Arūnas Gelūnas is an artist, philosopher, curator and cultural diplomat who has served as Director General of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art since 2019. Formerly Lithuania’s Minister of Culture and Ambassador to UNESCO, he combines museum leadership with academic and diplomatic experience. His curatorial projects explore art under totalitarianism, Japanese culture and innovative exhibition formats, including the Room of One Masterpiece.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion, Gelūnas initiated exhibitions featuring more than 1,200 artworks evacuated from Ukrainian museums. He was Commissioner of the Lithuanian Pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale and has received honours from Japan, Lithuania, Ukraine and France.
At NEMO’s European Museum Conference 2026, Arūnas Gelūnas will join the panel session "Short Cuts: Museum practice in an AI-shaped world" on Monday, 12 October.
