Tojana Račiūnaitė

Tojana Račiūnaitė is a senior researcher and director of the Institute of Art Research at Vilnius Academy of Arts (VAA), where she has worked since 1996. Her research focuses on visual culture in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (16–18th century), sacral art history, iconography, and anthropology of the image. She earned her PhD in art criticism from VAA in 1999 with a thesis on Baroque art and architecture of the Discalced Carmelites.

• Education: PhD in Art Criticism (VAA, 1999); MA in Art History and Theory (VAA, 1990)
• Academic Roles: Senior Researcher at VAA Institute of Art Research; Director (2008–present)

Her work bridges iconological analysis and visual anthropology, examining the interplay between image and text in historical and modern contexts. She has curated exhibitions like Vaclovas Ratas. Beyond the Equator (2021) and co-authored guidebooks on Lithuanian Baroque art. Her recent research projects include Mimetic and Symbolic Representations of Jonas Karolis Chodkevičius (2021–present), funded by the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences.

Her publications—spanning monographs like Atvaizdo gyvastis (2014) and articles in Acta Academiae Artium Vilnensis—explore themes such as miraculous Marian images, relic iconography, and visual pragmatics. She received the 2019 Lithuanian Academy of Sciences Award for her contributions to understanding religious art heritage in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

• Scientific Awards:
  • 2019: Science Award from Lithuanian Academy of Sciences
• Memberships:
  • Lithuanian Association of Art Historians (1995–present)
  • International Association of Art Critics (AICA, 1996–present)

Račiūnaitė has lectured at VAA since 1990 on topics including Lithuanian art history, 17–19th-century Western art, and visual-textual analysis. Her methodological approach integrates art history with anthropology, emphasizing the symbolic and mimetic functions of images across cultural contexts.