Antanas Sutkus MA-g Awards 2025

• The Museum of Avant-Garde 

• Deadline: June 30th, 2025

• Prize: Exhibition in Switzerland + Exposure

• Category: Several Categories

• Entry Fees: Yes

• REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE

Antanas Sutkus, born in 1939 in the village of Kluoniškiai, Lithuania, is one of the most influential figures in 20th-century photography. From a young age, he was drawn to the camera, purchasing his first with earnings from digging peat alongside his mother. He began his career as a photojournalist, but by 1968 he had embraced the freedom of freelance work, dedicating himself to capturing the nuanced realities of life under Soviet rule.

Sutkus’s approach was deeply humanistic, shaped by the influence of Henri Cartier-Bresson. He sought to create what he called “a psychological portrait of contemporary life,” focusing not on propaganda but on intimate, unvarnished moments. His seminal series, People of Lithuania, remains a powerful visual archive of the nation’s spirit—honest, soulful, and unfiltered.

In 1965, Sutkus earned international recognition for his portraits of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir during their visit to Lithuania. His iconic image of Sartre walking the dunes of the Curonian Spit captures not just a likeness, but a mood—a hallmark of his ability to reveal the interior life of his subjects.

Beyond his work behind the lens, Sutkus played a key role in shaping the cultural status of photography in Lithuania. He co-founded the Lithuanian Photography Art Society in 1960 and served as its president, helping to elevate Lithuanian photography on the global stage. His works now reside in prestigious collections, including the Lithuanian Museum of Art, the International Center of Photography in New York, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.