The Ukrainian and Lithuanian museum collections of historic art have much in common. Many of them started as personal collections bearing the names of the Potoccy, Sapieha, Tyszkiewicz, Branicki, Przeździecki, Wiśniowiecki, and other key families in the history of both countries. Whether through inheritance, friendships, blood ties, shared interests, or in hardship like today, these collections have travelled from one family residence to another, often hundreds of kilometres, to provide joy for their new owners or simply as a way to preserve them.

The Ukraine–Lithuania route remained relevant in the early 20th century, when the ranks of noble collectors were joined by wealthy businesspeople and public figures, and private initiatives led to the first public galleries and museums. Their founders, art and history enthusiasts of the time, knew and supported each other through personal letters, visits, publications, and donations, despite the geographical distance between them.

Friendship and support are especially important today, when Ukraine is fighting for both its freedom and independence, and for our common values. The LNMA actively cooperates with colleagues in Ukraine to raise awareness about these rich collections that require special protection in times of war. The exhibition Old Masters from the Museums of Ukraine, presented at the Klaipėda Clock and Watch Museum, is therefore the latest addition to this series of unplanned but highly meaningful LNMA exhibitions.

The exhibition features treasures from the Borys Voznytsky National Art Gallery in Lviv, the largest museum in Ukraine comprising 18 branches. A small part of its treasures had already been on display at the Radvila Palace Museum of Art. Meanwhile, the Vilnius Picture Gallery featured works from one of the gallery’s branches, the Władysław Łoziński Palace. Many of the artists behind these paintings are familiar to art lovers in Lithuania and Poland, from Jean-Pierre Norblin (1745–1830) and Johann Baptiste Lampi (1751–1830), who worked at the court of the ruler of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, to Jan Rustem (1762–1835) and Józef Oleszkiewicz (1777–1830) representing the Vilnius school of art, or Polish masters Jan Matejko (1838–1893) and Henryk Siemiradzki (1843–1902).

The exhibition represents the diverse cultural heritage of contemporary Ukraine and its rich museum collections. As a whole, the selection on display in Klaipėda has a similar profile to typical historical collections of the day, which differed very little between our countries. The collection of the Ukrainian museum therefore allows us to look back and remember the collections we ourselves have lost in similar circumstances over the centuries.

Organizers: The Lithuanian National Museum of Art, Clock and Watch Museum, Borys Voznytsky Lviv National Art Gallery  

Project patrons: Minister of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania Šarūnas Birutis, Ukrainian Minister of Culture and Strategic Communication Mykola Tochytskyi 

Project leaders: Director General of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art Dr Arūnas Gelūnas, Director General of the Borys Voznytsky Lviv National Art Gallery Taras Voznyak  

Exhibition curators and coordinators: Aistė Bimbirytė, Giedrūda Kazonienė, Mykhailo Kobryn, Skaistis Mikulionis, Eglė Rumbutytė-Šimienė, Dalia Tarandaitė, Joana Vitkutė 

Exhibition architect Jurgis Dagelis 

Exhibition designer Lina Bastienė 

Translators: Džiulija Elena Fedirkienė, Ruslanas Skrobačas 

Language editor Ieva Puluikienė 

Communication coordinator Indrė Polimaitienė

Exhibit Specialists: Dainius Markevičius, Norbert Hinc, Andrius Ivanovas, Salvijus Misevičius

Project partners: 

Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Ukraine  

Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in the Republic of Poland  

Ukrainian Embassy in the Republic of Lithuania  

Lithuanian Armed Forces 

Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union  

Customs of the Republic of Lithuania 

Patrol Police of Ukraine 

State Customs Service of Ukraine 

State Boarder Guard of Ukraine 

Lead Supporter:  BTA Baltic Insurance Company 

Supporters: Klaipėda Musical Theatre, UAB AD REM, CLS Brokerage Company, JSC |Nova Post Lithuania, cafe Liepžiedis 

Information supporter: Klaipėda Tourism Information Centre  

Special thanks to: Valdas Dovydėnas, Robertas Gabulas, Tadas Gečauskas, Rita Grochovskienė, Tomas Ivanauskas, Renata Kanarskaja, Mirijana Kozak, Valdemaras Sarapinas, Narimantas Savickas, Inga Stanytė-Toločkienė, Andrius Šulskis, Olha Hryhorʼyeva, Lyubomyr Dem’yanchuk, Serhiy Kryzhnenko, Andriy Chernega, Volodymyr Chornogor