M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art
K. Donelaičio g. 64, LT-44248 Kaunas (for correspondence)
V. Putvinskio g. 55, Kaunas (entrance for visitors)
Institution code 190755932
Kaunas Picture Gallery
Price:
with a museum visitor ticket
with a museum visitor ticket
The exhibition “Transfurmation. The Legacy of Kaunas Fur Industry” at the Kaunas Picture Gallery (K. Donelaitis St. 16, Kaunas).
It's soft, plush, gleaming, exceptionally warm, and leopard-patterned. And it hails from Vilijampolė, Kaunas.
Stroke it with the grain and it purrs with stories of success: prestigious international awards, a medal from Brussels; it rubs up against you, bristling with diplomas from Leipzig, Erfurt, Montreal and Paris.
Stroke it against the grain and it bares the golden teeth of the Communist Party, opens the predatory jaws of privatisation, releasing an indescribable stench of sulphur and formalin. Beware: if you sink your fingers too deep into the dense fur, where a few KGB fleas lurk, this beautifully patterned beast will fly into a rage and hurl you straight into the chromium-soaked sludge of industrial waste—where everything is meant to be forgotten.
Do not be alarmed, this is not a predator, but a sheep disguised as a leopard. More precisely, it's a stencil-dyed mouton. This exceptional-quality product began to be made in 1956 at the “Vilkas” factory in Kaunas.
The brazen Western boldness of Kaunas “leopard” patterns seemed to contradict the Communist Party’s ideal of the modest, desexualised Soviet person. And yet, despite this contradiction, these convincing imitations of predatory furs spread widely across the Soviet Union. Kaunas “leopards” were everywhere—from the freezing cold of Murmansk to the warm wardrobes of Moscow’s party elite. As part of exhibitions showcasing the achievements of Soviet industry, they travelled far and wide, winning over experts not only from the socialist bloc but also in the free world.
In Lithuania, at least three generations grew up shrouded in much-coveted children’s leopard' coats. That alone makes it worth trying to unravel the mysteries of the origins and evolution of the Kaunas “leopards”.
This exhibition delves into the dramatic legacy of the historic “Vilkas” factory in Kaunas, revealing its archives, product samples, and testimonies from those who worked there. An intriguing puzzle is also presented by artworks that have resurfaced from the fur combine—a mysterious gallery of portraits of long-standing and model workers. It was created by well-known Kaunas painters and has been travelling through time and space for forty years.
“Transfurmation” invite us to revisit the historical ruptures that shaped us—this time discovering them buried deep beneath soft fur coverings and in the colourful imitations of predators. Perhaps, in the patterns of the Kaunas “leopards”, you will find that painfully missing fragment of your own identity.
The exhibition is presented by the community platform Backup Stories, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. Its exhibition cycle 'The Great Industry' examines industrial heritage and the uncomfortable memories associated with it—the grotesque reality of the Soviet regime and planned economy, and the grimaces of privatisation. Rather than being left at the margins, the testimonies and archives gathered from the industrial community deserve a firmly defined place on Lithuania’s cultural and historical map.
Exhibition curator: Auksė Petrulienė
Exhibition coordinator: Vaiva Mikelionytė
Graphic design Julija Tolvaišytė-Leonavičienė
Spatial design: Auksė Petrulienė, Julija Tolvaišytė-Leonavičienė
Exhibition technicians: Mindaugas Bagdonavičius, Irmantas Kuskys, Izoldas Smagarauskas
English translator: Martynas Galkus
Exhibition is organised by:
M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art
Community platform “Backup Stories”
Partner institutions:
Kaunas City Museum; Alytus Museum of Ethnography; Lithuanian Central State Archives; Kaunas County Public Oak Grove Library; Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania; Lithuanian Zoological Garden.
Exhibition partners:
Liana Barkauskienė, Aldona Brunovienė, Vydas Damalakas, Vytautas Gailius, Dalytė Kavaliauskienė, Vilija Lastovkaitė, Vanda Labanauskienė, Irma Paužienė, Sulamita Rotčildaitė-Sinkevičienė, Albertas Sinevičius, Julija Genienė (Kaunas County Public Oak Grove Library), Gintarė Markevičienė-Žaltė (Alytus Museum of Ethnography), Aidas Kulbokas (M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art), Genovaitė Bartulienė (M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art), Rūta Klevaitė (M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art), Jurga Valatkaitė (M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art).
Special thanks to:
Rasa Dargužaitė, Karolina Jakaitė, Zita Kontrimienė, Vanda Kyzelytė, Rita Levickienė, Irena Majauskienė, Vilija Raguckienė, Darius Petrulis, Janina Račkauskienė.
Rasa Dargužaitė, Karolina Jakaitė, Zita Kontrimienė, Vanda Kyzelytė, Rita Levickienė, Irena Majauskienė, Vilija Raguckienė, Darius Petrulis, Janina Račkauskienė.
The event is open to the public and may be filmed and photographed. By attending, you agree to be featured in photographs and videos of the event and are informed that these materials may be made public.
The exhibition is open: 06 03 2026 – 13 09 2026
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