The Pompidou Centre, in collaboration with the National Museum of Lithuania, will present for the first time to the French public the works of Lithuanian optical artist Kazys Varnelis.
The exhibition “Kazys Varnelis. An Optical Classicist from Lithuania” will feature sixteen paintings and sculptures by Varnelis created between 1956 and 1996. The exhibition is part of the Lithuanian Season in France which will run for three months, starting from September 12.
On Tuesday, Varnelis’ works were prepared for their journey to Paris, leaving their permanent home at the Kazys Varnelis House-Museum in Vilnius.
“Kazys Varnelis’ exhibition at the Pompidou Centre in Paris is an exceptional event. Through this artist and his work, we can present both the historical experiences of Lithuania and an exceptional, insanely talented artist,” said Indrė Urbelytė, an art historian and curator.
According to her, the aim is to introduce to the French public the spectrum of Varnelis’ work and emphasise the uniqueness of his art.
“We want visitors to be surprised and delighted by Varnelis’ meticulous brushstrokes, and for their eyes to ripple when they look at his op art,” Urbelytė said.
Born in western Lithuania in 1947, Varnelis ended up in Chicago after the Second World War. Initially working on ecclesiastical art and church interiors, he gained recognition in the late 1960s for his distinctive painting style: optical and three-dimensional illusions based on geometric abstractions and minimal forms.
One of Varnelis’ works will also be exhibited at the Foundation Vasarely in Provence-Eix in southern France. This work will complement the “Ethnographic Op Art” exhibition, which will include traditional Lithuanian bedspreads and a sound installation by Mantas Samulionis. This exhibition was inspired by the weaver Teofilė Domarkaitė-Varnelienė, the mother of Varnelis.
The exhibition “Kazys Varnelis. An Optical Classicist from Lithuania” will run at the Pompidou Centre in Paris from September 14, 2024, until January 6, 2025.
The Lithuanian Season in France 2024 is a partnership between Lithuania and France aimed at introducing contemporary Lithuania and its culture to the French public through various cultural and artistic forms, as well as discussions and presentations. The project aims to initiate long-term cooperation between Lithuanian organisations and creators and their French partners.
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