Antanas Mončys House-Museum

Contacts
Address: S. Daukanto g. 16, Palanga.
Tel.: (+370 ~ 460) 49 366, (+370 ~ 460) 49 367.
Mob. tel. (+370 686) 76 668
E-mail: muzmoncio@is.lt
http://www.antanasmoncys.com/

Information for Visitor

Opening hours:
16th September – 1st May:
Tuesday 12–17; Wednesday – Sunday 10–17.
2nd May – 15th September:
Tuesday 12–17; Wednesday – Sunday 14–21 val.

Additional services:
trading A. Mončys exposition catalogue;
trading publication “Žemaičių žemė” (about Samogitian artists).

Collection
Museum’s collection consists of sculptor Antanas Mončys (1921–1993) works, personal things, working instruments, photographs, furniture, documents and diary sheets, accumulated by A. Mončys’ foundation and received as a gift to Lithuania in 1989–1992.

Exposition
In the exposition – in the studio imbued by the French spirit - one can see works created by A. Mončys in France: sculptures, drawings, pieces of graphic art, flutes, masks as well as sculptor’s instruments, clothes, documents, sheets from his diary, posters of exhibitions, photographs, illustrations. 
The exposition resembles the sculptor’s studio.
Visitors are free to fulfill the sculptor’s will – to touch the things displayed.
The author of the exposition – architect Valdas Ozarinskas.

Exhibitions
In future, after the reconstruction is finished, it is planned to arrange exhibitions of the highest artistic level of Lithuanian and foreign artists.

Cultural, educational activity
The museum has recently singed an agreement of co-operation with educational institutions of Palanga where joint activity in preparing educational programs and organizing cultural events is provided for.
Disabled children together with their teachers of art come to draw in the premises of the museum.
In future it is planned to organize symposia, conferences, meetings and similar events.

Antanas Mončys
A. Mončys was born in the village of Mončiai (Kretinga region) in 1921. In 1941 he graduated from Franciscan gymnasium. In 1941-1943 he studied architecture in Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas.
He retreated to the West with the approach of the Red Army in 1944.
In 1947–1950 he studied sculpture in the art school of Freiburg, after completion of which he was awarded a diploma and a scholarship of the French authorities to continue his studies. He further studied in Paris where he attended a famous Osip Zadkin’s studio. Here he got interested in the vanguard art, in 1952 he started taking part in exhibitions. His works were shown in Germany, France, Italy, USA, Australia, they decorate a number of museums of Western European countries and private collections.
In Lithuania A. Mončys’ works were shown in 1988 for the first time during the exhibition of emigrant artists in Vilnius and Kaunas.

History of the Museum
Sculptor A. Mončys’ works were brought to Palanga on 1 March 1993. Authorities of Palanga of that time were not prepared for their proper storage and exposition.
On 10 July, 1993 the sculptor died and a non-governmental organization - a foundation for A. Mončys’ creative heritage and its preservation – which was establish by private persons: sculptor’s relatives, friends, admirers of his art and famous public people, took upon itself to take care of the preservation of his works. 
Since the autumn of 1993 the foundation commenced re-constructive work which was supported by the Ministry of Culture, Open Society Fund (Lithuania) and individual people from abroad: Juozas Kojelis, Isolda Požėlaitė-Davis, AM, Anneliese Riewer, Pranas Lapė and others.
On July 10, 1999 a permanent exposition was opened in the museum.

Photos by Juozas Baltiejus