Lithuania has two national museums of fine arts, a network of galleries established by the State, municipalities, non-governmental organisations (creative unions and public organisations), higher education institutions, and galleries established at private initiative. According to the data of the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture, there are currently over 50 galleries functioning in Lithuania, but the number is likely to be much higher.
The Lithuanian Art Museum has 10 divisions, 4 of which work as separate galleries: Vilnius Picture Gallery, National Gallery of Art, Pranas Domšaitis Gallery, Pamarys Gallery. Founded in 1933 as Vilnius City Museum, the Lithuanian Art Museum is currently the biggest national establishment that preserves, investigates and displays pieces of art of historical and artistic value. The exhibition halls of the museum display Lithuanian and foreign works of fine and applied art and feature temporary exhibitions of Lithuanian and foreign artists. The museum also has a collection of national folk art.
Established in 1921, the M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art has turned into one of the oldest and largest art museums in Lithuania. The Museum has 11 divisions that operates in Kaunas: M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art, M. Žilinskas Art Gallery, Kaunas Picture Gallery, A. Žmuidzinavičius Creations and Collections Museum, Devils Museum, Historical Presidential Palace of the Republic of Lithuania, A. and P. Galaunė House, L. Truikys and M. Rakauskaitė Memorial Museum, J. Zikaras Memorial Museum, V. K. Jonynas Gallery, M. K. Čiurlionis Memorial Museum.
The main state institution of contemporary art in Lithuania is the Contemporary Art Centre established by the Ministry of Culture and financed from the state budget. The Centre is one of the largest contemporary art venues in the Baltic region. It hosts a diverse programme of exhibitions and events dedicated to contemporary art, aiming to enrich the cultural life of the city and the local and international discourse on contemporary art.
Visual arts and crafts are also featured in galleries and exhibition centres of creative unions. Lithuanian Artists’ Association (LAA) has established 10 galleries in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda and Panevėžys and set up 6 divisions of production: Ltd “Vilnius art” (Vilniaus dailė), and non-profit organisations LAA’s Publishers “Artseria”, the Centre of Sculpture and Stained Glass, the Centre of Vilnius Graphic Arts, the House of Artists (“Dailininkų namai”) in Palanga and Arts Fund. The Lithuanian Photographers Association runs four galleries in Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipėda.
In 2009, the Lithuanian Art Gallerists’ Association organised the first visual arts fair ArtVilnius, which became the greatest annual event dedicated to the contemporary visual arts in Lithuania. ArtVilnius takes place in the Exhibition and Congress Centre LITEXPO and every year has over 23 000 visitors, with about 65 art galleries from a dozen or so countries participating (Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, the Netherlands, Russia, Italy, and France). The applications of galleries wishing to participate in the art fair are reviewed and selected by a jury made up of art critics and art market experts, thereby ensuring the professionalism of the galleries at the fair.
Creative unions of visual arts and crafts, individual artists and their organisations can apply for funding to Lithuanian Council for Culture. The Council has special funding programmes for fine art, photography, and interdisciplinary arts. Funding in each of these programmes are given for the following activities: 1) professional creation and its dissemination in Lithuania and abroad; 2) events; 3) accumulation of information (archiving, documentation) and its dissemination; 4) publishing; 5) professional criticism and analysis; 6) networking and mobility; 7) co-production; 8) Developing of mastery and education.
The Lithuanian Council for Culture also awards three types of grants for individual artists. The Individual Grant is awarded to encourage the creative expression of an individual artist or cultural creator and amounts to EUR 800 per month. The Mobility Grant is awarded for carrying out an artist’s or cultural creator’s activities abroad—promoting international cooperation, improving mastery, and participating in residencies, traineeships, competitions, symposia, creative camps, conferences, or other similar events. The Mobility Grant is a one-off payment, disbursed upon signing an agreement with the grantee, and is up to EUR 4 000. The Young Artist Grant is awarded to foster the creative activities of artists and cultural creators at the start of their careers. It amounts to EUR 800 per month. The Individual and Young Artist grants are awarded for a period of no longer than one year.
Municipalities fund the visual arts through their programmes. The second large Lithuanian city, Kaunas, implements a programme, Kaunas Highlights, that invites artists to submit projects in the fields of sculpture, design, fine art, and light installation. Participants can choose to decorate any place in Kaunas City with their works. The requirements for projects are uniqueness, individuality, originality, and overall harmony with the environment. Kaunas City Municipality funds up to 100 per cent of the implementation costs of the project. The programme started in 2017 and until 2025, 142 projects of visual arts have been funded. Regrettably, at the end of 2021, the great idea of the Kaunas Highlights programme was overshadowed by the news that the projects would no longer be evaluated by a commission of visual arts experts. Since then, the question of which artworks will appear in Kaunas’s public spaces has been considered by five municipal employees and one politician. Based on their recommendations, the director of the Kaunas city municipality administration makes the decision. This constantly sparks debates and doubts about the artistic value of the works being installed in the city.
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