MO Museum

MO opened in 2018 in a white building by Daniel Libeskind, a sharp-angled volume with a cut through it that forms a public passage and stairway linking the street to a small park, and it holds a collection of Lithuanian art from the 1960s onward assembled privately by Danguolė and Viktoras Butkus: painting, photography, graphics and installation covering the late Soviet decades, the transition and the present. The collection is shown in changing thematic exhibitions rather than a permanent hang, so what is on the walls varies. It has become one of the busiest museums in the country and its café and shop are well used. The building itself, with its open stair and rooftop terrace, is much of the draw.

History

Viktoras and Danguolė Butkus began collecting in 2008 with the help of the art expert Raminta Jurėnaitė, the Modern Art Centre was founded in 2009 with a museum in mind, and the museum opened on 18 October 2018 in a building by Studio Libeskind, which Daniel Libeskind called his smallest project and one of his favourites (Wikipedia, MO Museum).

The main sights

• The Libeskind building - angular white volume cut by a public stair.
• Late Soviet Lithuanian art - the core of the collection from the 1960s on.
• Changing exhibitions - thematic hangs rather than a permanent display.
• The rooftop terrace - views over the old town edge.

When to go

Year round; the museum is indoors. It closes one day a week, usually Tuesday. Weekend afternoons are busiest. Exhibition changeovers can close galleries, so checking what is on before going is worth doing.

What to expect

There is no permanent display, so a specific work may not be on show. Between exhibitions parts of the museum close. Labelling is bilingual but context on the Soviet period is assumed. It is small enough for two hours.

Nearby

Vilnius old town is immediately east; the Gates of Dawn are nearby.

Key facts