The Owl

Antanas Mončys (1921–1993) worked with a variety of materials, including wood, stone, bronze, lead and iron, and crafted masks and whistles. He stands out as one of the most original and versatile Lithuanian sculptors. His works are characterised by a distinctive style and monumentality, whatever material he used. ‘For me, art is both a reality and a necessity,’ the young sculptor wrote in a letter from Paris to the Palubinskas family in the USA in 1950.* Mončys’ early creative period saw the creation of The Owl, a sculpture born from his time studying in Paris on a scholarship under the Cubist Ossip Zadkine. He subsequently delved into more independent creative pursuits. Throughout the 1950s, Mončys’ sculptures reflected his eagerness to experiment with different materials, and simultaneously to explore diverse themes and motifs. His repertoire encompassed religious narratives, and depictions of women, motherhood, the family, and the human face. His avian and botanical sculptures from this period, such as The Owl and The Pelican, are visually striking and recognisable, and yet they already bore his restrained, generalised creative signature. In 1955, Mončys undertook the restoration of 12 chimeras for Metz Cathedral, alongside Marc Chagall and the brothers Jan and Jöel Martel, earning him acclaim and recognition from the Art Institute of Chicago. One of the earliest sculptures by Mončys, The Owl used to be part of the collection of Frederic Andre Camille Charmont at Méréville in France. Mončys made three other sculptures on the same subject, and a metal wall lamp in the shape of an owl.

Text author Jurgita Ludavičienė

* Viktoras Liutkus. Antanas Mončys. „Artseria“.

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album THE ART OF MATERIALS. Compiler and text author Jurgita Ludavičienė
Expositions: "Free and Unfree. Lithuanian Art between 1945 and 1990", 9 September 2021 – 30 April 2022, Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE (Užupio St. 40, Vilnius). Curators Dovilė Barcytė and Ieva Burbaitė.

Antanas Mončys (1921–1993) worked with a variety of materials, including wood, stone, bronze, lead and iron, and crafted masks and whistles. He stands out as one of the most original and versatile Lithuanian sculptors. His works are characterised by a distinctive style and monumentality, whatever material he used. ‘For me, art is both a reality and a necessity,’ the young sculptor wrote in a letter from Paris to the Palubinskas family in the USA in 1950.* Mončys’ early creative period saw the creation of The Owl, a sculpture born from his time studying in Paris on a scholarship under the Cubist Ossip Zadkine. He subsequently delved into more independent creative pursuits. Throughout the 1950s, Mončys’ sculptures reflected his eagerness to experiment with different materials, and simultaneously to explore diverse themes and motifs. His repertoire encompassed religious narratives, and depictions of women, motherhood, the family, and the human face. His avian and botanical sculptures from this period, such as The Owl and The Pelican, are visually striking and recognisable, and yet they already bore his restrained, generalised creative signature. In 1955, Mončys undertook the restoration of 12 chimeras for Metz Cathedral, alongside Marc Chagall and the brothers Jan and Jöel Martel, earning him acclaim and recognition from the Art Institute of Chicago. One of the earliest sculptures by Mončys, The Owl used to be part of the collection of Frederic Andre Camille Charmont at Méréville in France. Mončys made three other sculptures on the same subject, and a metal wall lamp in the shape of an owl.

Text author Jurgita Ludavičienė

* Viktoras Liutkus. Antanas Mončys. „Artseria“.

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album THE ART OF MATERIALS. Compiler and text author Jurgita Ludavičienė
Expositions: "Free and Unfree. Lithuanian Art between 1945 and 1990", 9 September 2021 – 30 April 2022, Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE (Užupio St. 40, Vilnius). Curators Dovilė Barcytė and Ieva Burbaitė.