Exhibition “Marija Švažienė: Tapestries and Paintings”

  • 2026 04 29–10 02

  • May–September III–VI 11 AM–6 PM, VII 11 AM–5 PM; October–April III–V 11 AM–5 PM, VI–VII 11 AM–4 PM (holiday opening hours can be found on the branch’s webpage)

  • Jonas Šliūpas Museum

  • Adults – 4 Eur, discount ticket – 2 Eur

  • Exhibition

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The exhibition invites visitors to encounter one of Lithuania’s most distinctive textile artists, Marija Švažienė (b. 1930). From her earliest works, she consistently challenged established tapestry traditions, giving this art form a dynamic, spatial expression. These unexpected qualities were quickly recognised within an art scene emerging from the constraints of socialist realism, and her works soon became regular exhibits in national and European exhibitions.

The exhibition presents the key sources of Švažienė’s inspiration and their echoes in her work. A significant place is given to the sea and the resort town of Palanga, which captivated the artist from her first visit – she would return there often to create and to rest.

Another key story of the exhibition is the creative dialogue with her husband, painter Jonas Švažas (1925–1976). Their work engages with similar themes – city, cosmos, and nature – yet each artist explores these themes in their own distinct way. In Švažienė’s tapestries, this dialogue takes on a vivid colouristic intensity and rhythmic structure, and in her later works, an increasingly painterly quality.

The exhibition also presents an unexpected story spanning five decades, linking Švažienė with the Swiss composer of Italian origin, Gaetano Giuffrè. A musical rhapsody inspired by her Spatial Tapestry remained unknown to the artist for many years. At the Jonas Šliūpas Museum, it is heard for the first time alongside the restored tapestry that inspired it.

The exhibition opens on 29 April 2026 at 5.30 pm at the Jonas Šliūpas Museum (a branch of the National Museum of Lithuania; Vytauto St 23A, Palanga) and runs until 2 October.

Photos by Aldas Kazlauskas

Organizer:
National Museum of Lithuania

Featuring pieces from:
Lithuanian National Museum of Art
Private collection of Marija and Saulius Švažas family
Private collection of Valdas Gaurelis

Creative team:

Curator
Andželika Baroti

Project Lead
Nijolė Laužikienė

Text Author
Dr. Dalia Karatajienė

Graphic Designer
Jurga Karosaitė

Editor
Marytė Slušinskaitė

Translator
Aušra Simanavičiūtė

Events and Education:
Jurga Sutkutė, Algina Vainilavičienė

Communications and Marketing:
Akvilė Matulionytė, Raminta Pakšytė, Aušra Straševičienė, Emilija Viskontienė