Women's Portraits

Magdalena Birutė Stankūnienė-Stankūnė

Magdalena is 86 years old. She is traveling from USA to the homeland every year and is full of energy. Even she lives in America, her heart is here, in Lithuania. She is talking with a good sense of humor and likes to say: “I am never jealous, to anybody.” She is well known Maecenas of art and culture in Lithuania.

Magdalena (or as we say in Lithuania – Magdutė) was born in 1925, Vilkaviškis district, in the family of Lithuanian farmer. Expecting the imminent Soviet occupation, after the sudden fathers death (in 1942), together with her husband Vytautas and little son Arvydėlis Magdalena moved to the West. It was 1945. The first years of emigration family spent in the refugee campus in Oldenburg (Germany). At this time a disaster happened – unexpectedly died her beloved and only one son Arvydėlis. Soon, deeply suffering of the loss, Magdalena divorced with her husband. At the same time bad news came from Lithuania – her dear mother was exiled by the Soviets to the lager in Komi. It became clear that she will not be able to return to Lithuania because of possible political persecutions.

Together with the other relatives Magdalena came to England, where soon entered the course for medical sisters in the Leicester hospital, than worked in the Courtauld’s silk factory and later in the prestigious shop in London, where succeeded to get the modeler’s job.

By this time she knew: her call is to be an artist. Magdalena started her art studies in St. Martins Academy in London. It was an important time for young lady: rich London’s cultural life – opera, which she liked attending and museums shaped Magdalena’s dream world so important for her as an artist.

As the hope to return to Lithuania was lost completely, she came to USA in 1960 and settled in Chicago nearby the Lithuanian community. Here she was lucky to meet Gintautas Stankūnas and soon they became a happy married couple. Their home became important for community, where American Lithuanian society gathered: artists, poets and writers. The home of Stankūnai was open for the guests from the far Lithuania also.

Magdalena’s dream to become an artist realized in USA. She has studied in Chicago Art Institute. Chicago, Cleveland, Rochester and Washington several times admired the picture-shows of her. Magdalena has been honored by many awards and prizes.

             The first time she came back to Lithuanian in 1969. She took her old mother to America, who returned from Gulag and her health was not good. Magdalena was touched by what she saw in her homeland: a strict, cruel soviet rules, lack of freedom, very gifted, talented people and extreme poverty of their daily life. She was so full of love to those nice people she met every time returned home, and wanted to help, to do something to make their life better. Magdalena thought, “I am a lucky woman, my husband gave me everything to be free as an artist, I am able to buy all materials I need, there is no need to sell my works to earn for a daily living”.

So, Magdalena started to return to Lithuania every year. A new period of her life started 20 years ago. Together with Lithuanian committee she did everything, that art, created by Lithuanian artists in exile, returned to Lithuania. It was a big collection which reached the Lithuanian national Art Museum in Vilnius and Čiurlionis museum in Kaunas.

At first, she thought about her own pictures, as she did many wood-cuts, textile and oil paintings through all her life. She used the motives from Lithuanian mythology, impressions from her journeys around the world with her husband. Magdalena liked painting the flowers and did it very well. So, she gifted her artworks, made through all her life in America, to many different institutions in Lithuania: museums, art galleries, universities, libraries, schools, hospitals all over the country. So many of her art work found their right places were many people now can admire them.

She returned to Marijampolė, her native town, and saw that there is no any modern art gallery here. Magdalena said: “There will be a gallery”. After many talks with cities Municipality representatives, making attempts, with a help of many people, her dream became true. Art Gallery in Marijampolė opened the door.

Than traveling to Lithuanian towns and villages every summer, Magdalena noticed that many historical and cultural museums need a help, and she went back to America thinking how to get some money and help to keep Lithuanian cultural heritage in better conditions. So step by step Magdalena became a Maecenas, finding every year what useful she can do in her homeland. She became famous and respected woman in Lithuania.

Sometimes Magdalena is thinking: “I need a new car this year to buy”, than decides, “The old will be good, let’s better think what we can do else in Lithuania.”

Some people say: “She made the name for herself by money”. “You do this, why not?” – answers the lady. Together with art expert Vida Mažrimienė, Magdalena published Lithuanian exile art album few years ago. And the new idea came: Kaunas has so many gifted artists, why not show the Kaunas art for the world? And the big album dedicated to the modern Kaunas art was published in 2011 with the support of Maecenas Magdalena Stankūnienė.

“My children wouldn’t let me to go so far from Chicago to Lithuania every year I would have them. But now I am free to do what I think is important. I am happy, and I feel myself very well and I am in good health. I am thinking, God doesn’t take me, because I have what to do in this world still.

Vitalija Norvilienė