Exhibition “Jonas Rustemas – painter and teacher (1762-1835)”

The exhibition “Jonas Rustemas – painter and pedagogue (1762-1835)” will be held at the Lithuanian Museum of Education from June 3 to July 19, 2025.

The exhibition is dedicated to the memory of Jonas Rustemas – the most famous Vilnius artist of the first half of the 19th century, professor at the Drawing and Painting Department of Vilnius University.

His artistic works include paintings, drawings, cards, live paintings and architectural decoration of festivals. Jonas Rustemas was a professor at the Department of Drawing and Painting (1797-1832). From 1811 he was a professor and from 1819 head of the department. In the 1930s, Rustem’s authority as a teacher and organiser grew significantly. He vigorously assembled a picture gallery, organised student art exhibitions, sought sponsors for needy students, took care of graduating students’ degrees and scholarships, and sent them to St. Petersburg for further education. Rustem had prepared a project for the transformation of the Art Department into the Faculty of Fine Arts (1819).

In 1820, Rustem organised an exhibition of the works of all the art cathedrals, and from 1822 onwards it was held every 2 years in spring. The exhibitions showed the direction and methodology of the work of the departments, as well as the professional training and abilities of the students. They allowed students to sell some of their works or to receive commissions. The first exhibition organised by Rustem (1820) was the one that attracted the greatest interest, with works from several years’ work being selected. It was quite widely reported in the Vilnius press. Articles written by former students of art departments mentioned both the good and the weak sides of the teaching. This helped to improve the teaching work, increased the authority of the departments in the eyes of the university management, the professorship and the public.