With an investment of over 10 million euros, Panevėžys is establishing a new cultural center that will host the extensive collection of Stasys Eidrigevičius while also creating a social space featuring a gastro-cafe, the city’s panoramic rooftop terrace, and a soon-to-open cinema dedicated to non-commercial films. Located halfway between the Lithuanian capital Vilnius and the Latvian capital Riga, Panevėžys is striving to become an international art hub in the Baltics.

Named after the acclaimed artist Stasys Eidrigevičius, museum will showcase his diverse works and serve as a platform for global talent and creativity. The museum’s architecture reflects simplicity, logic, and fantasy, aiming to become the cultural heartbeat of the region and a bold new landmark in the Baltic art scene. 

When asked about the significance of the Stasys museum, Rytis Račkauskas, City Mayor of Panevėžys states, “It’s a game-changer that shapes the identity of the city, the entire region, and Lithuania. It is our ambition to become an international center of attraction for art.”

International Artistic Hub Emerges in Panevėžys with the Opening of Stasys Museum

The opening of the Stasys Museum creates a center for global art culture, strengthening cultural ties through partnerships with various internationally acclaimed artists, art institutions and communities that connect with Stasys Eidrigevičius or meet the curative vision of the museum.

“Stasys Museum fills a vacuum by making internationally recognised art accessible in the region, thus tangibly contributing in boosting artistic curiosity and culture sector development in the area,” states Vaida Andrijauskaitė, Director of Stasys Museum.

The museum will kick off its international engagement this autumn with an extraordinary solo exhibition by renowned Austrian artist Hermann Nitsch, who was one of the main protagonists of the Vienna actionism movement, which started in the 1960’s and is one of the most radical artistic movements of the twentieth century,” states Lina Albrikienė, Curator at Stasys Museum. His works are exhibited all around the globe and are in high demand by international art collectors.

Stasys Eidrigevičius. Photo: Ignacy Eidrigevičius

Additionally, the museum will extend its reach beyond local boundaries with an exhibition in Lyon during the festival The Lithuanian Season in France starting in November, showcasing Stasys’ numerous one-line drawings on paper and the large-scale paintings on canvas. The exhibition will also be a part of the Lyon Contemporary Art Biennale 2024 program. “This is just the beginning of a new museum with global ambitions resulting in tangible partnerships,”  says Museum Director Vaida Andrijauskaitė.

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