The Lithuanian school of photography

May 19 - July 29, 2017

Galerie Berinson presents a representative cross-section of Lithuanian photography from the 60s and 70s by showing 71 masterpieces in black and white from twelve Lithuanian photographers. The works are photographic reports from a social, political and artistic epoch – everyday life under and beyond socialism.

Amongst the selection of works we are showing photographs by three of the most influential photographers from Eastern Europe: Vitas Luckus (1943-1987), Aleksandras Macijauskas (*1938), and Antanas Sutkus (*1939) who is honored with the Dr. Erich-Salomon-Award from the German society for Photography (DGPh).

Lithuania’s history of photography is shaped by both, the influences from Western Europe and the Soviet cultural context. Between 1945 and 1991 a narrative- descriptive reporting photography developed – known as the “Lithuanian photography school” in the history of photography.
The photographers concentrate on a personal and realistic depiction of everyday life.  The fundamental loci of life are central – one’s homeland, the market place, the countryside. Their works withdrew from the largely anonymous and ideologically influenced photography scene of the Soviet Union and became a kind of subtle social criticism that focused on the profane and simple subjects.

 

Vitalijus Butyrinas, Vincas Dineika, Vilius Jasinevicius, Valeri Koreszkov, Algimantas Kuncius, Vitas Luckus, Aleksandras Macijauskas, Adauktas Marcinkevicius, Vilius Naujikas, Romualdas Rakauskas, Liudvikas Ruikas, Antanas Sutkus