LITHUANIA, March 24 - On Wednesday, Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė has visited the international exhibition, Mysticism of Baroque Sculpture: Johann Georg Pinsel and other 18th-century Lviv Masters, at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. The Prime Minister has seen several dozen sculptures generally regarded as a European heritage.

The distinctive character of late Baroque sculpture in Western Ukraine testifies to Ukraine’s deep historical ties with Central and Eastern Europe, including Lithuania, whose capital Vilnius rightly boasts its late Baroque architecture.

‘Lately, we have been increasingly convinced as to how much the people of Lithuania and Ukraine, which has been fighting for its freedom, have in common in terms of principles and values. But the signs of our commonality are also visible in history and art. And what is more, they very well confirm that Ukraine is part of the European cultural family’, said Prime Minister Šimonytė.

The exhibition, whose exhibits made it to Vilnius right before Russia’s military invasion, features works of Antonio Osinski, Jan Obrock, Franciszek Olensky, also unknown sculptors, who well witness to the existence of the late Baroque school in Lviv, culminating in the art of Johann Georg Pinsel. His oeuvre is characterised by sensuous richness, drama, vitality, and emotional exuberance. J. G. Pinsel is one of the most mysterious artists in Europe and the last grand baroque sculptor.

The exhibition dedicated to the 700th anniversary of the city of Vilnius will stay open until 22 May.