In the Shadow of Knowledge. Sculpture Pre-context
“We also hold what resides in the shadow of knowledge,” remarked Vladas Urbanavičius, one of Lithuania’s most renowned sculptors, in conversation with the art critic Alfonsas Andriuškevičius. This idea defines the concept of the exhibition, which presents sculpture as a direct, sensory experience. Sculpture in the shadow of knowledge invites viewers to encounter sculptural objects before contextualizing their themes or meanings. Here, the emphasis is on the intrinsic properties of sculpture – its spatial presence, materiality, and emotional impact – elements we perceive immediately, before engaging in rational analysis and starting to “read” the work like a book. The exhibition unfolds in three sections: space, material, and dream. It features works from the TARTLE collection, spanning the 19th to the 21st centuries, with a strong focus on classical and modernist Lithuanian sculpture. Complementing these pieces are contemporary sculptures from artists’ private collections, which challenge tradition and invite new ways of seeing – offering moments of surprise and discovery.
On 7th of December exhibition The Lustre of Old Silver in Vilnius Residents Private Collections was opened at Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. This exhibition presents silver treasures currently in the collections of Vilnius’ collectors. In the exhibition, you will also find silver works loaned by the the Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE.
On 25th August exhibition Op Art Reflections was opened at the MO museum. In the exhibition for the first time in Lithuania, the influence of optical art on the work of Lithuanian artists in the 1970s and 1980s will be presented. One of the artworks in exhibited there is “Op Art Composition” (1969) by Vladislovas Žilius which was loaned by the the Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE.
On 14th July exhibition Sheets and Splashes. Leisure in 20th and 21st century Lithuanian art was opened at the National Gallery of Art. In the exhibition these matters were revisited as the curators looked through almost thirty public and private collections in search of images of leisure in the artefacts of Lithuania’s modern visual culture: painting, graphic art, sculpture, photography, applied art, contemporary art, advertising, feature and documentary films, and amateur art. Seven artworks for the exhibition were loaned by the the Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE.
Currently we are changing the exhibition and will be open for visitors starting from June.
From June 8 to September 21, 2025, you can visit Gediminas and Nomeda Urbonai installation Futurity Island from the TARTLE collection at the Helsinki Biennale.
In its fourth exhibition, the Lithuanian Art Centre Tartle showcases part of its collection representing the tendencies in artistic life in Soviet-occupied Lithuania, and features of the work by artists who fled to the West.
Every weekend in February, a special event called SU-MENĖK will take place, involving 31 museums and galleries across the city.
On December 29th between 11 a.m. and 19 p.m. we are opening TARTLE doors to visitors free-of-charge.
We invite you to visit our fourth exhibition “Free and Unfree. Lithuanian Art between 1945 and 1990”.
On 15 December the exhibition devoted to women artists in interwar Vilnius was opened at at the Vytautas Kasiulis Museum of Art. Five artworks for the exhibition were loaned by the the Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE.