Kajetonas Sklėrius (1876–1932), a famous Lithuanian painter, sculptor and educator, was born on 27 July 1876. He was the pioneer of modern watercolour painting in Lithuania and created a significant amount of valuable artwork. He is also the author of various sculptures (e.g. bas-relief portraits of the poet and priest Antanas Strazdas, doctor and public figure Jonas Basanavičius, his mother and others).
A lot of his artworks are kept at museums or private collections, thus they are not always available for visitors. However, the largest sculptural composition created by Sklėrius can be seen very easily and free of charge. All you have to do is visit Kaunas, where, in 1928, was opened one of the most modern and gorgeous buildings in the city – the Bank of Lithuania (Maironio g. 25). The neoclassical architecture-style building was known for its luxurious view and housed many pieces of art created by famous interwar-period artists, which can be admired there up to this day. The building’s facade boasts an allegoric sculptural composition created by Sklėrius, depicting two men and two women, between them – a shield featuring the Vytis and the Columns of Gediminas. This sculptural group – figures of men and women with certain working tools and manufactured items – allegorically symbolise agriculture, industry and warfare.
We kindly invite you to visit the Bank of Lithuania’s building in Kaunas and have a chance to admire both the neoclassical architecture and the significant legacy of interwar-period Lithuania’s artists.
