Description

After a nearly month-long stay at Paliesius Manor, we invite you to a special afternoon—a farewell to the twelve-lithograph cycle “King Solomon’s Song of Songs” by the Litvak artist Théo Tobiasse from the collection of Dr. Shmuel Tatz.

This event opens a new cycle of cultural encounters dedicated to the theme of the 2026 European Days of Jewish Culture: love. We have chosen to unfold the theme of love through one of humanity’s oldest and most beautiful texts—the “Song of Songs” (Shir ha-Shirim), which for over two millennia has inspired poets, artists, musicians, and thinkers to reflect anew on love, beauty, and human connection.

During the afternoon, surrounded by works of art, the poet Indrė Valantinaitė will read excerpts from the “Song of Songs,” while the pianist and artist Viktoras Paukštelis creates a sonic landscape with piano music. Théo Tobiasse’s lithographs, live poetry, and piano music will meld into a seamless artistic narrative about timeless love.

About the Project

Four distinct narratives converge in this project: the twelve-lithograph cycle created in 1975 by the Litvak artist Théo Tobiasse (1927–2012), intertwining Jewish cultural memory, echoes of Lithuanian landscapes, and the universal experience of love; the years of dedication by Litvak art collector Dr. Shmuel Tatz to return Litvak art to Lithuania’s cultural memory; and two contemporary creators—the poet Indrė Valantinaitė and the pianist and artist Viktoras Paukštelis, whose work continually transcends the boundaries of a single medium. In this project, they speak through the languages of poetry and music, extending Théo Tobiasse’s dialogue with one of the most poetic texts in the Bible.

Project curator: Liana Jagniatinskytė.

Exhibition designer: Aleksandra Jacovskytė.

We invite you to immerse yourself in the story of the “Song of Songs” through a journey of image, poetry, and music. It will be a living dialogue of love, art, and cultures.

The project is implemented by the Vilnius Jewish Public Library (a branch of the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania), Paliesius Manor, Paideia – The European Institute for Jewish Studies in Stockholm, and the TATZ Support Foundation.