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Ray Bartkus

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Ray Bartkus
Bartkus in 2015
Born
Rimvydas Bartkus

(1961-07-06) July 6, 1961 (age 63)
Vilnius, Lithuania
Nationality
  • Lithuania
  • United States
EducationVilnius Academy of Art
Known forIllustration, painting, drawing, installation art

Ray Bartkus (born 1961, in Vilnius) is a Lithuanian-American artist. His work spans numerous mediums, including illustrations, hyperrealist paintings, and large-scale installations. He is known as the founder of MaLonNY, an annual art festival in Marijampolė,[1] and as the designer of the Lithuanian 50 Litas bill.[2] His works have been acquired by the National Portrait Gallery,[3] the Lithuanian National Gallery of Art [lt],[3] the MO Museum,[3] and the Noewe Foundation.[4]

Illustrations

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G?D, New York Times Book Review cover illustration, October 22, 2006

In 1991, shortly after emigrating to New York City, Bartkus began working as an illustrator for numerous publications, including The New York Times Book Review,[5] Harper's Magazine,[6] the Wall Street Journal[7] and Time magazine.[8] Former New York Times Art Director Steven Heller described Bartkus’ illustrations as combining elements of both realism and surrealism,[9] while also noting Bartkus’ ability to constantly shift styles.[10] Bartkus ascribed his creative flexibility to growing up amid the “single-mindedness of a communist state,” which led him to prize the freedom offered by multiple perspectives.[10] His illustrations have received numerous awards from the Society of Publication Designers, the Society of Newspaper Designers, and the Society of Illustrators.[11]

MaLonNY

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Floating World, 2015, Marijampolė, Lithuania

In 2014, Bartkus launched MaLonNY (which stands for Marijampolė, London, and New York), an ongoing street art and music festival and creative symposium held annually in the Lithuanian city of Marijampolė. Over ten years, MaLonNY has turned Marijampolė into a center for Lithuanian street art,[12][13] with contributions from international and Lithuanian artists such as Judy Tuwaletstiwa,[14] Žilvinas Kempinas,[15] Stasys Eidrigevičius,[16] Mike Estabrook,[17] The Bubble Process,[18] Lou Beach,[19] Ieva Martinaitytė-Mediodia,[20] Oleksandr Shatokhin,[21] Philip Grisewood,[22] Kacper Dolatowski,[23] and others. MaLonNY has also featured musical performances by Electric Djinn,[21] Daddy Was A Milkman,[21] and Fast Forward,[24] among others. One of Bartkus’ murals for the event, “Floating World,” has been widely shared online because of how it was painted to reflect in the river below it.[25][26]

Paintings

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Wolf, 2008, private collection

Bartkus has established himself as a hyperrealist painter. One of his series, “Last Paintings,” engaged in a dialogue with the works of Pre-Raphaelite painters, attempting to produce a more contemporary art by returning to earlier artistic principles.[27] Another of his series, “Forgeries,” reproduced official documents from Bartkus’ life with humorous and meta-artistic touches.[28] These works have been exhibited in the US, Lithuania, Poland, Austria, Japan, and the Netherlands,[11] and have been selected to represent Lithuania in a 2025 exhibition on hyperrealist art organized by Hyp’Art in France.[29]

Installations

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Gardens, 2018, Union Station, Washington, D.C.

Bartkus began creating large-scale public installations in 2014, when he created a work titled “Landing Strip” to inaugurate the annual meeting of the World Lithuanian Youth Association.[30] Over the next three four years, his installations were featured at the United Nations building in New York City,[31] the International Peace Institute Salzburg Forum,[32] and Union Station in Washington, D.C.[33] One of Bartkus’ installations, titled “Gardens,” was commissioned by the Lithuanian Embassy to commemorate 100 years of Lithuania's independence.[33] The design of this piece was based on traditional Lithuanian straw mobile folk art. It was exhibited in several cities across the United States, including Washington D.C.,[33] Chicago,[34] Philadelphia,[35] and New York City,[36] and later was shown at the Lithuanian National Gallery of Art [lt] in Vilnius[37] and the Samogitian Art Museum.[38] In 2024, Bartkus created “Infinity,” a series of portraits made using wire mesh and 100 kilograms of nails.[39]

Proposed Holocaust Memorial

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Rendering of Ray Bartkus' proposed Holocaust Memorial

Since 2017, Bartkus has advocated for the creation of a memorial that acknowledges the Holocaust in Lithuania. He has made numerous public appearances wearing a “Holocaust Memorial, Lithuania” t-shirt to raise awareness for this issue.[40][41] He has worked to create dialogue on this issue between the Lithuanian Jewish Association, the American Jewish Committee, and the Vilnius mayor's office, among other groups.[41]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Jubiliejinis simpoziumas „Malonny“ praturtino Marijampolę menu ir įspūdžiais" Lietuvos Rytas newspaper, report on MaLonNy festival (in Lithuanian)
  2. ^ 30th anniversary of the litas Currency Museum of Lithuania
  3. ^ a b c "Ray Bartkus" Artist profile on the MO Museum website
  4. ^ "Ray Bartkus" Artist profile on the Noewe Collection website (in Lithuanian)
  5. ^ Steve Heller's Book Review Gallery
  6. ^ Ray Bartkus on Harper's
  7. ^ Wall Street Journal covers from Ray Bartkus' website
  8. ^ 1995 Time cover from Ray Bartkus' website
  9. ^ Heller, Steven and David Womack Becoming A Digital Designer, p. 278, at Google Books
  10. ^ a b Heller, Steven and David Womack Becoming A Digital Designer, p. 280, at Google Books
  11. ^ a b Renowned International Artist Ray Bartkus Exhibits at Drexel
  12. ^ Kaip Marijampolė tapo gatvės meno miestu: pokalbis su Ray Bartkumi Article on the MaLonNY festival in 15min.lt (in Lithuanian)
  13. ^ Selection of murals from the MaLonNY festival on the Marijampole Tourism Information Center website
  14. ^ Marijampole Tourism Information Center website Mural by Judy Tuwaletstiwa made during MaLonNY
  15. ^ Marijampolė Tourism Information Center website Mural by Žilvinas Kempinas made during MaLonNY
  16. ^ Marijampolė pasipuošė naujais meno kūriniais: tarp jų – ir Stasio Eidrigevičiaus freska Article on Stasys Eidrigevicius' participation in MaLonNY (in Lithuanian)
  17. ^ Marijampolė Tourism Information Center website Mural by Mike Estabrook made during MaLonNy
  18. ^ Marijampolė Tourism Information Center website Mural by The Bubble Process made during MaLonNy
  19. ^ Nesklandumai nesutrukdė – Marijampolės „Mercury“ viešbutį puošia įspūdingo dydžio piešinys Article on Lou Beach's participation in MaLonNY (in Lithuanian)
  20. ^ Marijampolė Tourism Information Center website Mural by Ieva Martinaitytė-Mediodia made during MaLonNY
  21. ^ a b c Jubiliejinis Malonny’10 su būriu savanorių ir spalvų jūra paskelbė simpoziumo pradžią! Article mentioning various artists and musicians participating in MaLonNY (in Lithuanian)
  22. ^ Marijampolė Tourism Information Center website Mural by Philip Grisewood made during MaLonNy
  23. ^ Marijampolė Tourism Information Center website Light installation by Kacper Dolatowski and Ray Bartkus made during MaLonNy
  24. ^ Malonny’7 Marijampolėje: menas neužsidaro Article mentioning various artists and musicians participating in MaLonNY (in Lithuanian)
  25. ^ This Mural Was Painted Upside-Down To Reflect Off Of The Water Article on Ray Bartkus' mural "Floating World
  26. ^ Ray Bartkus Paints Upside Down Mural that Reflects Right-side Up in Water Article on Ray Bartkus' mural "Floating World (archived)
  27. ^ Paintings from the "Last Paintings" series on Ray Bartkus' website
  28. ^ Paintings from the "Forgeries" series on Ray Bartkus' website
  29. ^ Ray Bartkus' profile on Hyp'Art
  30. ^ Pasaulio lietuviams – įspūdingas pakilimo takas, spektaklis ir kalbų pamokos Article on Ray Bartkus' participation in the World Lithuanian Youth Association 2014 conference (in Lithuanian)
  31. ^ Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Announcement about Ray Bartkus' exhibition at the United Nations
  32. ^ Hybrid War: At the Interface of Diplomacy and Art Announcement about Ray Bartkus' exhibition at the International Peace Institute
  33. ^ a b c Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Announcement about Ray Bartkus' "Gardens" exhibition
  34. ^ Timeout Event listing for Ray Bartkus' "Gardens" in Chicago
  35. ^ Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Announcement for Ray Bartkus' "Gardens" in Philadelphia
  36. ^ National Park Service Event listing for Ray Bartkus' "Gardens" in New York City
  37. ^ Lithuanian National Gallery of Art Announcement about Ray Bartkus' "Gardens"
  38. ^ Samogitian Art Museum Announcement about Ray Bartkus' "Gardens"
  39. ^ The installation "Infinity" by artist Ray Bartkaus, which required 100 kg of nails, was presented in Vilnius Article on Ray Bartkus' "Infinity"
  40. ^ Menininkas Ray Bartkus siūlo statyti Holokausto memorialą: ar Lietuvai pakaks valios? Article on Ray Bartkus' Holocaust memorial activism (in Lithuanian)
  41. ^ a b Artist proposes Holocaust memorial in Vilnius, says it’s 'a moral priority' Shorter article on Ray Bartkus' Holocaust memorial activism in English
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