On 26 February 1993, the Vilnius Academy of Arts opened the doors of the AKADEMIJA gallery. Its godfather, the main initiator was Prof. Adam Butrim (then Vice-Rector for Science at the Academy of Fine Arts of the Vilnius State Academy of Fine Arts).
Actually, the gallery started its activity in 1991, under the name of "Gallery - 91". In 1993, the gallery not only changed its name, and after a major renovation, acquired a second exhibition hall, but the administration passed from students to professionals hands.
On the occasion of the opening of the gallery "Akademija" an article was published in the daily newspaper "Lietuvos echo" "Akademija, which can be entered by everyone". From the very beginning, it was conceived that the halls of the gallery should be open to the VDA's students and professors first. The professors were immediately "hesitant" to hold exhibitions next to the students, waiting for the students to enjoy the exhibition life. The gallery started as a student art gallery, but it gradually turned into a VDA gallery, where exhibitions are held by professors of this higher education institution, as well as by guests - students and professors from other Lithuanian and foreign higher education institutions of art.
In the beginning of the gallery's work, there were so many people who wanted to organise exhibitions that, starting from 1993, the summer expositions had to be changed not only once every two weeks, but also every week. It seemed to be a temporary phenomenon, but it has become almost a tradition.
Gallery's group and personal exhibitions not only reflect the achievements of specific people, but also reveal the more general artistic and study processes taking place at the Academy. These include the Art Cells, defences of bachelors' and postgraduates' theses, and doctoral students' exhibitions.
"The Academy" has had the honourable and responsible task of organising the exhibitions of the prematurely departed young artists - the plans for the year 2005 included a major exhibition of the graphic artist Martynas Meškauskas. It was a great responsibility and a pleasant duty to organise the exhibitions of the deceased professors of the Academy of Fine Arts, classics of the history of Lithuanian 20th century art: the exhibitions of Mečislovas Bulaka, Telesfurs Kulakauskas (both in 1997), the exhibition of calligraphy and script dedicated to the 90th anniversary of prof. Antanas Kučas (1999), the solo exhibition of Audrius Puipa (2002) and the exhibition of the artist Susitikimas su Sauliumi (Meeting with Saulius, in honour of the architect Saulius Sharkinas, 1999).
Not only Vilnius residents, but also faculties of the Academy of Arts from other cities - Kaunas, Klaipėda, Telšiai - were enthusiastically involved in the organisation of the exhibitions.
The Gallery continues today what it started and tries to be - a gallery, which is open to every student and lecturer of the Vilnius Academy of Arts and professor.
