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“We went on vacation and asked a friend to look after our house and two dogs. When he took out the trash one day, he found a very vivid and strangely shaped image near his container that caught his eye. Robert and I are collecting various works of art, so a friend brought the photo to our garage, ”Steve recalled the story that happened almost five years ago.
The fact that the author of the painting found on the street is a Lithuanian artist who has lived in the United States for many years, the master of optical art Kazys Varnelis, was understood by collectors only now.
“A couple of weeks ago, I took a photo that my friend found. I thought I’d change it, but I turned it over and saw the signature on the other side: Kazys Varnelis. I snorted and so surprised! I can’t put it into words … I realized that this artist is very well known and we published a story that happened to us unexpectedly. Instagram counts, ”Steve said.
The Americans, who discovered the valuable painting, say they recognized the Opartan’s style immediately, but did not even think about a more detailed investigation of the painting, since the paint and other damage that had collapsed in some places did not allow to nurture the thoughts of selling the painting.
Photo from personal archive / Here’s something that was a bit dusty and with peeling paint, a few weeks ago the Americans took Kazys Varnelis’s “Quiz” work out of the garage
“This story of the origin of the painting is a real surprise, a questionnaire, a riddle, otherwise you will not call it that. According to our data, the work was exhibited in the Kazys Varnelis personal exhibition at the Milwaukee Art Center in the United States in 1974. This work represents the Chicago period, considered the golden age of the artist, that is to say, the work of the seventies and eighties, and belongs to the so-called postornamental stage. By the way, today in the museum you can see another similar work to it, in 1996. developed by Abalidot. This is not surprising, because the artist often created several variants of the same work, “said art critic Dr. A.Bimbirytė-Mackevičienė.
Like the “Quiz” by K. Varnelis, whose value can reach 10 thousand. EUR, was found next to a dumpster on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago, now you can only guess. It is known that a large Lithuanian community used to be located nearby. Perhaps the artist donated his work to a compatriot, and perhaps someone bought it after the exhibition. It is not easy to answer the following question: how many more “lost” works by K. Varnelis can there be?
LNM file photo / Image “Quiz” among many other works by K. Varnelis in a solo exhibition in 1974. Milwaukee Art Center, Wisconsin, USA.
“As much as possible, we follow how K. Varelis’ works in private and institutional collections” live “their lives. Most, except Lithuania, are kept in museums and galleries in the United States. From time to time, they appear in art auctions, where they are acquired by individuals. Then the path of the image can be lost, and that happens sometimes. But an incident like the one that happened now was a surprise to everyone, “said the art critic.
The Americans say the painting will not be sold yet. It is true that they would be delighted to lend it to you, but there is still a long way to go: the work will have to be restored first.
The Kazys Varnelis House-Museum is one of the divisions of the National Museum of Lithuania, located in the heart of Vilnius. The museum next to the city hall was founded by Kazys Varnelis (1917-2010), a 50-year-old master of optical art in the United States. The largest collection of works by this artist and his own collection from the 15th to 20th centuries are stored in more than 40 rooms of the museum. Collection of works of art, books and maps of Western Europe, Lithuania and Asia.
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