Exhibition "The Yellow Woman. Antanas Samuolis (1899–1942) Retrospective and Inspirations," February 15–September 8, 2024
Exhibition "The Yellow Woman. Antanas Samuolis (1899–1942) Retrospective and Inspirations", dedicated to the 125th anniversary of Samuolis' birth.
Such a comprehensive exhibition, dedicated to one of the most famous Lithuanian artists of the early twentieth century, Antanas Samuolis, is being held at the M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art after a 25-year break. In terms of its volume and number of works, it is probably not comparable to the review exhibitions of Samuolis that existed until then. It exhibits 45 works by Samuolis, collected from various museums and private collections. The artefacts of the exhibition were loaned by as many as nine memory institutions, private museums Mo, Tartle, gallery The Room, private collectors, and over three dozen artists or their families. The National Gallery of Art in Vilnius has even agreed to lend the highlight of its permanent exhibition – the White Apple Tree.
Samuolis was actively creating for about seven years, he died young, and few works have survived. However, his work has had an incredible impact on several generations of artists and continues to be a source of inspiration for artists. "Therefore," says CEO Daina Kamarauskienė, "we are very happy to present the most prominent works of Samuolis in one exhibition and to show the work of contemporary artists, which was inspired by Samuolis' iconic painting "Yellow Woman". This woman of exotic beauty, who has become a model of a well-known portrait, is dedicated to a part of the exhibition that will answer questions: who she is, how her life turned out, what incredibly interesting activities she did. Not only the photo documentary, but also her personal belongings and works will help to answer the questions. And next to it is a whole constellation of works by contemporary artists, inspired by the optimistic yellow color, the image of a woman or a red flower. For many of the authors of the exhibition, Samuolis has become an almost mythical figure, a "god" of painters and a camouflage of their work. 42 artists present direct connections or further paraphrases of this painting. Audrius Novickas' installation "Obsessed Images" (2015 / 2024) is exhibited in a separate space.
In preparation for the exhibition, a lot of research was carried out, looking for the creation of paintings or life stories, but thanks to the specialists of the P. Gudynas Restoration Centre, the partners of the exhibition, as many as 7 works were physically and chemically researched. What was discovered after examining them with radiographs will also be revealed to the viewer.
The large educational space of the exhibition will allow you to relax, create, and empathize with Samuolis' work, and anyone who wants to become Samuolis' "model" will be able to pose in an equipped environment that conveys the atmosphere of a portrait and become an inspiration for drawing, painting work or photography.