The heritage of Litvak artists who began their creative work in Lithuania in the early 20th century is scattered around the world. They are often better known abroad than in Lithuania. Lithuanian Jews, talented in various art fields, often emigrated due to unfavorable conditions, which allowed their careers to flourish and helped them escape the Holocaust. Despite emigration, their Lithuanian roots were reflected in their work. Their works can be seen on the map at upaveldas.lt
Photographs by a photographer from Marijampolė that shaped the image of Paris
Israel Biderman, known as Izis, was a Lithuanian photographer who contributed to shaping the image of Paris. Born in 1911 in Marijampolė, he began his photography career at Movšes Buchalter’s studio in Marijampolė and moved to Paris in 1930. There, he worked and married the daughter of the owner of the Arnal photography studio. During World War II, he went into hiding but was captured and rescued by the partisans. He then joined them and photographed resistance fighters. After the war, he became a French citizen and opened his own photography studio. Izis was renowned for his work in the magazine “Paris-Match” and published several photography books. His photos, revealing the poetic magic of Parisian daily life, helped create the city’s legend. Izis passed away in Paris in 1980.
The Old Jewish Quarter of Vilnius in Bauhaus-inspired avant-garde photographs
Moishe Raviv-Vorobeychik was an important avant-garde photographer who immortalized the old Jewish Quarter of Vilnius. Born in 1904 in Belarus, he moved to Vilnius in 1914, where he studied art and became known for participating in Jewish artists’ exhibitions. In 1927, Vorobeychik studied at the Bauhaus in Germany. In 1929, he returned to Vilnius with a new Leica camera and created the book “The Jewish Streets of Vilnius,” in which he documented Jewish life in the old parts of the city in an avant-garde style. Vorobeychik recalls: “The sun was shining in Vilnius. Some of the book’s photographs show traces of melting snow. I just let the Leica ‘work’ and thus the book about Vilnius came into being. The unique design, pages with montages, were certainly influenced by cinema…” The book received great acclaim and was published in a run of 12,500 copies. In 1934, the artist moved to Palestine, where he worked as a photographer, graphic designer, and illustrator. He died in Safed in 1998 at the age of 90.
The works of the artist from Jonava that infuriated the nazis
Isaac Kulviansky was a significant modernist painter and sculptor, born in Jonava, 1982. His 1925 work, “My Parents,” is considered a masterpiece, capturing both his parents’ portraits and the atmosphere of Jewish life in Jonava at that time. Kulviansky studied in Berlin and Paris, where he became an active participant in the modernist movement and met renowned artists such as Marc Chagall and Chaïm Soutine. His works were featured in important exhibitions and gained widespread recognition. In 1933 he was forced to emigrate to Palestine, losing all his personal belongings and artworks. After World War II, he returned to Europe and focused on sculpture. Kulviansky passed away in London in 1970. Today, his artistic legacy is preserved in the Berlinische Galerie.
The descriptions are based on the material collected by art historian Dr. Raminta Jurėnaitė.
The National Commission for Cultural Heritage, while implementing the project “Lithuanian Interwar Modernism School and Its Continuity Signs on the World Map (Updating the U-PAVELDAS Database with New Narratives and Dissemination)” funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture, has updated its map and database with new sites and stories. You can find these and other sites at upaveldas.lt
Upaveldas.lt is an initiative of the National Commission for Cultural Heritage, aimed at continuously collecting information about significant Lithuanian heritage worldwide.
Heritage Commission is an expert and advisor to the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania, President of the Republic of Lithuania and to Government of the Republic of Lithuania regarding the national policy of cultural heritage protection, its implementation, evaluation and improvement.
