Renovation of the M.K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum. Category: public building
Design: 2000
Construction: 2003
Address: Vlado Putvinskio g. 55, Kaunas
Architects: Gražina Janulytė-Bernotienė, Loreta Bulakienė, Evaldas Žiurkus, Ernestas Riepšas, Gerardas Balaišis, Eugenija Balaišienė

The architect and teacher Gražina Janulytė-Bernotienė (born 1951) has been running her own architectural firm since 1993. Her experienced team has received numerous awards for the successful execution of public building projects and professional solutions. Many of the firm’s projects are known for their reserved and simple style, and the subtle harmony of materials and details. The goal of the design to renovate the galleries exhibiting works by the artist and composer Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis was to preserve the simple, clear and functional aspects of the building that was designed in 1960 by Feliksas Vitas. According to the architects, the intention was to create a strong emotional charge, through simple forms and colours, as a background for Čiurlionis’s works. Visitors to the gallery encounter striking contrasts (light and dark, black and white planes) and natural materials (wood, stone, glass). Covered with dark green stone, the calm space of the gallery is connected to the main part of the museum by a glass corridor. The space below ground consists of additional rooms for exhibitions.

www.janulyte.lt