The evening was hosted by Edmundas Jakilaitis, a well-known journalist and public figure, one of the initiators of Stiprūs kartu, who emphasised that culture helps to articulate pain and inspire hope.
This evening was born from a simple yet powerful idea: art can serve as a bridge, connecting sensitive issues with real opportunities to help. The closed format kept the focus where it mattered most – on artists’ voices and the needs of Ukrainian children today.
Demus founder Mindaugas Vanagas emphasised that the auction also serves as a way to educate the community about art:
Art doesn’t just decorate walls – it unites people when unity is needed most. This auction is our way of saying that culture has the power to change reality – here and now. Artists need a stage, and the community needs meaningful action. We are delighted to see goodwill turning into tangible support for Ukraine.
The result – a 143% increase in the catalogue price
During the evening, 29 different works were presented: from painting and photography to design and interdisciplinary works. Among the artists were such well-known names in Lithuania and around the world as Deimantas Narkevičius, Vita Zaman, Ray Bartkus, Donata Minderytė, Algimantas Kezys, Monika Radžiūnaitė, Linas Jusionis, Robertas Narkus, Julijonas Urbonas, Indrė Šerpytytė, Neringa Vasiliauskaitė and others, as well as artists from Ukraine and Poland – Anton Pedos and Oskar Zieta.
Some of the artists had submitted their works for auction before, and the participation of representatives from the Lithuanian National Museum of Art, Mo Museum and the Lewben Art Foundation confirmed the quality of the selection.
The most expensive works sold were by Indrė Šerpytytė (‘Fata Morgana’, 2019; from the series From.Between.To; cotton on wooden panel; 103 × 103 cm; EUR 17,700), Ray Bartkus (‘SuperCash’, 2024; museum-quality pigment print on paper; 123 × 123 cm; EUR 10,000), Neringa Vasiliauskaitė (‘Changing States (1)’, 2023; balsa wood, silicone, patterned fabric, padding; 170 × 105 × 12 cm; EUR 9,400) and Robertas Narkus (‘Gut Feeling’, 2022; neon, aluminium; 85 × 85 × 9 cm; EUR 9,100).
The most significant increases were seen in the works of Liucija Pačkauskaitė (‘Serbentas’, 2025; oil on canvas; 50 × 50 cm; 700%), Algimantas Kezys (‘Bridge, Pinellas Bayway, Florida’, 1967; photograph, digital print on paper; 59.5 × 56 × 5 cm; 400%), Vytenis Jankūnas (‘The End of Fancy Shopping – Empty Shelves at the Celine Store, NY’, 2025; giclée print on Hahnemühle Albrecht Dürer paper; 51 × 80.5 cm; 377%) and Mantas Platūkis (‘Medikas’, 2022; oil on canvas; 61 × 75 cm; 312%).
Hammer prices averaged 143% above the catalogue estimates (EUR 2,411).
Laura Rutkutė, director of Vartai Gallery:
It has always been important to me that art becomes a genuine need for people – not just a wall filler or a decorative element, but something one lives with and around which homes and spaces are created. The auctions have shown that art can have a very tangible impact – first and foremost, they offer an opportunity for the gallery and its artists to make a meaningful contribution to the Ukrainian people’s fight against the aggressor. On the other hand, the carefully selected works lead many participants to a deeper and more meaningful understanding of art.
Echoing Rutkutė’s sentiments is artist Linas Jusionis, considered one of Lithuania’s most prominent creators of abstract minimalist art and regarded by art critics as an architect of planes. Jusionis contributed two impressive paintings to the auction each year (this year and last):
The ongoing war is gradually being pushed to the background and becoming a tragic backdrop to our everyday lives. Support is being institutionalised – and while that is good, it’s important to preserve the sense of civic unity that emerged in the first days of the war. I’m glad to take part in the auction and in this way contribute to Ukraine’s fight for freedom – it helps me feel morally a little better about not being more directly involved and continuing with my everyday creative work. It’s also a way for art to reach new audiences, and for those audiences to discover new artists.
Half of the money raised, EUR 94,300, will go to ‘Stiprūs kartu’. The rest will be distributed to artists as fees and royalties.
The highlight of the evening was the only replica of a tenth-century sword found in the Nemunas riverbed near the Liškiava mound, crafted by bladesmith Adomas Sviklas together with jeweller Evaldas Babenskas and leatherworker Vykintas Motuza, brought by Edmundas Jakilaitis. The reconstruction was guided with exceptional precision by historian and sword-making technology researcher Andrius Janonis. This remarkable piece ultimately sold for an equally impressive EUR 23,000.
Last year’s auction was also rewarding
A year ago, Demus held an auction that raised EUR 134,300, presented 30 works and involved 24 artists from Lithuania, Latvia and Ukraine. Among the most famous were Antanas Sutkus, Ignas Krunglevičius, Dominykas Sidorovas and Jānis Avotiņš, one of the best-known Latvian artists internationally, renowned for his ephemeral, minimalist paintings that convey feelings of memory, loss and nostalgia.
His work ‘Šokėja’ (2024; oil on canvas; 126 × 97 cm) sold for the highest price at the auction – an impressive EUR 13,000.
An additional highlight was Jakilaitis’s proposed work ‘Javelin’, brought from Ukraine and sold for EUR 5,000.
Although this year’s total – 40% higher – is impressive, the comparison is significant not for the record, but for continuity: the aim is for each auction to become a manifestation of a mature and close-knit community’s fight for freedom, rather than a one-off flash of attention.
Last year’s auction proceeds have already been used: for more than four hundred children, they brought smiles, light, hope and a sense of security. Seven summer camps were held in Kintai, Svencelė, Kaltanėnai and Anykščiai, attended by 440 Ukrainian children whose parents were killed, went missing or remain in captivity. Their summer was transformed after a long period: instead of the sounds of war, they heard laughter; instead of fear, they experienced friendship; instead of loss, they found togetherness.
Edmundas Jakilaitis concluded:
Sometimes it’s enough to come together and do what is possible. The results of both previous events and tonight’s auction are exactly that – a simple, yet significant victory.
Auction catalogue:
https://website-vartai.artlogic.net/viewing-room/15/?_preview_uid=68e6d51ba0fd4418a27de91c4cda726e&version=919456