Kaunas City Municipality
Kaunas
art gallery in a postmodernist building, branch of the Čiurlionis Museum
Nepriklausomybės a. 12, Kaunas
54.89630, 23.92070
1-1.5 hours when operating; currently closed for reconstruction
the building and the Human sculpture can be viewed anytime; exhibitions are closed for reconstruction
M. Žilinskas Art Gallery, Kaunas Picture Gallery
Žilinskas Gallery: collection and building
Mykolas Žilinskas Art Gallery stands on Kaunas' Nepriklausomybės Square, at the eastern end of Laisvės alėja. It is a branch of the National M. K. Čiurlionis Museum of Art and is known for two things: Western European art donated by collector Mykolas Žilinskas and the striking postmodernist building itself, in front of which stands the nude male sculpture Human.
Important practical note: at the time of research, the gallery was closed for reconstruction, so the exhibitions cannot be visited and only the building and sculpture can be seen from outside. Before planning a visit, check current information on the official Čiurlionis Museum page.
Mykolas Žilinskas and his collection
Mykolas Žilinskas (1904-1992) was a Lithuanian businessman, collector, and art patron. In the interwar period he held high state positions, and in 1940 he withdrew to the West, later living in West Berlin, where he took part in major art auctions and built up a large art collection.
Žilinskas donated his collection to Kaunas and to the M. K. Čiurlionis Museum. Its core consists of sixteenth- to twentieth-century Western European, especially German, painting, as well as works by Lithuanian diaspora artists. Moving the collection into Soviet Lithuania was long and complicated; after it ended, already after independence was restored, Kaunas gained one of the richest old Western art exhibitions in the country. Sources mention about 1685 donated works.
What the gallery preserves
The gallery presents art of the ancient world, including a valuable Ancient Egyptian collection, ancient ceramics, Roman glass, and coins. It is worth knowing that this ancient collection was assembled not by Žilinskas but by collectors Aleksandras Račkus, Egyptologist Marija Rudzinskaitė-Arcimavičienė, and Count Mykolas Tiškevičius; the gallery preserves it, but it is not part of Žilinskas' donation.
Another part of the exhibitions is sixteenth- to eighteenth-century European painting, including works by Italian, French, and Flemish masters. The most famous work is probably Peter Paul Rubens' Crucified Christ, described by the museum as the only Rubens work preserved in the Baltic states. The gallery also exhibits applied art, including European and Far Eastern porcelain.
The postmodernist building and Human
The present gallery building opened in 1989; its architects were Eugenijus Miliūnas, Kęstutis Kisielius, and Saulius Juškys. It is one of the clearest examples of late-Soviet Lithuanian postmodernism: blind, strict rectangular volumes frame the perimeter of Nepriklausomybės Square and stand on massive supports reminiscent of Doric columns. In 2020 the building was entered in the Cultural Heritage Register.
In front of the gallery stands the bronze nude male sculpture Human by sculptor Petras Mazūras. Its installation prompted considerable debate, but over time it became a recognizable Kaunas landmark fitting the building's classical architectural references.
Visiting: the gallery is closed for reconstruction
At the time of research, Mykolas Žilinskas Art Gallery was closed for reconstruction, so exhibitions are not accessible to visitors and the reopening date had been postponed more than once. For that reason, opening hours and ticket prices cannot be reliably given here; check them when the gallery reopens.
For now, visitors can see only the exterior and the Human sculpture on Nepriklausomybės Square. If you want to see works from the Žilinskas collection, follow Čiurlionis Museum announcements, because parts of the collection may be shown in other museum branches or exhibitions.
