Algimantas Kezys (1928 – February 23, 2015) was a

photographer A photographer (the Greek language, Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographe ...

born in

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

who moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1950. Kezys was ordained as a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

priest in the 1950s; he received a master's degree in philosophy from Loyola University (Chicago) in 1956. He founded the Lithuanian Library Press in Chicago and directed the Lithuanian Youth Center in Chicago between 1974 and 1977. One of Kezys' first major exhibitions took place in 1965 at the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

. Since then his work has been exhibited at a number of American and European museums and in magazines. His photographs are part of the permanent collections at

Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Pa ...

, the Carnegie Institute in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, and at the Art Institute of Chicago. He published several books. In May 2000 he participated in an exhibition held in

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

, sponsored by the

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...

. Kezys operated a small gallery in

Stickney, Illinois Stickney is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The village is named for Alpheus Beede Stickney, a railroad executive who played a central role in establishing the Clearing Industrial District. Per the 2020 census, the population w ...

, featuring the art created by Lithuanian artists around the world, and published reviews, catalogs, and books on art, religion, and photography. He died in 2015.

References

Sources

Algimantas Kezys website
(includes gallery).

Lituanus ''Lituanus'' is an English language quarterly journal dedicated to Lithuanian and Baltic languages, linguistics, political science, arts, history, literature, and related topics. It is published by the non-profit Lituanus Foundation, Inc., and ha ...

, Volume 27, No. 1 - Spring 1981.
Algimantas Kezys - A Poet of Photography

, Volume 16, No.3 - Fall 1970.
Chicago-Diverse Architectural Fragments
Exhibition at

Fermilab Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), located just outside Batavia, Illinois, near Chicago, is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory specializing in high-energy particle physics. Since 2007, Fermilab has been operat ...

, 2002.

Bibliography

*Cityscapes. *Lithuania Through the Wall: Diary of a Ten-Day Visit to My Native Land. *Photographs of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. *Nature, Forms and Forces: Photographs from Our National, State, and Local Parks. *Fragments of Being. *Faces of Two Worlds: A Study in Portraits of the Lithuanian Immigrant Experience in the U.S.A. 1928 births 2015 deaths Lithuanian photographers {{lithuania-artist-stub