Art is Always a Reason for Interesting Discussion

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Conversations with collectors. Dr. Jaunius Gumbis: art is always a reason for interesting discussions

Karolina Tomkevičiūtė

Lewben Art Foundation (LAF) and Artnews.lt continue their series Conversations with Collectors. LAF has been growing its collection for almost ten years and is preparing to open an art center at Bernardinų g. 6–12 in Vilnius in the fall of 2022. Together with art historian Karolina Tomkevičiūtė and photographer Visvaldas Morkevičius, LAF would like to introduce you to the collectors and tell you about their experiences. Conversations with Collectors presents people who share a passion for art. Some of them are art collectors and patrons, while others are seekers of unique cultural experiences. In this series of articles, we talk about how art collections are born, what unexpected stories happen, and what benefits and value an interest in art creates. Some of our interviewees have amassed collections that now require a museum, while others find meaning in artworks through their personal experiences. The stories of these people are an inspiration and an education for anyone considering purchasing artworks. At the same time, these stories are a great opportunity to experience art in a different way.

This time, we talk to Dr. Jaunius Gumbis, a collector, associate professor at Vilnius University, and partner at the law firm Ellex. According to him, an interest in art and a deeper understanding of it is first and foremost a path to self-knowledge and a way to get to know and feel reality more strongly, and people who follow the path of a collector also have a social responsibility to share.

– Do you remember how it all started, why you became interested in art, and how it turned into collecting?

– Questions about the beginning are very metaphysical. At first, the word "collection" sounds very ambitious. When you buy your first pieces, you don't think about a collection – you think about individual items that might complement your everyday life or allow you to escape from it. Collecting is not some kind of whim or unexpected emotional flash. I think everything started to fall into place slowly. I had to travel a lot for work, and I wanted content on my trips, so I often visited museums and observed.

Another important aspect was my academic work, which focused on the philosophy of law. In order to understand and justify certain ideas, I had to look for tools. Law is understood as the art of argumentation, because you begin to analyze the meaning of every word, and so it is with art—you begin to ask questions about what art is, what it consists of, how to recognize and understand it. This gradually falls into place and accumulates. My journey as a collector began with old Lithuanian books. An even clearer point, which I can summarize as the beginning of the collection, was the acquisition of Kanutas Ruseckas' (1800–1860) painting "The Reaper" (1844). One could joke that such a work could be the summary or main accent of the entire collection, which you search for your whole life, and I started with it. Then I began to search more and ask questions about which direction to go next. My desire to explore old Lithuanian art became clear. 

Art is the best way to get to know yourself and your potential, to understand and feel more deeply the complex forms of reality. It is important to discuss ideas in art properly and to boldly delve into the essence of art. These two approaches are very important to me.

For example, I purchased a painting by Tadas Goreckis called "Humility," which is a portrait of Marija Elena Julija Mickevičiūtė1 dressed in black. After taking an X-ray, I saw that the girl in the original painting was wearing a spring dress. What a discovery! In the 19th century, during the uprisings, it was customary to depict a woman whose husband had died as a widow. That is probably why this painting was simply painted over. Such discoveries encourage us to move forward, to delve deeper, to collect, and to encourage others to do the same. 

– Today, works from your collection travel to various museums and exhibitions, and books about the collection have been published, which the public can view online at www.lietuvosmenas.lt. How did everything unfold after you acquired K. Rusecko's work, and how did the collection begin to grow?

– This is a discussion about what you would like to have and what you can have. Perhaps many novice art lovers or future collectors initially say, "I will collect this and that." They have big ambitions, but soon realize that it is essentially impossible to find those desirable objects on the market. Collecting also depends not only on what you want, but also on what is possible, what you can acquire. Our cultural heritage is not very well-preserved or rich. In terms of quantity, there are not hundreds of paintings that can be purchased in galleries or at auctions.

When I became more interested in art, the works began to find me. People wanted the works to end up in safe and caring hands. What is a collector? He is not just an art lover—he is a guardian. You go from being an art lover to a guardian and take on responsibility – you care for and promote the art. When you have paintings, you realize that they are not just your property, they belong to everyone. Therefore, to have them and not show them, not share them, is partly a moral crime.

When I started collecting more than 20 years ago, the whole phenomenon of collecting was shrouded in mystery. No one showed anything, no one talked about what they had. Collectible art did not have such social value. It was not displayed out of fear and for various other reasons. Certain collections were assembled during the Soviet era, which was quite a dangerous activity, as the Soviets considered collecting to be speculation and made it a criminal offense. No one openly talked about what works they had at home. Through discussions with new people, my view of art as a cultural, historical, national, and state phenomenon took shape. This became very important to me. I thought maybe I should start from the beginning and see how far and how deep I could go into Lithuanian art history and find out. One, two, three works arrived. For example, we are really proud of our history, but the art of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania has disappeared somewhere. I think it was stolen from Lithuania, and there is a lot of it in Belarus. They published books with these works and called it Belarusian art. But in fact, these are works that belong to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania period, not Belarusian art. This is a strategy of the Belarusian dictatorship to usurp history – our history.

I am a proponent of a comprehensive aesthetic approach, and when collecting, I am not seeking a one-time emotion – so that the work is not just another item in the collection, it is important for me to observe the whole: how each painting I am planning to acquire will look and how much it will contribute to the existing collection as a whole.

– What is your personal relationship with the collection? Do you live with it, or is it stored somewhere, so you see it less often?

– The relationship is direct. You have to be in art. We are all in art, we just don't notice or emphasize it. Collecting itself obliges or encodes life in art. Keeping collections somewhere in storage... that's unacceptable to me. The collection is where I am, I want to see it and give others the opportunity to enjoy it. Yes, I often lend works to museums for thematic exhibitions and permanent displays. It is very important that the collection and your work are meaningful and that you, as a collector, contribute to the promotion of Lithuanian art.

– Do you have a favorite piece in your collection?

– I don't ask myself that question, nor do I seek an answer. One day you notice one painting, and the next day you notice another. It's interesting that when you move a painting and the lighting changes, you can see a completely different image. Or you see a painting you've lent to an exhibition alongside other works on the same theme and think, "Wow, look how the work has revealed itself." When preparing for an exhibition, curators often come to see me: I have heard more than once that, for example, one or another work should be given a more respectful place and be displayed in the living room rather than in the hallway.

– Are you interested in contemporary art? Or is it not within your field of interest?

– The concept of art itself is open and perhaps not easily defined. Is contemporary art anything and everything? I am definitely interested in contemporary art. In order to understand what you need to understand and to know the broader context, you have to be interested in everything from ancient times to contemporary art, otherwise you won't understand it deeply and qualitatively, but that doesn't mean I have to collect contemporary art. This is important to note. There are two different things: what I like and what I collect. I really like many artists, but they don't fit my collecting philosophy. I am interested, I read, I visit contemporary art exhibitions, and I follow the market.

Contemporary art is very interesting, but does everything that is included in the sphere of art really become art? I wonder whether phrases such as the concept of art or the definition of art even exist. What we perceive as art through our aesthetic gaze is art. It is very important to me that art is and always has been a source of interesting discussion. Art provides something that is important in every person's life. It improves people's lives and provides us with examples of positive behavior. Furthermore, I do not believe that we can truly understand what beauty is without understanding and using art as a tool. Let us turn to A. Schopenhauer, who said that art is necessary to exalt beauty – and again we return to aesthetics and aesthetic cognition, which we have lost in schools and throughout the education system. Aesthetics has been lost. Unfortunately, we are beginning to perceive art not through its true prism, but through a practical one – how much it costs, how much you will earn by selling it.

– You said that the future pieces in your collection initially found you themselves. How is it now? Do art historians and art consultants assist you, or do you search for and select the pieces yourself?

– I certainly don't do it alone, and I don't advise anyone else to do so either. Collecting is a creative activity that requires material costs, patience, and additional knowledge, for example, in history, restoration, and iconography. It depends on what you are collecting. It is essential to be able to talk to art historians and restorers and hear many different opinions. The process of collecting creates a meaningful and enjoyable activity. You learn a lot and meet interesting people. You see the work you want to buy differently, because art historians see it from one perspective, while restorers and historians see it from another.

These conversations are the most interesting to me, because it's not just what you buy that matters, but how you buy it. Maybe sometimes I take too long looking and discussing, and salespeople don't have that much time, but buying without discussion isn't interesting. I am a proponent of complexity; I do not see the world in simple terms—I need complexity and meaningful complexity. My academic activities also influence this—they affect me, my consciousness, and influence both my daily life, practical work, and collecting.

– It seems that contemporary artworks will not be included in your collection for the time being. How would you define the main idea behind your current collection?

– The idea behind the collection is to find, reveal, and bring back to Lithuania what has not been seen before. 99.9% of the works in my collection have never been exhibited anywhere; they were hung up somewhere, put away, neglected. For example, a part that is important to me—the origins of Lithuanian art (the art of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Lithuanian folk art)—was plundered, destroyed, or hidden.

– You mentioned that when starting out as a collector, it is important not to rush. What other advice can you share with people who are thinking about starting to collect or purchasing their first pieces?

– There are a few important things. First, it is true that you should take your time. Sometimes, caught up in the moment, emotion, or thought, people start buying out of inertia. It is wrong to think that quality comes from quantity. You don't need a lot of exhibits to have a good collection. Collecting is a long-distance race, so you need patience to go far. I don't think there is a collector who has built a collection without making mistakes.

As I mentioned, it is important not to be afraid and to seek advice. Both I and other collectors are happy to answer questions or offer advice based on our perspective and experience. Although my collection focuses on old art, that doesn't mean I can't advise someone who wants to start collecting contemporary art. It's a process that has its own patterns and rules. You need to consult with art historians, but the decisions are always yours to make. It is very important that the art consultant is not the same person who sells you the works. Although this is often the case nowadays. Don't be afraid to choose different opinions. There are many knowledgeable people who can advise you on what to do and what not to do.

– At the end of the interview, please share three recommendations that would enrich people who are beginning to take an interest in art.

– I would definitely recommend reading Colin Lias's Aesthetics. It is quite accessible and easy to read, covering the concept of the art world and the metaphysical, anthological approach that dominates over the social one.

Every time I visit the Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis Museum, I feel like it's my first time there. Let's go to the Čiurlionis Museum again. It's a wonderful historical place. We have a wonderful artist. I also like M. K. Čiurlionis because Kazimieras Stabrauskas (1869–1929) – his teacher, whose works occupy a special place in my collection. That symbolism, from the meaning of life to expressions of death, has a special meaning for me.

And the last recommendation is from the world of cinema: the film The Pervert's Guide to Cinema, written by Slovak philosopher, psychoanalyst, and cinema expert Slavoj Žižek, was shown at the Kino Pavasaris film festival. He discusses what viewers could and should see in the films of Alfred Hitchcock, David Lynch, Andrei Tarkovsky, Charlie Chaplin, Francis Ford Coppola, Krzysztof Kieslowski, and Stanley Kubrick. Žižek's insights are truly surprising, as the film combines art, aesthetics, and philosophy.

1Judging by the portrait's resemblance, the woman depicted in the painting may be Maria Elena Julia Mickiewicz, the daughter of poet Adam Mickiewicz and pianist Celina Szymanowska, born in 1835. who married the painter Tadeusz Gorecki (1825–1868) in the autumn of 1857, outlived her husband, and died in her native Paris in 1922. Source: https://lietuvosmenas.lt/artwork/234.

Conversations with Collectors. Dr. Jaunius Gumbis: Art is Always a Reason for an Interesting Discussion (LEWBEN ART FOUNDATION, https://artnews.lt/; author of the Article: Karolina Tomkevičiūtė).