A fact from Kazys Varnelis (artist) appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 2 October 2008, and was viewed approximately 750 times (disclaimer) (check views). The text of the entry was as follows:
Did you know... that after living in the U.S. for 50 years, painter Kazys Varnelis returned to Lithuania in 1998 at the age of 81?
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Latest comment: 13 years ago5 comments3 people in discussion
I have to say, despite what the NYK tourist section & the National Museum say, I'm dubious his painting(s) are in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Their website seems to have the whole paintings collection online, with 95 "V" artists, but not including him. No doubt his work was in temporary exhibitions there, as the article says. Johnbod (talk) 01:28, 1 October 2008 (UTC)Reply
"Owning" does not equal permanent collection. Museums own much more stuff than they an put in exhibitions. It is very likely it's just sitting somewhere in storage, but does not mean it's not owned by the museum. Renata (talk) 17:26, 3 October 2008 (UTC)Reply
No, the "permanent collection" is everything they own; what is on display is a different matter. The Chicago database seems complete, listing drawings etc. Johnbod (talk) 18:17, 3 October 2008 (UTC)Reply
Internet sources aren't always trustworthy. The online collection does not state it is a record of the permanent collection, but rather an "online collection." He did have one work in the permanent collection at the Art Institute, donated by Jonas and Betsy Dovydenas, as well other works as at the Guggenheim, Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago (there were two, but one apparently was damaged at the museum so another one was purchased to replace it), and the Smart Museum of Art in Chicago (gift of John Vinci) among other venues. Deaccessioning is possible, of course, but we have not heard of it. A. James Speyer, Curator of Twentieth Century Paintings and Sculpture at the Art Institute from 1961 to 1986, was a great admirer. Another matter is that you should make it clear that my father and I are not the same person, perhaps with a disambiguation page or at least a reference to him being my father, otherwise confusion is likely to arise. Similarly, the reference to having been born to a generation of self-taught Samogitian cross-carvers is too vague and again can lead to confusion as someone may be looking for another Kazys Varnelis. My grandfather is relatively well-known to scholars of Lithuanian folk artists as a simple search will reveal.
FYI, in researching what institutions possess his paintings, I e-mailed the Art Institute of Chicago and it turns out that yes, they do have a work in the collection so case closed.
