Rūta Janonienė

Dr. Rūta Janonienė is a senior researcher at the Institute of Art Research of Vilnius Academy of Arts (VAA), where she has worked since 1994. She served as the institute's director from 1994 to 2008 and continues her research on Lithuanian art history. She is an active member of the Lithuanian Council for Culture (since 2013) and Lithuanian Association of Art Historians (since 1995).

Her research focuses on the artistic culture of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL), specializing in sacral and secular art from the 15th–19th centuries, Vilnius Art School traditions, iconography, and cultural heritage preservation. Her methodologies include discovering lost artworks, attribution analysis, and historical context reconstruction.

Recent publications demonstrate her expertise in religious iconography, manor culture, and ecclesiastical heritage, with articles frequently exploring 15th–19th century Lithuanian art through interdisciplinary approaches combining art history, social history, and conservation science.

Awards & Honors:

• 2011: Lithuanian Academy of Sciences Award for the series 'Heritage of Lithuanian Bernardines'
• 2020: Commander's Cross of the Order 'For Services to Lithuania'

She has led significant research projects including studies on sacred imagery in Vilnius Diocese churches (2015-2017) and Orthodox/Unitarian communities in GDL (2022-2023), funded by the Lithuanian Science Council. Additionally, she has curated major exhibitions like 'Sacred Vilnius' (2020-2021) and 'Under Italian Skies' (2017-2018).