Marija Drėmaitė
Arno FUNKcionalism. The Life and Work of Architect Arno Funk (1898–1957)
an excerpt from the book
an architect’s biography told through his buildings – the luxury of Kaunas – architecture and interiors
Arno Funk (1898–1957) was one of the most intriguing and enigmatic architects of interwar Kaunas. Little is known about his life, yet the modern and elegant buildings he designed tell the story of interwar Lithuania and Kaunas—its transformation, its inhabitants, and their everyday lives.
This book is a continuation of the exhibition ARNO FUNKcionalism, which opened on 1 July 2021 at the A. and P. Galaunė House–Museum. The research, discoveries, and questions raised during the exhibition encouraged further investigation. The book presents key facts from Arno Funk’s biography and introduces his projects, including residential buildings, interiors, public buildings, and industrial architecture.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Prof. Dr. Marija Drėmaitė is an architectural historian and Professor at the Faculty of History of Vilnius University. Her research focuses on 20th-century architecture, urban modernization, industrialization, and culture. She participates in academic conferences worldwide, publishes books on her research topics, and delivers public lectures. See more about the author.
METRIKA
Scholarly reviewers: Prof. Dr. Giedrė Jankevičiūtė (Lithuanian Institute for Cultural Research), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vaidas Petrulis (Kaunas University of Technology)
Project manager: Lina Pranaitytė
Designer: Vika Pranaitytė
Photographer: Lukas Mykolaitis
Image editing: aust.studio
Lithuanian language editor: Aurelija Gražina Rukšaitė
Translation into German: Saskia Drude
Translation into English: E-VERTIMAI Translation Agency
English language editor: Jeremy Hill
Publishing house editor: Ūla Ambrasaitė
ISBN 978-609-496-020-8
225 × 280 mm, 224 pages
Hardcover, colour illustrations
Published by LAPAS, September 2025
THE PUBLICATION WAS FUNDED BY:
The book uses archival documents and illustrations from the Lithuanian Central State Archives, Kaunas Regional State Archives, Lithuanian National Museum, National M. K. Čiurlionis Art Museum, Kaunas City Museum, M. and K. Petrauskai Branch of the Kaunas City Museum, Kaunas University of Technology Museum, the Archive of the Institute of Architecture and Construction of Kaunas University of Technology, the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, Kaunas County Public Library, Panevėžys County Gabriela Petkevičaitė-Bitė Public Library, Joniškis History and Culture Museum, the Lithuanian Archive in Hüttenfeld, the Archive of the Technical University of Berlin (TU Berlin), as well as the personal collections of Laura Malcaitė, Henry Kopelman-Gidoni, and Ramūnas Janulaitis.
The book accompanied the exhibition ARNO FUNKcionalism (1898–1957) held at the Galaunė House–Museum, a branch of the National M. K. Čiurlionis Art Museum, from 1 July 2021 to 31 December 2022.