On 13 June 2012, the exhibition “Export Permitted”: Vilnius by Rafael Chwoles of works by the Vilnius-born Litvak painter Rafael Chwoles (1913–2002) was launched at the Tolerance Centre of the Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum. The pictures were brought to Vilnius on the initiative of the Museum, the Lithuanian Embassy to France and the French Institute in Lithuania.  

Thanks to the efforts of the painter’s sons Alexander and Milij Chwoles who are in charge of their father’s works a valuable collection was brought from Paris; most of  the paintings were created between 1945 and 1959. During the press conference before launching the exhibition the painter’s sons expressed hope that a museum bearing their father’s name would be opened in Vilnius.  According to Milij Chwoles, the painter’s family is ready to donate all their father’s heritage to the future museum.

Before the war, Chwoles studied painting with Marijanas Kuliešas, Aleksandras Šturmanas and Mošė Leibovskis; he was an active member of the Jewish literary and art society Jung Vilne and in the work of the Vilnius Jewish Painters Union. Artists influenced the traditions of the Vilnius drawing school with its tendency towards French Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. Museums in Lithuania, Poland and Israel, the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, and private collectors in Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia and Israel posses Chwoles’ works. The painter received many awards, among which are the award of the Europe Academy of Figurative Arts (1981) and an award of the city of Paris on the occasion of fifty years of his creative work (1983).

R. Chwoles

Director of the Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum Markas Zingeris

Brothers Milij and Alexandre Chwoles

Markas Zingeris, Milij Chwoles, Curator of the exhibition Gajane Leonenko, Alexandre Chwoles, Cultural attaché of the Embassy of France Audelin Chappuis

Opening of the exhibition

Exhibition “Export Permitted”: Vilnius by Rafael Chwoles

Exhibition “Export Permitted”: Vilnius by Rafael Chwoles at the Tolerance centre of the Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum (Naugarduko g.10/2, Vilnius) will be on until 21 September 2012.