Kudirka gifts Australian Doctor his artwork

 Our 28 February post about artist Algirdas Kudirka, 1915–1980, caught the eye of Beth Robertson in Adelaide, who has shared this photograph and information.

This poker work ‘Australia’ by Algirdas Kudirka has had pride of place in our family home for 60 years. It is dedicated to my father ‘Dr. S. Robertson’,  Thorburn Stirling Brailsford Robertson, 1925–1966.
 
My father was a doctor who achieved sobriety after being admitted to Northfield Mental Hospital (later Hillcrest Hospital) in 1960 as a certified patient for alcohol and drug addiction. He came under the treatment of Dr Bill Salter, whose therapeutic approach included an Alcoholics Anonymous group at the hospital. Dr Salter supported my father’s appointment as a medical officer and he worked with addicts and AA groups at both Hillcrest and Yatala for the six years until his death aged 40. He was known as ‘Doc Robbie’ to most people.
 
My late mother told us that the artist was one of our father’s patients. I understand that Algirdas Kudirka is remembered as suffering from alcoholism. With the poker work dated 1963, he was probably a patient at Hillcrest Hospital at that time.
 
The poker work’s dimensions are 63cm x 50.5cm x 1cm. It is very striking with the adoption of Aboriginal motifs, the curious shaping of the continent of Australia (with the artist’s name worked into Tasmania) and the inversion of fishes over the landmass.
 

I would love to know whether anyone in the Lithuanian community has knowledge of Algirdas Kudirka’s time/s at Hillcrest (or Yatala). This could be by commenting on this post or sending me information privately via Daina. It could add to the story of the artwork as well as my father’s legacy.

Algirdas Kudirka - artist

Painter, Stage Director, graphic and poker work artist.

Born in St Petersburg in 1915, he and his parents returned to Lithuanian after WWI. (His immigration papers state he was born in Zarasai on 22 June 1917). He studied art at the Vilnius Academy of Art for three years.  During WWII he was captured by Nazis, conscripted into the German Army and taken prisoner of war by the American Army.
In 27 April 1948, he arrived in Australia on board the ship General Black.  He fulfilled his two year work contract as a sugar cane cutter in Queensland.  During that time he painted in oil a large picture, titled Holy Mary, a copy of the revered painting in Vilnius.  He donated his work to the parish of Freshwater in 1948 to mark the first Lithuanian Day celebrations in Australia.

Žemaitė Julija Beniuševičiūtė-Žymantienė,
famous Lithuanian author

In 1949, he exhibited four graphic art works at a Gympie exhibition and won first prize. While still in Queensland he painted murals in private homes, decorated church halls and painted pictures of religious subjects for Catholic churches.

In 1955, he moved to Adelaide and became involved with the community, painting  theatrical sets and decorating Lithuanian house with wooden ornaments based on folk art symbols.  (These still hang in the House). He then began to use poker work.  

In 1956, he held his first solo exhibition at St Joseph's Hall in Adelaide.  He showed 22 poker work items and 10 oil paintings.  In 1957 he won a bronze medal at the Royal Adelaide Exhibition and in 1958 he was one of six Lithuanian artists who held an exhibition at Lithuanian House. During the 1962 Lithuanian Festival he held a joint poker work exhibition with Rimas Daugalis.

He never married and lived the last five years at the Lithuanian Catholic centre where he painted many oil painting of Lithuanian historical figures.  They can still be seen displayed around the Lithuanian Catholic Centre.

Lithuanian Artists in Adelaide

Genovaite Kazokas, author of the book "Lithuanian artists in Australia 1950 - 1990", writes that Adelaide comprised the largest number of artists in Australia who had completed formal art training. Some had gained qualifications in Lithuania, two graduated from the L'Ecole des Arts et Metiers. Over the next few weeks I plan to highlight some of these artists.

Rosemary ALIUKONIS, Painter, graphic artist, film maker
Alfonsas BUDRYS, Photographer
Borisas BORJERAS, Cartoonist
Rimas DAUGALIS,
Aurimas DUMCIUS, Sculptor, ceramists and painter
Vilia DUNDA, Ceramist
Balys GREBLIUNAS, sculptor
Vytas KAPOCIUNAS, Painter, sculptor
Algirdas KUDIRKA, Painter, stage decorator, graphic and poker work artist
Aleksandras MARCIULIONIS, sculptor
Eleonora MARCIULIONIS, ceramist
Balys MILAKNIS, sculptor
Brone MOCKUNAS, Painter
Stasys NELIUBSYS, Painter
Ieva POCIUS, sculptor
Jonas RUDZINSKAS, painter, sculptor, stained glass
Mecys RUDZENSKAS, Painter
Antanas RUKSTELE, painter
Vaclovas RYDLINSKIS, Painter
Pranas SAVENIS, Painter
Vytas SERELIS, Painter
Ziba VILMANIS, Painter, book illustrator
Vytautas VOSYLIUS, photographer
Leonas ZYGAS, painter

They made a film about him!

In 1970, Lithuanian Simas Kudirka sought asylum from the Soviets by jumping onto an US Coast Guard ship. He was a radio operator on a Russian fishing boat. His defection failed and he was sentenced to ten years in a Soviet gulag. As it turned out his mother was actually born in the US, but the family moved back to Lithuania. Because of this four years later, in 1974, Simas and his wife and two children were granted US citizenship. Simas became a spokesperson for a free Lithuania.

In June 1980 he was a guest of the Lithuanian community in Australia. On his visit to Adelaide, he took part in the annual mass deportation commemorations, by laying a wreath at the War Memorial on North Terrace.

His story was made into a film The defection of Simas Kudirka, staring Alan Arkin as Simas.

I can remember being at the War Memorial that day, the first 'real' Lithuanian I had seen.