- Source: Juozas Lebednykas
Juozas Lebednykas (20 August 1947 – 17 September 2024) was a Lithuanian artist and sculptor.
Biography
Juozas Lebednykas was born on 20 August 1947 in Dusmenys village, Lithuanian SSR, USSR.
From 1966 to 1972 he studied sculpture at the State Institute of Art (in 1989 renamed to Vilnius Academy of Art). His tutors were Bronius Vyšniauskas, Gediminas Jokūbonis and Konstantinas Bogdanas. After graduation, from 1972 to 1973 he worked at the Vilnius Monument Restoration Institute and served in the army.
From 1973, he lived and worked in Panevėžys. From 1974 to 1987, he worked as a teacher of art at the Panevėžys art school.
Lebednykas was a member of the Lithuanian Artists' Union since 1975. During the period from 1989 to 1993 he was elected chairman of the Panevėžys branch of the Lithuanian Artists' Union.
He created numerous copper sheet reliefs and sculptures for interior and exterior as commissioned by the public institutions, as well as small sculpture and ceramic sculpture pieces, plastic compositions, objects and pastels.
The art critic Virginijus Kinčinaitis (in Lithuanian) said of his work: Lebednykas' sculptural plastic has never been a hostage of just one kind of material or form. Monumental compositions in public spaces and chamber plasticity, metal and stone ceramics, bronze and drawings rippling in open colours express the artist's striving to recreate, with maximum expression, the surrounding matter and thus convey his own understanding of beauty. Therefore it is very natural that in this vast variety of internalised materials the artist is curious about having a go at the opportunities offered by form – from constructive abstraction to surrealist or expressive figurativism.
Lebednykas died on 17 September 2024, at the age of 77.
Solo exhibitions
1977 Exhibition Plastic Compositions. Lithuanian Art Foundation, Vilnius
1992 Exhibition of sculpture and plastic compositions. Panevėžys Art Gallery
1993 Exhibition of Small Plastic works and Drawings. Gallery XX, Panevėžys
1993 Exhibition of Sculpture plastic compositions. St.Jonas str. Gallery, Vilnius
1994 Exhibition of Small Plastic works. Gallery of Medals, Vilnius
Pastel Works, Panevėžys Art Gallery
1995 Exhibition of Small Plastic works. Germed Gallery, Berlin, Germany
1997 Exhibition of Sculpture and Drawings. Panevėžys Civic Art Gallery
Exhibition of Sculpture and Drawings. Arka Gallery, Vilnius
1998 Exhibition of sculpture and drawings. J.Miltinis Drama Theatre, Panevėžys
2000 Exhibition of Sculpture plastic compositions. Gallery "Kauno langas“, Kaunas
2001 Exhibition of Sculpture. Panevėžys Civic Art Gallery
2002 Exhibition of Sculpture plastic compositions. Panevėžys Civic Art Gallery
Exhibition of Sculpture plastic compositions. Gallery of Medals, Vilnius
2003 Exhibition of Sculpture plastic compositions. Bikuskis Manor
Small form sculpture, Academy of Sciences of the RofL, Vilnius
2005 Exhibition of Sculpture plastic compositions. Laiptai Gallery, Šiauliai
2007 Exhibition of Sculpture plastic compositions. Panevėžys Art Gallery
Group exhibitions
1973 The Second National Exhibition of Young Artists' Work. Čiurlionis Art Museum, Kaunas
1974 The Third National Exhibition of Young Artists' Work. Art Palace, Panevėžys
1975 Exhibition "Our Country“. Art Palace, Vilnius
1976 National Exhibition of Young Artists' Work. Art Palace, Vilnius
1983 National Sculpture Exhibition. Art Palace, Vilnius
1974-1990 Spring Exhibition of the Panevėžys Artists' Work. Panevėžys Art Palace, Panevėžys Art Gallery
1992 Exhibition of Lithuanian Sculpture. Abenraa, Denmark
1995 7th Panevėžys International ceramic symposium exhibition. Panevėžys Civic Art Gallery
Exhibition "1995: Art in Lithuania“. Contemporary Art Center, Vilnius
1996 Exhibition of the Panevėžys Artists' Work. Art Exhibition Palace, Klaipėda
1998 Exhibition of the Panevėžys Artist's Work. Kėdainiai Town Hall Art Gallery
Exhibition "Panevėžys Art –30“. Panevėžys Civic Art Gallery
Exhibition of artist's group "Plekšne". Arka Gallery, Vilnius
1999 Exhibition of artist’s group "Plekšne“. Gallery of Medals, Vilnius
11th Panevėžys International ceramic symposium exhibition. Panevėžys Civic Art Gallery
Exhibition "Lithuanian Ceramics". Schloss Ort castle, Gmunden, Austria
Panevėžys Art Days in Vilnius. Artists Palace, Vilnius
2000 Exhibition "Chamber Sculpture". Gallery of Medals, Vilnius
"Arka" 10th anniversary exhibition. Arka Gallery, Vilnius
"Panevėžys Civic Art Gallery Ceramic Collection 1989-1999". Panevėžys Civic Art Gallery
2001 Lithuanian Collection of the ceramics generated during the Panevėžys
International ceramic symposiums. Arka Gallery, Vilnius
Exhibition of Works of the Lithuanian Sculptors. The President's Office Gardens, Vilnius
13th Panevėžys International ceramic symposium exhibition. Panevėžys Civic Art Gallery
Exhibition of Works of the Lithuanian Sculptors. Birštonas Local Government Building
Exhibition of Photographs of Monuments as Tombstones. Gallery of Medals, Vilnius
Gallery of Medals 10th anniversary exhibition. Gallery of Medals, Vilnius
2002 Sculpture exhibition "Bronze Metamorphoses". Gallery of Medals, Vilnius
Exhibition "10x10". Gallery XX, Panevėžys
Exhibition "New creation". Gallery of Medals, Vilnius
"Collection' 2002" fine arts review arranged by the Lithuanian Artists Union, Šiauliai Art Gallery
2003 Exhibition-contest "Sculpture Gardens of Bernardins", St.John's Gallery, Vilnius
Exhibition "Panevėžys Art Days'2003". Panevėžys Civic Art Gallery
Exhibition of Lithuanian ceramics "Paraphrases". Hacettepe University Art Gallery, Turkey
Ceramic Collection of Panevėžys Civic Art Gallery. The President's Office Gardens, Vilnius
2004 Exhibition of the Panevėžys Artists' Work. LDS Gallery, Kaunas
15th Panevėžys International ceramic symposium exhibition. Panevėžys Civic Art Gallery
National exhibition "SPACE- monumental art-architecture". Arka Gallery, Vilnius
2005 Exhibition of the Panevėžys Artists' Work. LDS Gallery, Klaipėda
Exhibition "Panevėžys Art Days' 2005". Panevėžys Civic Art Gallery
Exhibition of the Panevėžys Artists' Work "Panevėžys – Vilnius". Arka Gallery, Vilnius
Project "Clay on Clay" (KLAAI OP KLAAI). Exhibition "Selected works of Panevėžys"
"International Ceramic Symposiums". Groate Kerk St. Jacobiparochie, Het Bildt, The Netherlands
Contemporary Art of Aukštaitija. Panevėžys Civic Art Gallery
2006 Exhibition "SPACE 1990-2005. Monumental art". Panevėžys Civic Art Gallery
Exhibition of the Panevėžys Artists' Work "Panevėžys – Jelgava". G. Eliasa museum of art and history, Jelgava, Latvia
National exhibition of graphic arts and sculpture "Space – plane – body". Contemporary Art Center, Vilnius
2007 Exhibition "Selected works of the Panevezys International Ceramic Symposiums", Lithuanian Center, the Lithuanian Embassy in Poland, Warsaw, Poland
Symposiums, Pleinairs
1995 7th Panevėžys International Ceramic Symposium
1999 11th Panevėžys International Ceramic Symposium
2000 International Ice Sculpture Symposium, Jelgava, Latvia
2001 1st International Pleinair. Ecological –educational actions "Vision of Metal“, Onuškis, Lithuania
13th Panevėžys International Ceramic Symposium
5th bronze symposium. Foundry "Bronze Age" of the Lithuanian Artists Union, Vilnius
2004 15th Panevėžys International Ceramic Symposium
Sculptures in public spaces
Sculpture on the grave of actor Bronius Babkauskas (architect R. Eigelis). 1976, granite, 210x70 cm, Graveyard of the Christ the King Cathedral, Ramygalos Str., Panevėžys
Birds (architect R. Vyšniauskas). 1985, copper, 645x150 cm, Front yard of the Panevėžys Water Supply and Sewer organization (in 1995 renamed to Joint Stock Company „Aukštaitijos vandenys“ (Aukštaitija Waters)
Spring. 1986, copper, 190x100 cm, Interior of the Panevėžys Water Supply and Sewer organization office building (in 1995 renamed to Joint Stock Company „Aukštaitijos vandenys“ (Aukštaitija Waters)
Waiting. 1987, copper, 170x70 cm, Panevėžys Land Museum
Tranquility. 1987, copper, 137x50 cm, Panevėžys Land Museum
Sails (architect M. Steponavičius). 1988, copper, 270x100 cm, Panevėžys Local Government Building
Pieta (architect V. Andriuška). 1990, copper, granite, 400x80 cm, Churchyard of the Panevėžys Holy Trinity church
Snail (architect A. Barzdžiukas). 1995, granite, 120x80 cm, Exterior of the Lithuanian Savings Bank Panevėžys office
Monument to participants of the 1863 year uprising (architect A. Beresnevičius). 1998, granite, 280x176x120 cm, Uprising square, Panevėžys
Tranquility. 1999, copper, 180x50 cm, Vytauto str., Palanga
Blossom (architect R. Lukšas). 1999, copper, 120x120 cm, Urbšio str. Panevėžys
Monument to St. Roch in Onuškis township. 2004, stoneware, metal, 450x80x80 cm, Onuškis, central square