Rimtautas Vincentas Gibavičius (1935–1993): The Count of Countless Talents

Rimtautas Vincentas Gibavičius (1935-1993)
The Count of Countless Talents

This exhibition is conceived to commemorate the 90th anniversary of artist Rimtautas Vincentas Gibavičius. We invite you to explore the domains of the Count (as his friends used to call him) - his artistic territories: graphic prints, theater stage designs, monumental art, posters, books, bookplates, project sketches, and more. Gibavičius was one of the most prominent Lithuanian artists of the 60s-80s, playing a significant role in the modernization of Lithuanian art. His broad creative range branched into multiple directions: he created graphic prints, bookplates, coats of arms, posters, illustrated poetry, designed books and art catalogues, worked in theater, and created scenography and costumes. Gibavičius became most famous for his wall paintings: two of his major sgraffito murals are located at the Faculty of Philology at Vilnius University - The Nine Muses (1969) and Historical Portraits (1990), the latter depicting 14 prominent historical Lithuanian figures. Gibavičius was not only a graduate of the then Art Institute (now the Vilnius Academy of Arts), but also a professor at the Department of Graphic Arts - broad-minded, erudite, an aesthete, sociable, well-liked by friends and students, though extremely demanding of himself and others. His most resonant artistic achievement was the graphic series Vilnius - a collection of varied perspectives on the city. He left a distinct mark in many fields of visual art,

and his work remains relevant to this day, reflecting traces of several movements that were banned during the Soviet era - Op Art, Pop Art, Abstract Art, Minimalism, and others. He was among those artists who traveled widely not only throughout the former Soviet Union, but also beyond the Iron Curtain. Familiar with Western European art trends, he skillfully brought them into his own work despite the constraints imposed by official authorities. His memory remains alive to this day; many older-generation residents of Vilnius knew him personally or had heard of him, seen him, or were familiar with his work.

This anniversary exhibition dedicated to artist Rimtautas Gibavičius was dreamed of by his longtime creative researcher and art historian Ieva Pleikienė (1971-2024), who was working on a monograph about his work but, due to a sudden illness, was unable to complete it… To both enrich the exhibition and pay tribute to her memory, her explanatory texts have been included. The exhibition's pieces are preserved in Lithuanian cultural heritage institutions, private collections, and the artist's family archive.

Curator Jolita Liškevičienė

Architect Mindaugas Reklaitis

Graphic designer Ugnė Balčiūnaitė

Project coordinator Ernestas Parulskis

Lenders: Vilniaus Universiteto bibliotekos Grafikos kabinetas, Lietuvos Nacionalinis muziejus, Lietuvos teatro, muzikos ir kino muziejus, Virginija Gibavičienė, Simonas Gibavičius, Violeta ir Romanas Raulynaičiai, Elena Sabataitytė

Organisers: Vilnius Academy of Arts, National Gallery of Art, Lithuanian National Museum of Art

Sponsors: Exterus, Fundermax, Burbulio vyninė