The Samuel Bak Museum – A Journey Through Art and Survival
The permanent exhibition at the Samuel Bak Museum presents the life and work of Samuel Bak (b. 1933, Vilnius), tracing his artistic journey from his earliest surviving drawings—created in the Vilna Ghetto between 1942 and 1943 on the blank pages of the Jewish community register (Pinkas)—to large-scale 21st-century canvases that grapple with profound philosophical questions of humanity.
The 37 works on display in this gallery were personally selected by the artist himself. Together, they tell not only the story of his artistic evolution but also the deeply personal story of his life: imprisonment in the ghetto, loss and miraculous survival, and his lifelong search for home and meaning across continents.
Bak’s art opens a symbolic world that encourages empathy, reflection, and human connection. His work is not only visually striking but also intellectually and emotionally powerful—a key to understanding history, identity, and the resilience of the human spirit.
