The first was an exhibition entitled A Foreigner Turned Native: The Multifaceted Artistic Vilnius, which presented the work of foreign artists, scholars, and cultural figures active in the city from the 16th to the early 19th century. Shortly afterwards, an international scholarly conference of the same name brought together art historians, literary scholars, museum professionals, and artists from across Europe to discuss the integration of foreign creators and the challenges surrounding their legacy, both in Vilnius and abroad, from the 16th century to the present day.

This second volume of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art’s ongoing series Visual Arts Texts brings together the ideas and discoveries presented at that interdisciplinary event. Eleven researchers from Lithuania, Poland, and Hungary contributed texts that together form a richly varied narrative of Vilnius (and beyond) across the centuries – from 18th-century Radziwiłł patronage to contemporary Lithuanian ballet studies. It is hoped that this collection will offer readers the pleasure of discovery, and that the legacy of those who shaped the city will inspire further research and a deeper appreciation of Vilnius’s layered and fascinating history.

Vizualiųjų menų tekstai / Visual Arts Texts is a peer-reviewed journal published annually by the Lithuanian National Museum of Art. From 2024 onwards, each thematic issue features scholarly articles contributing to research in visual art and history in relation to Lithuanian and global culture. The journal aims to foster interdisciplinary dialogue and scholarly exchange at the intersection of art and history.

Volume editors: Gabija Kasparavičiutė-Kaminskienė, Joana Vitkutė

Authors: Karolina Bukovskytė, Anna Sylwia Czyż, Dovilė Dagienė, Melinda Harlov-Csortán, Auksė Kaladžinskaitė-Jocienė, Aušrinė Kulvietytė-Cemnolonskė, Živilė Nedzinskaitė, Aistė Paliušytė, Jolanta Rzegocka, Artūras Savko, Helmutas Šabasevičius

Editorial board: Arūnas Gelūnas (Chair), Algė Andriulytė, Jurga Bagdzevičienė, Giedrius Gulbinas,  Lolita Jablonskienė, Jolita Liškevičienė, Jurgita Ludavičienė, Jolanta Marcišauskytė-Jurašienė, Margarita Matulytė

Copy editor: Ieva Puluikienė

Translator: Raminta Bumbulytė

Series designer: Edita Namajūnienė

Published by the Lithuanian National Museum of Art, 2025

Printed at UAB Petro ofsetas

324 pages

Print run 300 copies

170×230 mm