lithuanian pavilion was awarded a silver medal. In Palanga F. Daukantas’ one-man exhibitions were held in 1975 and 1995. In 1970, the artist created the coat of arms of Palanga city, which was slightly adjusted by an artist Gražina Oškinytė-Eimanavičienė and was officially approved in 1996.
F. Daukantas left a distinct mark in the history of the Lithuanian design. In 1961-1985, he was the Head of the Design Department of the Art Institute of the Lithuanian Soviet Republic (now – the Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts) and worked there till 1992.
He developed a methodological framework for defining the particularity of a designer’s activity, took care of dissemination of the Lithuanian design achievements in mass media. In the prevailing context of the Soviet ideology, he managed to emphasize the significance of artistic expression – the objective beauty of things based on the aesthetic and utilitarian function ratio.
F. Daukantas, as the pioneer of the jewellery, made an invaluable contribution to the Lithuanian culture. The artist changed the concept of amber jewellery, was against the processing methods damaging the nature of amber, and influenced the development of amber jewellery and material perception. F. Daukantas also created leather and metal works, but his amber works are of particular interest. He devoted much attention to amber while making standard models for mass production at „Art“ factory. His jewellery making stylistics became an example for other artists. In order to break away from the stereotypes in this area, F. Daukantas initiated negative amber carving, made jewellery from unified parts, but he particularly tried to emphasise the natural qualities of amber.
The exhibition „The Shining“ was opened at 2 pm on April 26, 2015, in the presence of an abundant F. Daukantas family.
The project is sponsored by the Lithuanian Council for Culture
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(+370 460) 30314
gintaro.muziejus@lndm.lt
