THE LOZORAITIS – DIPLOMACY OF HOPE: A CENTURY FOR THE SAKE OF THE STATE

The M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art (V. Putvinskio st. 55, Kaunas) invites to the exhibition “The Lozoraitis – Diplomacy of Hope: a Century for the Sake of the State", the opening of which will take place on 20 September at 4:00 p.m.

The year 2024 has been announced a commemorative year of the diplomats Lozoraitis. This exhibition is meant to give a meaning to the work they had done for Lithuania. During the life of the three generations of the family, their Homeland experienced three major turning points – the creation of the State, the Soviet occupation and the restoration of Lithuania‘s Independence. The exhibition "The Lozoraitis - Diplomacy of Hope: a Century for the Sake of the State" tells not only about the Lozoraitis family, but also about hope and the diplomacy of hope, the power of culture, the mobilisation of the nation and the path towards Lithuania's Independence.

The exhibition presents personal belongings of the Lozoraitis family (from interior details to clothing items), as well as the works of art from the family's donated art collection. The photographs reveal that the daily life of the diplomats was intertwined with their work, illustrate how cultural diplomacy became their way of life.

The name of Lozoraitis is naturally linked to our State’s hundred-year-old history. Several generations of the family have worked for Lithuania and cared about its prosperous future: Stasys Lozoraitis Sr. (1898–1983) – a Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, an Envoy Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lithuania to Italy, Chief of the Lithuanian diplomatic service; Stasys Lozoraitis Jr. (1924–1994) – Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lithuania, and Kazys Lozoraitis (1929–2007) – Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Lithuania to the Holy See and the Order of Malta. The hope of living in an Independent State, a dedicated contribution through work to the well-being of their homeland were the main goals of the Lozoraitis lifes.

Motiejus Lozoraitis and his wife Marija represent the elder generation of the family who fostered the idea of national revival and statehood. A lawyer, intellectual, and a member of "Varpas" Association, cherished the hope that Lithuania would become a sovereign state. Their son Stasys Lozoraitis Sr. is known to have worked for Lithuania – an independent state. Love and devotion to his homeland brought him and his wife, Vincenta Matulaitytė – a social activist, newspaper editor and journalist together. These young people had a vision of prosperous Lithuania, a full-fledged part of the Western world. Their enthusiasm to work for their country was imbued with a strong sense of culture, as it acts as a basic constituent of an authentic self of a nation and a state. Inspired by the spirit of the "Varpas" ideas and its members, they had brought up their sons Stasys and Kazys (Bamo and Pupa).

When the Soviets occupied Lithuania, the Lozoraitis had "stuck" in Rome. The whole family devoted themselves to the only purpose – the diplomatic service. Personal contacts established by the Lozoraitis in the field of cultural diplomacy helped spread the knowledge about Lithuania's still vibrant existence. The Lozoraitis family of indomitable spirit became a symbol of representing Lithuania's cause of freedom in the free world.

In 1992, Stasys Lozoraitis Jr. returned to Independent Lithuania and ran for the presidency in 1993. This was the first election in Lithuania's history when the whole nation was electing the President. Stasys Lozoraitis said during the 1993 campaign, "I have worked for Lithuania for forty years. I was not doing any other work: I have not become a citizen of a foreign country, I have not held a passport of a foreign country, I have not sworn an oath to a foreign country, I have not served a foreign country. My parents and I were born to have a Lithuanian passport and have remained so to this day."

The exhibition will be supplemented with a book prepared by the curators, which will testify to the diplomatic activities of the whole Lozoraitis family, as well as to the works of art accumulated due to cultural diplomacy and contacts with artists.

Curators of the exhibition: Dr. Asta Petraitytė-Briedienė, Dr. Iveta Dabašinskienė, Kristina Liepinaitė, Kristina Stankaitė
Organizer: M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art
Architect: Sigita Kundrotaitė-Savickė
Compiler of the publication: Dr. Raimonda Norkutė
Designer of the exhibition and the publication: Jonas Vaikšnoras

The main information partner: LRT plius

Supporters of the project: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Italy

Partners of the project: the Lithuanian Diaspora Institute of Vytautas Magnus University, the Lithuanian Central State Archives, the Lithuanian National Museum, the Library of the Kaunas University of Technology, Vytautas the Great War Museum

Our sincere gratitude to the lenders of exhibits and material: the Lithuanian Diaspora Institute of Vytautas Magnus University, the Lithuanian Central State Archives, the Lithuanian National Museum, the Library of the Kaunas University of Technology, Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, Maironis Museum of Lithuanian Literature, the Lithuanian Aviation Museum, Vilkaviškis District Suvalkija (Sudovia) Culture Centre-Museum, the Regional Museum of the Jonava Cultural Centre, the Museum of the Blessed Jurgis Matulaitis, the Museum of Lithuanian Education History, Raseiniai District Municipality Nemakščiai Elderate, Daina Lozoraitis, photographer Paulius Lileikis, photographer Romualdas Požerskis, photographer Jonas Staselis, photographer Vladas Ščiavinskas, Saulė Kriaučiūnė, Aurelija Rukšaitė and Vladas Rukša, Liuda Sabaliauskienė, the wife of photographer Algirdas Sabaliauskas, Gerutai Paleckytei, the wife of the photographer Vladimiras Gulevičius, Miriam Meras, the wife of the graphic artist Žibuntas Mikšys, Nelly Kasiulis, Maria Pałasińska, Andrius Petkevičius.