Katiliūtė Marcė

In 1929-1935, she studied graphics at the Kaunas Art School, and from the fourth year – also painting. In 1937, she worked as a conservator at the M.K.Čiurlionis Art Museum in Kaunas. She lived on occasional orders, worked as a teacher at the Palanga Progymnasium.
The artist with a sensitive soul left life of her own free will, not even 25 years old. Today it is difficult to say what determined her such a desperate step: the government’s decision not to award a scholarship for studies in France, the skeptical attitude of society towards women artists, or unhappy love.

She was buried in the Petrašiūnai cemetery. In 1972, a tombstone was erected (sculptor Juozas Kėdainis). She left about 500 works: linocuts, sketches, drawings, paintings. She created illustrations for books: V. Tamulaitis’s “Kiškelios užrašai”, Petras Cvirka’s “Napalys bailys” (1936), Ieva Simonaitytė’s “Aukštujui Šimonių likimas” (1936), etc. The most valuable works: linocuts “Mother” (1935), “Ties medžiu”, “Urtė” (1936), “Potato skuta”, “Self-portrait” and others.

In 1937, at the World Exhibition in Paris, her best graphic works were awarded a gold medal (posthumously). In 1940, a personal exhibition of M. Katiliūtė’s works was held in Kaunas.