Portrait of a young man with a hat

The Portrait of a Young Man with a Hat (1932) by Adolfas Valeška (1905–1994) continues the thread of cultural figures depicted by artists. One such figure, Juozas Keliuotis, is the young man depicted in the painting. At the time both the artist and Keliuotis took an active part in the cultural life of Lithuania, were close friends and thought alike. At the time, modern art was gaining momentum and closely interacted with the avant-garde press. In the 1930s, pupils of Kaunas School of Art were influenced by local movements of avant-garde artists such as Keturvėjininkai (a group of Lithuanian avant-garde writers) and Trečiafrontininkai (a group of Lithuanian writers and critics), yet only the publications of Naujoji Romuva (culture, literature and art magazine) made a real contribution to the cultural scene of Lithuania. Valeška actively participated in art exhibitions at that time and in 1934 staged a solo exhibition in Kaunas. He combined his creative and cultural activities with administrative work. Valeška was the initiator of the Ecclesiastical Art Museum and was the head of the museum in 1935–1940.