Exhibition
Stasys Ušinskas: the Iceberg of Lithuanian Modernism
17 Apr 2025 – 14 Sep 2025
Museum of Applied Arts and Design
Vilnius, Lithuania
Address
- 3A Arsenalo st.
- Vilnius
- Vilnius County
- 01143
- Lithuania
Regular hours
- Monday
- Closed
- Tuesday
- 10:00 – 18:00
- Wednesday
- 10:00 – 18:00
- Thursday
- 10:00 – 20:00
- Friday
- 10:00 – 18:00
- Saturday
- 10:00 – 18:00
- Sunday
- 11:00 – 16:00
The Museum of Applied art was founded in 1987 in Old arsenal of the Lower Castle.
The Arsenal was built on the initiative of Žygimantas Senasis (Sigismundus the Old) and Žygimantas Augustas (Sigismundus Augustus), Grand Dukes of Lithuania and Kings of Poland, in the mid 16th century on the Gothic foundations of the former defence-wall of the LowerCastle. Construction works were carried out under the supervision of Ulrich Hosius, the castellan, later – the architect J. Breytfuss. Judging by the inscription made on the 1545 Vilnius layout by F. Hohenberg, the edifice initially served as a residence for the young Queen Elzbieta Habsburgaite (Elizabeth of Habsburg), the first wife of Zygimantas Augustas. Later, apparently, immediately after her death, it became one of the largest armouries in the region and the principle storage of arms and other munitions in Lithuania. Vilnius Arsenal provided armaments for all the strongholds of Lithuania – Kiev, Smolensk, Polock, etc, scattered all over its territory from the Baltic to the Black Sea. The Old Arsenal suffered greatly in the mid 17th century war with Russia followed by the six-year occupation of Vilnius. It underwent several reconstructions, but from the second half of the 19th century it stood neglected.
In 1972 an archaeological and architectural investigation of the Old Arsenal had started. The eastern wing of it was rebuilt (architect E. Purlys) and applied to the needs of the museum in 1986. Shortly afterwards, a permanent exhibition of the 14th–20th century applied art was opened.
In 1996–1999, after the Lithuanian Art Museum entered the EU Culture Routs Programme Baroque Route in Lithuania, a temporary display of Applied Baroque Art in Lithuania was held.
In 1999, jointly with the National Museum in Warsaw, Polish Army Museum, Vytautas the Great War Museum, Trakai History Museum, Rokiskis Area Museum and Siauliai Ausra Museum, a remarkable exhibit of a monumental historical canvas by Jan Matejko Battle of Zalgiris (Grunwald) alongside with the copies of the period arms and flags was arranged.
2000–2004 there functioned the exhibition Christianity in Lithuanian Art.
2004 – 2008 – the exhibition Artifacts from the Royal Palace of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.