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The Count of Raudondvaris Benedykt Henryk Tyszkiewicz [1852-1935] was one of the pioneers of art photography in Lithuania. Orphaned at the age of eight, in1862, Tyszkiewicz was brought to Paris to live with his grandfather. Even though he lived in France, and in other countries, he spent a lot of time in Lithuania and to fill his Raudondvaris home with books and pieces of art brought back from his travels. As the represen[1]tative of one of Lithuania’s most well-known and wealthiest aristocratic families, the Count had access to the most advanced technologies of the time and was one of the first to acquire all the new, innovative photography equipment.
He became a member of the Société française de photographie in1884 and joined the prestigious Photo-club de Paris in1898. From1894 onwards, his work was shown in exhibitions and his photographs were to be seen in important publications alongside some of the most famous French pictorialist photographers of the time such as Constant Puyo and Robert Demachy, among others. Over his forty years as a photographer, Tyszkiewicz produced a body of work that is estimated to number 20,000 prints and negatives. His work was not well known and for many years was thought to have been destroyed during the First World War, but in1993, the Musée Nicéphore Niépce acquired 86 of his prints. In the intervening years, over seven hundred photographs have been unearthed and are currently being conserved in Lithuania. In 2024, a Lithuanian collector bought nine bound albums of photographs by Tyszkiewicz and two of these are presented as part of this exhibition.
Tyszkiewicz’s photographs include self-portraits, portraits of his family and his circle of friends, of their trips abroad, and his residences in France and in Lithuania. His work was very much in line with the trends in photography in Europe at the time, and is unparalleled in Lithuania.
This exhibition is part of the “The Season of Lithuania in France 2024”, a celebration of the ties that bind the two countries. It includes101 plates with 333 photographs, as well as two albums and other pieces from the Musée Nicéphore Niépce’s collection, private collections and four Lithuanian museum.
 
Curated by:
Dainius Junevičius
Emmanuelle Vieillard
Audrey Lebeault
Scenography, installation: musée Nicéphore Niépce
 
Coordination: Vilija Ulinskytė-Balzienė Laura Auksutytė
 
Co-production: Musée Nicéphore Niépce Kauno Rajono Muziejus Aušros Muziejus, Šiauliai
 
Lenders:
Kauno Rajono Muziejus,
Kaunas Fotografijos Muziejus,
Aušros Muziejus,
Šiauliai Gražina Petraitienė,
Vilnius Dominykas Šaudys & Regina Šemiotaitė,
Kaunas Lietuvos Nacionalinis Dailės Muziejus,
Vilnius Kretingos Muziejus, Kretinga
Musée Nicéphore Niépce, Chalon-sur-Saône
 

The Season of Lithuania in France 2024:
Seeing oneself in others/ Kitas Tas Pats

Following on from a joint decision by presidents Emmanuel Macron of France and Gitanas Nausėda of Lithuania, the “Season of Lithuania in France” takes place from September12th to December12th 2024. The starting point of a new era in French-Lithuanian cultural exchange, the “Season of Lithuania in France” presents contemporary Lithuania and its culture to the French through performances, exhibitions, screenings, debates, conferences, gastronomy... It is also aimed at initiating long-term cooperation between Lithuanian institutions and artists and their French counterparts. Based on three main themes – Global neighbourhoods, Diversities and identities, Unbridled imagination – the programme for the Season will cover a broad range of contemporary cultural issues, media and current affairs, giving rise to creative explorations and a reflection on the past, present and possible future while embracing the values Europeans cherish most: human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, human rights, creativity and resilience in the face of climate change. Built around Lithuanian philosopher Viktoras Bachmetjevas’ theory that “the other is always different, but never completely other”, the Season of Lithuania in France aims to bring our two countries together through better understanding thanks to a collaborative and inclusive programme that encourages each and every one of us to see ourselves reflected in others.

General Curator:
Virginija Vitkienė[Lithuania] holds a doctorate in Art History and is an art critic and curator of contemporary art exhibitions [2004-2022]. She was Creative Director of the Kaunas Biennale [2009-2017] and Director of Kaunas 2022 – European Capital of Culture [2018-202 3].