Published Online: Jan 24, 2020
Page range: 88 - 110
Received: Sep 03, 2017
Accepted: Oct 17, 2017
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/mik-2017-0007
Keywords
Artist career, ArtFacts, Contemporary Art, Art Gallery, Museum, Modern Art Center, Mo Museum, National Art Gallery, Lewben Art Foundation, Collections, Deimantas Narkevicius, Svajone and Paulius Stanikas, Nomeda and Gediminas Urbonas, Art Fairs, Art Vilnius, Vartai Gallery, The Rooster Gallery, Meno Parkas, Contour Art Gallery, YBA, Lithuanian Art Museum, Museum Acquisitions
© 2017 Vilma Mačianskaitė, published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.
By analysing the careers of internationally recognized artists from Lithuania and the relationship between Lithuanian contemporary artists and art galleries and museums, the author explores the challenges faced by today’s artists and hypothetically underlines the principles that could be useful for them in seeking to enter into the global art scene.
The essay analyses the lack of cooperation between artists and galleries, and the representation of artists in Lithuanian museums, which is considered to be the base of a contemporary artist’s career. The essay assesses the influence of the main participants in the art market upon artists’ careers, by investigating the Lithuanian art market’s position after the restoration of independence in 1990. Twenty Lithuanian artists, major galleries or representatives of museums (such as the National Art Gallery and the MO Museum, formerly known as the Modern Art Centre) were interviewed for the purposes of this study.
This examination of the Lithuanian art market reveals the peculiarities that artists have encountered, and could help international art market players to better understand the problems that the Lithuanian art market is facing. The author seeks to identify the main factors helping artists to navigate the global art scene and the global art market.