ART HISTORY IN LITHUANIA 2006 Not the first time, when collecting material for an annual review of publications, conferences and other works of greater interest published by Lithuanian an historians, it becomes obvious that the scope and range of research in Lithuanian an and architecture is growing with every day. The sheer volume of publications makes it necessary to classify and present them in separate groups. MONOGRAPHS The appearance of two monographs by Lithuanian art historians beyond the boundaries of Lithuania in 2006 can be appreciated as an extraordinary event. Giedrė Mickūnaitės work Making a Great Ruler: Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania (ISBN 963-7326-58), where the specificity of Lithuanian medieval art is presented through images of the ruler, was published in Budapest but Birutė Rūta Vitkauskienė's book "The Art of the Goldsmith in Vilnius: People and Their Work. 15th—18th Centuries" (Zlotnictwo wileńskie: Ludzie i dzieła. XV-XVIII wiek) came out in neighbouring Poland. The geography of the publication of these monographs is evidence of the successful integration of the Lithuanian art heritage and its researchers into the community of European researchers. An important sphere for Lithuanian art historians in recent years has been the preparation of historical and iconographic sources for publication and the presentation of specific art or architectural themes on their basis. The best example of this kind of work is Mindaugas Paknys' book "Vilnius and its Population in 1636: Houses, Inhabitants and Guests" (Vilniaus miestas ir miestiečiai 1636т.: Namai, gyventojai, svečiai, ISBN 9955-624- 71-Х). The book is based on a unique census of the population and houses of Vilnius in 1636 during preparations for the accommodation of the court of the ruler Vladyslav Vasa (Władysław IV). This census is of great value to researchers of old architecture, because today it is next to impossible to imagine how Vilnius looked not only in the 17th century but also in the period between the fire of 1610 and the devastation of Vilnius in 1655, which was followed by the reconstruction of the majority of the houses. The publication of materials from the archives of the prominent Lithuanian art historian Vladas Drėma is an ongoing process. 2006 saw the appearance of a large volume of extracts from archival documents about the towns and townships of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) "The GDL Towns and Townships: from Vladas Drėmas Archives" [LDKmiestai ir miesteliai: Is Vlado Drėmos archyvų, ISBN 9955-699-46-9). The book, compiled by Audronė Lėverienė, Artūras Mickevičius and Rita Mosėjienė, includes archival data on 747 localities, townships, villages with churches, some churches, monasteries and estates. The extracts are complemented by iconographic material - drafts, drawings and photographs. In the monograph "Napoleon Orda: Architectural Landscapes of Historical Lithuania" (Napoleonas Orda: Senosios Lietuvos architektūros peizažai, ISBN 9955-624-33-7) Vytautas Levandauskas and Renata Vai- čekonytė-Kėpežinskienė presented the artists architectural landscapes from two aspects: both as a source of architecture history and artworks in themselves. This richly illustrated publication presents for the first time colour reproductions of Ordas drawings from the National Museum in Krakow, the Jagiellonian Library and other sources. Dalia Ramonienė continued her investigation of the history of the Kaunas School of Art - the only art training institution in interwar Lithu­ ania - with her book "The Code of the Students of the Kaunas School of Art" {Kauno meno mokyklos mokinių sąvadas, ISBN 9955-624-52-3). It should be mentioned that this study contains a wealth of names of lesser- known artists, former students of the Kaunas School of Art. As earlier, in recent years too, investigations presenting consistent tesearch on a specific group of artworks remain topical in Lithuania. Dalia Klajumienė analyses the painted altars of the churches, monasteries and chapels of the GDL in her book "Painted Altars (18th—First Half of the 19th Century): Endangered Artworks from the Churches of Lithuania" [Tapyti altoriai (XVIII a.-XIX a. I p.): Nykstantys Lietuvos bažnyčių dailės paminklai, ISBN 9955-624-56-6). The author reviews the development of painted altars and their expansion, and describes the masters active in this field. The means of naming in the sources have also been marked out and discussed. Over 1000 painted altars from the sacral architecture of the GDL have been examined and presented at various levels. Rūta Guzevičiūtė, a researcher of historical costume, published the monograph "Between East and West: The Circumstances and Shapes of the SCIENTIFIC CATALOGUES Formation of the GDL Gentry Costume in the l6th-19th Centuries" (Tarp This is a particularly valuable genre of publication and it speaks of the Rytų ir Vakarų: XVI-XDC a. LDK bajorų kostiumo formavimosi aplinkybės productive exhibition-based activities of the museums as well as of the ir pavidalai, ISBN 9955-601-88-4). The research involves three scientific close collaboration between art historians and museologists. The majority directions — ethnology, history and art history. Its significance and novelty of catalogues published in 2006 were prepared on the basis of outstanding is determined by the chosen object of the study - the costumes of the GDL exhibitions held in the period between 2003 and 2006. Publication of gentry. The prime aim of the author is to associate a historical situation thematic catalogues from the exhibition "Christianity in Lithuanian Art" is in the GDL with the changes in its attire and the costume history with ongoing. Last year saw the appearance of "The Goldsmiths Art. Book One: neighbouring and more distant nations. Collections" (Lietuvos sakralinė dailė. Т. IV, pirmoji knyga: Auksakalystė Teresė Jurkuvienė's book "Lithuanian National Costume" {Lietuvių (kolekcijos), ISBN9986-669-51-0, ed. by Jolita Liškevičienė). A two-volume tautinis kostiumas, ISBN 9955-23-020-7) is of great value to specialists of catalogue "Founders of the Lithuanian State" (Lietuvos valstybės kūrėjai this field. The monograph presents national costumes, remodelled according (XVI-XX amžių portretai), documented the displays of the international to the Sunday best attire of Lithuanian peasants worn in the 19th century, exhibition "Founders of the Lithuanian State (Portraits from the loth— from five Lithuanian ethnographic regions. 20th Centuries)" held in the Lithuanian Art Museum in 2003. The volume The current phenomena of Lithuanian art are represented by Alfonsas I (ISBN 9986-669-58-8) was edited by Laima Bialopetravičienė and the Andriuškevičius' "LithuanianArt: 1996-2005" {Lietuvių dailė: 1996-2005, volume II (ISBN 9986-669-61-8) - by Lolita Jablonskienė and Giedrė ISBN 9955-624-44-2). The book by the leading contemporary Lithuanian Jankevičiūtė. art critic could be called the second volume of collected works consisting In the summer of 2006, an international exhibition "The Artists of mainly of reviews published in the cultural daily "Siaurės Atėnai". Eglė the Römer Family" was opened in Vilnius to mark the 200th anniversary Navickienė analyses the possibilities of the coexistence of historical and new of Edward Jan Römer. The same occasion gave rise to the publication of architecture in the study "New Architecture in Historical Surroundings: Jolanta Sirkaitės book "The Artists of the Römer Family" (Dailininkai Experience of Creation" {Nauja architektūra istorinėje aplinkoje: Kūrimo Römenai, ISBN 9986-638-69-0), which catalogues the work of the Römer patirtis, ISBN 9955-28-060-3). family of artists, Lithuanian noblemen of the 19th-20th centuries. There are biographies of 19 professional masters and amateur artists, their works GROUP RESEARCH WORKS created between 1820 and 1940 now kept in the museums of Lithuania and The collections of research papers that appeared in 2006 are dominated Poland and private collections as well as providing references to archives (as in 2005) by investigations into religious themes. They are represented and bibliography. by three publications. Researchers of the Sacral Art Department at the The work of world renowned stage designer Mstislavas Dobužinskis, Culture, Philosophy and Art Research Institute continued to catalogue who lived and worked in Lithuania, is presented in the catalogue "Mstislavas church art works from the Vilkaviškis Bishopric and published Volume VI Dobužinskis: Stage Design in the Collections of the Lithuanian Theatre, (ed. by Regimantą Stankevičienė and Gabija Surdokaitė), representing the Music, and Cinema Museum" (Mstislavas Dobužinskis: Scenografija Lietuvos Deanery of Sakiai (Lietuvos sakralinė dailė, t. 1: Vilkaviškio vyskupija, kn. teatro, muzikos ir kino muziejaus rinkiniuose, ISBN 9955-624-38-8, editor 6, d. 1: Barzdai-Lukšiai, ISBN 9986-638-78-Х). Making use of the data on and author of the introductory article Živilė Ambrasaitė). current research, specialists of the Cultural Heritage Centre published the Several exhibitions were held in 2006 to celebrate various anniver­ book "Kaišiadorys Bishopric and its Sacral Heritage" (Kaišiadorių vyskupija saries and catalogues of some of them were published reflecting the ir jos sakralinis paveldas, ISBN 9986-420-69-5, ed. by Svedana Poligienė), work of 20th century Lithuanian painters: "World without Darkness: dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the bishopric. The publication Petras Aleksandravičius' (1906-1997) Oeuvre" (Pasaulis be tamsos: Petro provides much new