Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis

On July 27, 2026 - 19th Century, 20th Century, Lithuanian, september 22

Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, September 22, 1875 – April 10, 1911, was a Lithuanian painter, composer, and cultural worker. He studied piano and composition at the Warsaw Music Institute from 1894 to 1899 with Tadeusz Brzeziński, Antoni Sygietyński, and Zygmunt Noskowski, then composition and counterpoint at the Leipzig Conservatory with Carl Reinecke and Salomon Jadassohn.

Čiurlionis attended drawing classes in Warsaw in 1902–1903 and studied at the Warsaw School of Fine Arts from 1904 to 1906 under Kazimierz Stabrowski. He participated in the Lithuanian Art Society, helped organize Lithuanian art exhibitions, worked with its chorus, and was active in the cultural life of Vilnius and St Petersburg.

The principal collection of his work is held by M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art, Kaunas, Lithuania. Other works are held by the Lithuanian National Museum of Art, National Museum in Warsaw, and the State Russian Museum.

Mstislav Dobuzhinsky

On April 8, 2025 - 20th Century, august 14, Lithuanian

Mstislav Valerianovich Dobuzhinsky, August 2, 1875 – November 20, 1957, was a Lithuanian-born Russian painter, graphic artist, illustrator, theatrical designer, and stage designer associated with the Mir Iskusstva (World of Art) movement. He was born in Novgorod to a family of military physicians and spent much of his youth in Vilnius. He studied law at Saint Petersburg Imperial University while receiving artistic training, later studying in Munich with Anton Ažbe and Simon Hollósy. Returning to Saint Petersburg, he became a central member of Mir Iskusstva alongside Alexandre Benois and Léon Bakst.

Dobuzhinsky became known for highly detailed urban views of Saint Petersburg, Vilnius, and other cities, as well as book illustration, caricature, and theatrical design. His work combined elements of Symbolism, Art Nouveau, and modern urban realism, often depicting architecture and city life with psychological and literary associations. Following the Russian Revolution, he continued to work in Lithuania and later emigrated, living in Europe before settling in the United States, where he remained active as a painter and stage designer.

Dobuzhinsky taught at several institutions in Lithuania and influenced a generation of artists and designers through his work in painting, illustration, and theater. His works are held by major collections including the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, the Lithuanian National Museum of Art, the Ashmolean Museum, and numerous museum collections in Lithuania, Russia, Europe, and the United States.