The exhibition “Arte in Ambasciata: Italia Contemporanea a Vilnius” (Art in the Embassy: Contemporary Italy in Vilnius) has been organised by the Italian Embassy and the Italian Cultural Institute in Vilnius as part of the initiatives planned for the 20th Italian Contemporary Art Day. The launch event was held on 3 October 2024 in cooperation with the 15th edition of the International Art Fair ArtVilnius (4-6 October 2024).
The group exhibition is curated by Guicciardo Sassoli de’ Bianchi Strozzi (Nuova Artemarea Association), with Daniele Crippa and Manuela Valentini, and aims at promoting Italian contemporary art in Lithuania featuring a selection of 45 works by 42 artists from the 1950s to the present day. Most of the artists are also exhibited in the collection of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (Farnesina Collection). For the occasion, the curators selected masterpieces by well-known masters, rediscoveries of the 20th century and young talents.
As underlined by Ambassador Emanuele de Maigret: “Thanks to this permanent exhibition, the Embassy will become a museum of Italian contemporary art in the heart of Vilnius. The aim is to create a multifunctional venue allowing us to launch a virtuous series of collaborations between Italian and Lithuanian public and private counterparts in a variety of sectors.”
The Embassy’s building is situated inside the building where, at the beginning of the 20th century, the Vilnius Electricity Company stood. It is decorated with a sculpture of Elektra, symbolising the entry into the new era of light. Now the building shines again thanks to Italian Art – a language of universal dialogue.
