International Exhibition “Riding the Wave of Paris Exhibitions: Ethnography, Cultural Diplomacy, and Identity”

The exhibition tells the story of Lithuania’s efforts to make itself visible on the international stage amid geopolitical challenges, using cultural diplomacy and self-presentation through art, traditions, and symbols. Paris became the place where Lithuanian culture could be heard among other nations, and the exhibitions held there served as a platform to tell the country’s story.

The first appearance of Lithuanians at the 1900 World Exposition in Paris was more than a cultural event – it was a bold political statement. Through displays of folk art, it expressed the vitality of a nation whose statehood was being suppressed by imperial Russia.

The exhibitions held in Paris in 1935 and 1937 – more than three decades later – already reflected the ambitions of an independent Lithuanian state. Participation alongside Latvia and Estonia symbolized the unity and place of the Baltic states in Europe. Folk art had by then acquired new meaning: it was no longer merely a sign of survival, but an expression of aesthetic vision and creative maturity.

This exhibition brings together, for the first time in many decades, exhibits, documents, and photographs from those historical displays – today preserved in museums across France, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. They are complemented by works of contemporary artists inspired by ethnography and questions of identity, demonstrating that folk art continues to serve as a living source of inspiration today.

The exhibition will open at the House of Histories on 26th November 2025 and run until 2nd August 2026.

Exhibition organizer

National Museum of Lithuania

The exhibition was organized in cooperation with

Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations
M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art

Financial sponsor

Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania

Main partner

French Institute in Lithuania

Media sponsors:

Lithuanian National Television and Radio
JCDecaux
Delfi

Authors and curators of the exhibition concept:

Raphaël Bories
dr. Miglė Lebednykaitė