Lviv Under Russian Attack Sent Vilnius a Priceless Gift on the Occasion of its 700th Birthday

On the occasion of the 700th anniversary of Vilnius, Ukraine presents an exhibition presenting 33 painting masterpieces from the Borys Voznycki National Art Gallery in Lviv - two main branches located in the Potocki and Lozinski Palaces These paintings are the cornerstones of permanent exhibitions, masterpieces of European art and an incredible gift from a war-torn country, according to a press release from the Palace Museum.

In a peaceful year of peace, when there is no threat to the cultural heritage, such a collection would not be taken out of Lviv, because the museum halls would remain half empty Under the conditions of Moscow's aggression, the organization of such an exhibition in Lithuania is both an attempt to protect the common European heritage from potential threats of missile attacks, and an exceptional gift from Lviv to Vilnius, which is celebrating its anniversary.

The works of art preserved in Lviv are related to the art collections accumulated in Lithuania In the residences of Western Ukraine, a number of collections of old European art have survived, because after the divisions of the Republic of the Two Nations, this land fell to the Austrian Empire and received cultural and political autonomy.

At that time, Lithuania was in the grip of the repressions of tsarist Russia, the heritage accumulated in our land was impoverished and looted, and noble families forced to flee from tsarist rule looked for opportunities to take their wealth to safer countries Therefore, this exhibition allows us to remember the lost historical collections of Lithuania, which also contained the works of many of the artists presented in the exhibition or their schools.

15th-20th centuries paintings by famous Italian, German, Flemish, Spanish, Austrian, Polish and other countries authors of the beginning of the 20th century have been selected for this exhibition as to chronologically (stylistically) and geographically reflect the extremely rich collection of the Lviv Gallery The aim is also that in Vilnius it will be possible to see the works of the same masters or their schools that were in the collections of Lithuanian rulers and nobles.

Thus, many of the presented masterpieces have a Lithuanian context, although in themselves they are extremely valuable works of Gothic, Renaissance, Mannerism, Baroque, Classicism, Romanticism and Modernism that could decorate any museum in the world For example, the exhibition shows the works of Martin Schongauer and Lucas Cranach the Elder - the work of these masters influenced the artists who worked for Lithuanian rulers and nobles.

Mr Šongauer's drawings were the prototypes of Albert Goštaut's prayer room illustrations.

The tapestries of the Grand Duke of Lithuania and the King of Poland Žigimantus Augustus (1544/1548–1572) were woven according to the cardboards created in the environment of Pieter Coecke van Aelst, commissioned by the ruler during his residence in Vilnius The collections of Lithuanian and Polish rulers and nobles include works by Leonardo da Vinci, Tiziano Vecelli, Peter Paul Rubens, Jan Brueghel l'Ancien, Sassoferrato, Caravaggio (Caravaggio), José de Ribera (José de Ribera), other Italian Renaissance and early Baroque works, as well as Flemish, German, Spanish artists.

It is known from historical sources that these works, which were in the collections of the rulers of the Jogailai and Vasa dynasties, often decorated the art of the Rulers' Palaces when the rulers resided in the capital of Lithuania Many of these as well as the works of other artists of the later period (e.

g Luca Giordano) were in the art collections of Lithuanian nobles (Princes Čartoriskis, Radvilas, Sanguškas, Sapiegas, Counts Tiškevičiai, Tyzenhauzi, Pšezdzecki, etc.

) Presented in the exhibition, Carlo Dolci painted the image of the patron saint of Lithuania Casimir, Johann Baptist von Lampi der Ältere created portraits of Lithuanian rulers and nobles, Jan Matejko and Voicech Horacy Kossak commemorated important events in the history of Lithuania.

The international exhibition "Lviv welcomes Vilnius" Masterpieces of European painting from the Borys Voznycki National Art Gallery in Lviv" testify to the common historical European connections of this Central and Eastern European region, which are confirmed by the rich cultural and artistic heritage of Lviv and Vilnius.

In Vilnius - the most valuable painting of the Lviv National Borys Voznycki Art Gallery This exhibition will exhibit the most important and undoubtedly the most valuable art exhibits even from the Lviv National Borys Voznycki Art Gallery, which has 18 departments-museums Among the 33 presented 15th-20th century.

among the works of art, it will be possible to see Sebastian Ricci's work "Hagar in the Desert", Jan Mateika's "Portrait of the Artist's Children", Henryk Siemiradzki's painting "Christ and the Samaritan Woman", the workshops of Leonardo da Vinci, Peter Paul Rubens, Jan Bruegel the Elder works This testifies to the Western cultural bias of the Central and Eastern European region.

This exhibition will be accompanied by a rich cultural and educational program - visitors will be able to learn more about the region of Lviv and Western Ukraine, its painting traditions, the protection of art in war-affected territories and other collections of the exposition of the Lviv National Borys Voznytskyi Art Gallery During the war, bringing artworks from Ukraine, which was under daily long-range missile fire, was a big challenge.

The cost of evacuating the museum collection from the war-torn country was financed by the Goethe Institute and the Stabilization Fund for Culture and Education 2022 of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs The curators of the exhibition are Vydas Dolinskas, Taras Vozniak, Igor Khomyn, Marijus Uzorka, Daiva Mirulevičiūtė, Ignas Račickas.

Lviv National Borys Voznytsky Art Gallery The origins of the Lviv National Borys Voznytsky Art Gallery date back to the 19th century the second half, when the local intelligentsia began to discuss the need to have a city picture gallery.

However, the idea took time to materialize 20th century At the beginning of the year, benefactors started donating works of art to the gallery, donating money, with which they started buying paintings by contemporaries and old authors.

in 1907 a large collection of Western European paintings of the businessman Ivan Yakovich was purchased, which became the basis of the Lviv City Picture Gallery February 14 of that year.

is considered the gallery's birthday For some time, the gallery did not have its own home, and its expositions and exhibitions were housed in other museums of Lviv, in the town hall.

Finally in 1914 was purchased by a scientist for gallery use, the palace of writer and collector Władysław Łoziński with his art collection The First World War and the struggles for Ukrainian and Polish independence were turbulent years, but the building and collections of the Lviv City Picture Gallery were protected.

in 1919 the gallery's collections were enriched by a gift from Bolesław Orzechowicz in 1939 at the beginning of the Second World War, the Lviv Gallery took over the storage of the collections of many private collections or other institutions liquidated by the Soviets and later by the Nazis.

Among them were Counts Dzieduszycki, Counts Gołuchowski, Dukes Lubomirski, Bowarowski, as well as the Theological Seminary, Diocesan Museum, King John III National Museum, National Osolinski Foundation, Collections of paintings of castles and palaces of Western Ukraine and other art values in 1940 the gallery already had 6 thousand.

exhibits Unfortunately, during the war, some of the valuable works disappeared.

After the war, the collections of the Lviv City Picture Gallery were most enriched by the valuables accumulated during the expeditions, which were heroically rescued by the then director borys voznytskyi and many other gallery employees from the abandoned, closed churches, churches, collapsing palaces of Lviv and the entire Western Ukraine After several decades, the gallery has already stored more than 12 thousand.

exhibits Today, the Borys Voznytskyi National Gallery of Art in Lviv is one of the largest and richest museums in Ukraine, preserving and displaying the priceless art heritage of the whole of Europe and Ukraine.

The gallery has as many as 21 exhibition units There are more than 64 thousand in the sets.

valuable exhibits from Antiquity to the present day This is probably the most famous Ukrainian museum in the world.

The gallery stores valuable old paintings of Western and Central Europe, sculptures of the Baroque era, 16-19 centuries Collections of portraits of historical figures of the Republic of both Nations and their descendants, paintings, icons, furniture and other works of applied art by Polish and Austrian artists.

Many of the values ​​kept in the gallery are also important from the Lithuanian point of view Therefore, a rare international thematic exhibition held at the Museum of the Palace of Lords in Vilnius does not include exhibits on loan from the Borys Voznytskyi National Art Gallery in Lviv.

in 2012 A huge exhibition of portraits of historical figures related to Lithuania was organized in Vilnius, the basis of which was the works of the gallery, and in 2022 Visitors to the Palace Museum could admire the works of the genius of Baroque sculpture, Johann Georg Pinsel, and his entourage.

JG Pinzel's "Madonna" embodied the suffering of Ukraine itself in 2022 after the beginning of Moscow's aggression, the values ​​of the Borys Voznytskyi National Gallery of Art in Lviv were taken from the expositions and placed in special storage facilities, which sheltered the most important collections of other museums of eastern and central Ukraine.

Some of the gallery's units in the vicinity of Lviv have suffered from barbaric shelling, and the valuables stored in the vaults are damaged by frequent and long-lasting power outages The values ​​of the Borys Voznytskyi National Gallery of Art in Lviv were taken from the expositions and placed in special storage facilities, which sheltered the most important collections of other museums of eastern and central Ukraine.

Some of the gallery's units in the vicinity of Lviv have suffered from barbaric shelling, and the valuables stored in the vaults are damaged by frequent and long-lasting power outages The values ​​of the Borys Voznytskyi National Gallery of Art in Lviv were taken from the expositions and placed in special storage facilities, which sheltered the most important collections of other museums of eastern and central Ukraine.

Some of the gallery's units in the vicinity of Lviv have suffered from barbaric shelling, and the valuables stored in the vaults are damaged by frequent and long-lasting power outages .