The Mikkel Museum presents works from the collection of Lithuania’s foremost art collector, Mykolas Žilinskas

The Pledge of Freedom: The Art Collection of Mykolas Žilinskas exhibition will open at the Mikkel Museum on 8 November, introducing the audience to the best works from the collection of Lithuania’s foremost art collector of the 20th century, from magnificent paintings by Old Masters to 20th-century art.

Nearly 45 years of active art collecting brought over 1,600 works of art to the collection of Mykolas Žilinskas (1904–1992). By creating this collection and transferring it to his native country between 1968 and 1988, Žilinskas, who had fled his homeland in 1940 and lived in exile in West Berlin until the end of his life, was supporting and strengthening the national spirit and prosperity of Lithuania. “I live to prove what one Lithuanian can do if he loves Lithuania very much,” Žilinskas said about his philanthropy and social activism. In Kaunas, as part of the M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art, a separate gallery is dedicated to his collection.

According to the exhibition curator, Kerttu Männiste, Žilinskas collected passionately and extensively, guided by his own taste and intuition, and approached art acquisition with the same risk-taking courage as he did business. The result was a diverse collection that includes paintings by European Old Masters, copies of famous works of art, works of German and French realism and modernism, works by amateur artists, works by little known women artists, and works by Lithuanian authors.

“This exhibition features the absolute best of the Žilinskas collection: the works that make up the permanent exhibition of the Žilinskas Painting Gallery. Due to the major renovation of the gallery building, we have been able to bring the most outstanding works of the collection to the Estonian art audience,” added Männiste.

The Žilinskas collection also includes a work by the Estonian-born artist Maximilian Maksolly (1880‒1968). Maksolly made a name for himself in Estonian art with battle and history paintings and portraits of state figures of the Republic of Estonia. The vast majority of his works in Estonia were destroyed during the Soviet occupation. The exhibition includes a beautiful portrait of Klikeria Bõkova, who became Maksolly’s wife in 1926.

One of Žilinskas’ goals in collecting art was to acquire and support the work of Lithuanian artists – both those who lived in Soviet Lithuania and those who were exiled – whenever possible. These artists included Albertas Veščiūnas, who had a very unique style of painting and was caught up by the hardships of life: he fled from Lithuania to Stuttgart in 1944 and then emigrated to the United States.

Mykolas Žilinskas has been called the most mysterious Lithuanian of the 20th century. He had a brilliant career in the state and government sectors of the Republic of Lithuania. He was a staunch patriot, actively involved in social activities. His plans to support the culture of his homeland and take the first steps in art collecting were disrupted by World War II. In 1949, Žilinskas settled permanently in West Berlin, where he continued his business activities, and where his interest in art and art collecting reached its peak.

“The Pledge of Freedom exhibition continues the Mikkel Museum’s programme of exhibitions introducing historical private collections, expanding it from famous Estonian collectors, such as Alfred Rõude and Martin and Francesca Luther, to collectors from neighbouring countries. It is important to recognise the significance of the role that personal choices and decisions have played in the preservation of our artistic heritage and sometimes also in the fate of the artists themselves,” emphasised Aleksandra Murre, the director of the Mikkel Museum.

The exhibition will be accompanied by audience and educational programmes. The Pledge of Freedom: The Art Collection of Mykolas Žilinskas exhibition will be open at the Mikkel Museum until 8 March 2026.

Curator: Kerttu Männiste
Consultant: Irmantė Šarakauskienė
Exhibition design: Hans Otto Ojaste
Graphic design: Ott Metusala