Acta Academiae Artium Vilnensis

What Is so Wild Here? Symbolism in the Art of the Baltic States (2018–2021): Project Evaluation and Resonance

Ginta Gerharde-Upeniece — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0300

The joint Baltic exhibition Wild Souls. Symbolism in the Art of the Baltic States took place in Paris in 2018 at the Musée d’Orsay, which offered its most prestigious hall for the project. The museum was also the main financial partner, enabling the realisation of both the exhibition and its catalogue. The aim of the Baltic colleagues was to develop the project as a travelling exhibition, whose entire route—including Tallinn (2018), Vilnius (2020), and Riga (2020–2021)—was considered important. Each museum contributed its own perspective and research input. While retaining the overall concept and changing only details and emphases, each museum presented a different narrative—Estonian, Lithuanian, and Latvian versions of the saga of Symbolism.

Each of the national art museums in the Baltic states had already undertaken research and related activities on this theme. The project, which began as an investigative process into Symbolism, became an important catalyst for cultural exchange between the Baltic states and France. It was a definite success for the general curator, Rodolphe Rapetti (France), supported by the cooperation among the Baltic national art museums. The preparatory stage of the exhibition was especially productive, bringing many new discoveries as well as scientific conferences held in each of the participating countries.

This paper examines the research platform created in the Baltic countries, parallel publications and activities in France, and evaluates, with the benefit of hindsight, the resonance of the ideas generated through the project.

Expressive, Intellectual, and In-Between: Lithuanians, Estonians, and Latvians at the Vilnius Painting Triennials during the Soviet Era

Kädi Talvoja — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0300

The article examines how the Vilnius Painting Triennials (1969–1987) shaped perceptions of Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian painting during the late Soviet period. Rather than treating the triennials primarily as manifestations of Baltic solidarity or cultural resistance to Soviet rule, the study argues that they functioned as a key comparative framework through which distinct national schools of art were constructed and negotiated. Drawing on close readings of exhibition reviews published in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the article traces the formation and persistence of recurring interpretative stereotypes: Estonian painting as intellectual, restrained, and rational; Lithuanian painting as expressive, painterly, and emotionally charged; and Latvian painting as occupying an intermediate position between the two. It also explores how these characterizations reflected differing artistic value systems and critical traditions rather than objective stylistic realities.

The analysis demonstrates that although the triennials fostered sustained artistic exchange, they also encouraged competition among the Baltic republics. Critics consistently interpreted their own national art through locally established aesthetic values while evaluating neighbouring schools from different perspectives. Over nearly two decades, these interpretative patterns proved remarkably resilient, even as artistic practices evolved. The article suggests that the persistence of such national typologies resulted not only from the structure of the triennials, organized as separate national presentations, but also from the formalist methodologies of art criticism itself. Ultimately, the study argues that Baltic art criticism contributed as much to the construction of national artistic identities as the artworks it sought to describe, while simultaneously reinforcing distinctions that often overshadowed shared artistic developments.

Were the 1960s and 1970s Truly the Golden Age of Lithuanian Painting?

Ramutė Rachlevičiūtė — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0300

The article examines Lithuanian painting from 1965, the year in which the exhibition of Baltic art was held in Moscow. In all likelihood, this prompted the idea of organising joint exhibitions of Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian art independently of Moscow. In Estonia, this contributed to the establishment of the Tallinn Graphic Art Triennial (1968); in Lithuania, the Vilnius Painting Triennial (1969); and in Latvia, the Baltic Watercolour Triennial (1968) and the Riga Sculpture Quadriennial (1972).

The period covered extends to 1987, the year of the 7th Vilnius Painting Triennial. The article examines the presentation of official Lithuanian art within the context of Baltic art, particularly at the Vilnius Painting Triennials, and the canon of Lithuanian painting. An elite of official painters emerged during this period, and their roles, artistic aspirations, and achievements are discussed.

Among the representatives of official art were talented artists whose overall creative trajectories include works of considerable artistic value. Although the ideology associated with some of these works is unacceptable today, their artistic contribution cannot simply be dismissed. The article draws attention to important works of the second half of the twentieth century that were exhibited at the Vilnius Painting Triennials—works that are significant to the history of Lithuanian painting but received little attention from critics at the time and were largely overlooked in reviews and other critical texts.

Exhibition as an Art Historical Tool: Bold and Beautiful: Estonian Private Houses from the 1980s

Triin Reidla — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0300

This article explores the making of a practice-based research exhibition as a case study in curating recent architectural heritage. Set against the backdrop of 1980s postmodern private house architecture in Estonia, it investigates how exhibitions can serve as tools for research and heritage-making. The article unpacks the research context of the exhibition, examines the iterative curatorial process and methodologies, and introduces the exhibition’s design, content with a selection of exhibits. A significant aspect of the project was its touring function, which took the exhibition to multiple Estonian cities, gathering visitor survey responses, identifying potential interviewees, and subtly reshaping the public image of postmodern residential architecture. Initial results from questionnaires, curatorial tours, and interview film material indicate the exhibition’s effectiveness as a research tool. Drawing on the author’s dual position as curator and researcher, the article reflects on curatorial work as a form of self-reflective practice-based research, situated between the roles of creative practitioner, architectural historian, and heritage specialist.

The Origins and Genesis of Soviet Art Production Factories in the Baltic Countries

Rasa Dargužaitė — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0300

During the Soviet era, government and political authorities supervised and directed all artistic activities. The regime actively used what is often described as soft power to establish influence in the territories it occupied. To achieve this, it turned to the fine and applied arts by creating a state-controlled institution known as the art production factory. These enterprises combined professional and folk art, large-scale projects, and mass production. Art factories were able to produce the entire visual identity of an institution or event—from monumental works to small-scale graphic design. This article examines the origins and genesis of art production factories in the Baltic countries that operated during the Soviet era. To date, the art production factories of all three Baltic states have not been studied collectively. Thus, the aim of the paper is to reveal the general strategies the regime applied in establishing art production factories in the occupied territories.

Spontaneous Encounters between Baltic Designers in the Late 1980s and Early 1990s through Exhibitions: Transforming Notions of Performativity and Experimental Design Practices

Karolina Jakaitė, Triin Jerlei — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0300

While the design economies of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania had been closely interconnected under the Soviet occupation, the collapse of the Soviet empire also brought new conditions and possibilities. As mass production declined, art design and design exhibitions became increasingly important. This article analyses and compares two exhibitions, Neon–88 (Klaipėda, 1988) and Ruum ja Vorm V (Space and Form V, Tallinn, 1989–1990). Although they emerged within a similar period and included designers from all three Baltic countries, their organisational structures and outcomes differed fundamentally. Neon–88 exemplified a new type of exhibition operating outside institutional frameworks and comprising largely avant-garde objects, whereas Ruum ja Vorm V, organised by the Estonian Art Fund, reflected an attempt to remodel existing structures. Through a close examination of these two exhibitions, the authors identify broader developments in Baltic design during the final years of the Soviet Union and critically analyse them from a contemporary perspective. The article explores the nature of the encounters that took place between individuals and organisations in these two case studies in order to analyse the changing conceptions of “Baltic design.” During the 1990s, the reconstruction of national narratives became a central concern in all three Baltic countries. The two exhibitions examined here already reveal this emerging tendency, raising the question of how design practices and designers responded to the need to reposition themselves and their cultures within these shifting paradigms.

Research on Art Nouveau Architecture in Riga in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries: History and New Approaches

Silvia Grosa — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0300

Riga’s Art Nouveau architecture has been extensively explored in Latvian art-historical literature. By the late twentieth century, a certain canon had emerged in the interpretation of the subject, shaped by the research, publications, and authority of Jānis Krastiņš. However, the early twenty-first century has introduced new aspects and additions in terms of terminology, contextual understanding, factual material, and interpretation.

In recent years, the digitisation of periodicals by the National Library of Latvia has significantly expanded the available body of factual information. Knowledge derived from the periodical press has been further enriched by archival research, including studies by younger art historians. Contributions from scholars not only in Latvia but also from Lithuania (Dalia Klajumienė), Estonia (Karin Hallas), and the United Kingdom ( Jeremy Howard) have greatly enhanced this field. The perspective of Eduards Kļaviņš serves as an intriguing and complementary element in the interpretation of Riga’s Art Nouveau architecture.

Culture Magazines as a Source of Art History: Editorial Choices and Politics in Latvia

Aiga Dzalbe — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0300

Owing to its fragmentary and sporadic character, visual art criticism in Latvia fails to do justice to the complexity and diversity of the contemporary art scene. In the Latvian media sphere, there is an acute lack of a platform for sustained critical reflection upon art. Such a platform is necessary to create a sufficiently robust and reliable archive for future art history, while also addressing the needs of an inclusive, intellectually engaged society for the widest possible discussion of artistic events. The article examines several factors that have contributed to the current situation and argues for the need for regular reflection on art in the public sphere. It adopts an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on the interdependent fields of journalism and art history, and situates the discussion of art criticism in the media within the broader context of the contemporary geopolitical and economic situation. The article examines three significant Latvian art magazines published in different historical periods that are particularly important for the history of twentieth-century Latvian art: Ilustrēts Žurnāls (1920–1929), Māksla (1959–1996), and Studija (1997–2017). These magazines provide detailed and refined surveys of the arts of their respective periods. Although their longevity and content were shaped by the political contexts in which they were produced, as well as by the financial constraints, they have stood the test of time and demonstrated their capacity to influence both the tastes and values of their contemporary societies and the development of art history.

Foreword

Giedrė Mickūnaitė — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0300

What is singular and what is plural in Baltic art histories? Which questions are raised, and how are they answered by art historians? What kind of re- and pre-ferences do art histories make? What are the roles that art histories assume in inter- and cross-disciplinary projects, networks, and everyday realities? What voices do Baltic art histories have locally, regionally, and globally? How do art histories respond to or shape research policies? What are the professional and civic priorities of art historians? These questions called for presentations at the conference “Baltic Art Histories: Roles, References, Relations” held at the Vilnius Academy of Arts on 4–5 October 2024. The papers presented at this conference have been developed into full research articles and are published in the current volume of Acta Acade miae Artium Vilnensis. In addition to its apparent goal of addressing topics of shared professional interest, the publication offers insights into the disciplinary roles, research bonds, scholarly challenges, collaborative potential, and shared disciplinary expectations of Baltic art historians. Chronologically, all the articles in the volume address period from the mid-twentieth century to the present; thematically, they fall into three interrelated groups—exhibition history and practice, applied arts and design, and the written output and input of art history.