Marija Rima Tūbelytė-Kuhlmann

In 2017, Marija's son donated the bulk of his mother's painting collection to the M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Gallery in Kaunas.

Marija died on May 3, 2014 in St. Petersburg Beach, Florida.

A memorial service was held for her on October 15, 2014 in the Kaunas Cathedral Basilica. She was buried, beside her father, Juozas Tūbelis, in Panemunės Cemetery, Kaunas.

In 1992 she was granted Lithuanian citizenship and in 1995 Marija bought an apartment in Vilnius and spent three months there every year. She also became a member of the Lithuanian Artists 'Union and the Lithuanian Writers' Union.

After Lithuania regained  its independence, in 1991, Marija revisited Lithuania.

In 1988 she joined the Sun Tan Gallery, a group of Florida artists, and exhibited several new works each year.

In 1987 Marija's held a solo exhibit at the Lithuanian Club in St. Petersburg.

Marija wrote short romantic stories for women's and literary magazines. She wrote tales to the Lithuanian press in the United States. In Lithuanian, the collection of short stories ‘Intruder’ (1986), the story ‘Amal’ and the novel ‘Svaigulys’ (1994) were published. Some poems were published in literary journals.

In 1984 Marija and her family returned to the United States and settled in St. Petersburg Beach, Florida, where there was a large Lithuanian community. Marija had many friends there from her days of childhood in Lithuania.

Several solo exhibitions were held at the American Club Taipei (1980, 1982, 1984). Exhibitions were held in Los Angeles, Cleveland, and Chicago.

In 1978 the German Cultural Centre in Taiwan organized an exhibition of Marija's paintings. In 1978 she selected 60 of her best paintings and sent them to the United States.

Marija began collaborating with Osaka's Katzura Gallery, and from 1974 to 1978 she held exhibitions at art galleries in Kyoto, Wakayama, Hiroshima, Osaka and Nagoya. Marija's paintings have also been exhibited at the American Club in Tokyo and the Kobe Club.

Between 1971 and 1979, the family lived in Kobe, Japan.

In 1970, Marija held a personal exhibition at The Magic Touch Gallery in Taipei, Taiwan. She later participated in several group exhibitions in this gallery.

In 1968 the family moved to Taiwan, as Marija's husband, Kurt Kuhlmann, being an engineer, worked on various projects around the world.

The successful creative period was crowned in 1963, when she hosted a solo exhibition of her work at the University of Portland. At the same time, several of her still lifes with flowers were included in group exhibitions at the Portland Museum of Art. In 1965 an exhibition of her paintings was held at the town hall in St. Helens, Oregon.

In 1957, Marija and her family moved from New York to Portland, Oregon. Marija set up a painting studio at home.

The first period of Marija's work in Portland, which lasted for a decade (1957–1967), was very intense. The diverse and stunning landscape of the vast state of Oregon, with its tall dark spruces and cone-shaped mountains, was simply amazing to paint. At that time, Marija also painted many portraits of children.

Married and a mother, Marija pushed painting aside for a while. However, in 1955, Marija tried to return to work again.

On May 2, 1950 the US Congress granted Marija and her mother US citizenship on an exceptional basis.

In 1948 Marija and Kurt married and they had one child, Peter Kuhlmann, born in New York.

She earned a Bachelor's degree in art history and in 1945, a Master of Arts in history.

On March 10, 1941, Marija and her mother welcomed Antanas Smetona and his wife Sofija to the USA. A few days later, on March 13, Marija attended the reception of Smetona's arrival in the United States at The Pierre Hotel in New York. She and her mother sat in seats reserved for the most distinguished guests.

In September, 1941, Marija and her mother lived in Cleveland.

Marija started university in 1941 attending the College of Wooster in Ohio. Later she received a Lithuanian scholarship to study art at the University of Chicago in 1943.

On June 18, 1940 Marija and her mother fled Lithuania, just ahead of the Soviet occupation.

They went to stay with the Smetonas at the Hunters' Heights (Gästeheim Jägerhöhe) at the Schwenzait resort in the Masurian Lakes area of Poland. They were there for the summer of 1940.

They spent several months in Lisbon waiting for a ship to the United States. In December 1940, they departed Lisbon bound for Argentina.

From Argentina, they sailed to New York City, USA in December, 1940.

Marija's father, Juozas Tūbelis died on September 30, 1939.

Marija Rima Tūbelytė-Kuhlmann (1923–2014) was a Lithuanian painter, writer, poet and daughter of Jadvyga Tūbelienė and Juozas Tūbelis.

Marija was born November 2, 1923, in Kaunas, Lithuania to Juozas Tūbelis and Jadvyga Tūbelienė into arguably the most respected, powerful and well-connected family in interwar Lithuania.