Published: 20260310
On March 10th, at the age of 71, photographer and book publisher Raimondas Paknys passed away after a serious illness. R. Paknys was born on April 16, 1954, in Vilnius. He studied at A. Vienuolis Secondary School and graduated with a degree in journalism from Vilnius University in 1976. From 1972 to 1986, he served as a photojournalist for Lithuanian Television, later working as a photographer for the "Vaizdas" experimental photo studio at the "Vaga" publishing house.
Raimondas Paknys and his photographs that one wishes to step into
As reported by the news portal "15min", after establishing his publishing house in 1992, R. Paknys published exceptionally designed, high-quality art albums, photography books, educational and travel guides, and books about Vilnius. Over more than three decades of the publishing house's existence, dozens of books published by R. Paknys were recognized with various prizes in art competitions. He was an active photographer since 1976 and a member of the Lithuanian Association of Art Photographers. Among his most significant albums are "The Art of Lithuanian Churches" (1993), "Old Lithuanian Sculpture" (1994), "Lithuania" (1996, 2000, 2007), "Vilnius" (2000, 2007), "Neringa" (2007) (all with A. Baltėnas), "Lithuanian Landscape" (2004), "The Resounding Silence: Traces of Jewish Life in Lithuania" (2009), "Lithuanian Wooden Churches" (2012), and "Lithuanian Castles, Manors, and Palaces" (2014). He primarily photographed Lithuanian landscapes, architectural monuments, historical and cultural heritage, works of art, and cityscapes.
The cultural heritage of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania through the photographer's lens
Since 2011, R. Paknys has used large-format photography to capture the historically significant heritage of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Traveling through the territories of Ukraine and Belarus, he documented abandoned manors and crumbling churches.
"For me, these trips became journeys back into the past. Traveling through the provinces of Ukraine and Belarus felt like taking a time machine decades back into a world where historical memory has been completely erased. Local people, walking the same path their whole lives, often don't even know that just a few hundred meters away in the bushes stand the ruins of a church–a church where, likely, their parents and grandparents were baptized. This is a shocking and dramatic example of the decay of history and its signs that befell this region with the arrival of the Soviets", the photographer once told "15min."
In 2019, an exhibition of R. Paknys' work dedicated to this theme, "Stories in Stone: The Vanishing Heritage of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth," was held at the Palace of the Grand Dukes Museum. This was followed by the presentation of the photography album "Stories in Stone."
In 2023, visitors had the opportunity to enjoy another exhibition–"Traces of Time: Walls and Colors." Both exhibitions garnered immense interest.
In 2002, R. Paknys was awarded the St. Christopher Statue for his Vilnius photo albums and his contributions to culture. In 2005, the photographer was granted the status of an Art Creator.
The community of the Palace of the Grand Dukes Museum expresses its deepest condolences on the loss of a prominent creator, friend, and co-author of exhibitions.
