M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum

The M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum (Lithuanian: Nacionalinis Mikalojaus Konstantino Čiurlionio dailės muziejus) is the oldest art museum in Lithuania and a group of museums based in Kaunas. Founded on 14 December 1921, it is primarily dedicated to exhibiting and publicizing the works of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (1875-1911), the celebrated Lithuanian painter and composer. The institution operates under the Lithuanian Ministry of Culture and serves as a central symbol of Lithuanian cultural identity, preserving nearly the entire artistic legacy of Čiurlionis.

The museum opened in December 1921 in Kaunas, which was then the provisional capital of Lithuania. A temporary Čiurlionis gallery opened in 1925 at Ąžuolų kalnas, in the former Kaunas Art School building, though at that time the display included modern and historical paintings and folk art works alongside Čiurlionis's own. In 1936 the institution was renamed the Vytautas the Great Museum of Culture, reflecting the nationalist orientation of the interwar period. It received its current name in 1944, a change that underscored Čiurlionis's significance to Lithuanian national identity during the Soviet occupation. A major building expansion followed in 1969. After Lithuania regained independence in 1990, the museum underwent modernization and renovation. In the 2000s, presentations of Čiurlionis's work were further developed and international cooperation intensified. In 2015, the building was one of 44 objects in Kaunas to receive the European Heritage Label.

The museum holds more than 355,000 items across its collections. These encompass M. K. Čiurlionis's heritage, Lithuanian folk art, fine and applied arts of Lithuania from the fifteenth through twentieth centuries, ancient world art, foreign fine and applied art, numismatics, and archives of folk art and artistic life in Lithuania. Since 2018, the museum has also held a treasure of 749 antique coins discovered on Laisvės alėja, valued at approximately 40,650 euros; the medieval coins, some minted in 1567, 1569, and 1570, were transferred by the construction company Kauno tiltai. Since 2022, the museum has presented a large-scale installation by South African artist William Kentridge. The institution also maintains a dedicated room where visitors can listen to Čiurlionis's musical compositions.

The museum's most significant holding is nearly the complete artistic estate of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, making it the primary repository for his paintings and musical works. Beyond the core Čiurlionis collection, the museum's branches extend its reach across Kaunas and Lithuania. These include the Mykolas Žilinskas Art Gallery, Kaunas Picture Gallery, Kaunas Historical Presidential Palace, Ceramics Museum, Devils' Museum, M. K. Čiurlionis Memorial Museum, Antanas Žmuidzinavičius Memorial Museum, Paulius Galaunė Family House, Liudas Truikys and Marijona Rakauskaite Museum, Juozas Zikaras Museum, and Vytautas Kazimieras Jonynas Gallery.

The museum is located in the New Town of Kaunas and shares its building with the Vytautas the Great War Museum. The interwar portion of the structure was built in Art Deco and early functionalist styles, and the building is now protected as a heritage monument. Nearby, the oldest still functioning Žaliakalnis Funicular Railway climbs 142 metres from behind the museum up to the Church of the Resurrection.

The M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum is located in Kaunas, Lithuania, with its main building in the New Town district. The museum sponsors international exhibitions, lectures, concerts, conferences, and special educational activities for children. Its official website is https://ciurlionis.lt/. The institution continues to function as a major cultural center, balancing its role as guardian of Čiurlionis's legacy with contemporary programming and international collaboration.