Early life and education Gopas was born in
Šilutė,
Germany (present day
Lithuania) in 1913. His parents were Pranas Gopas, a machinery merchant, and Marte Plauschin. Gopas' birthplace was near
Nidden, a fishing village with a popular artists colony. Gopas studied painting at the
Kaunas Art School from 1933 to 1938. While studying, Gopas travelled in Germany, Austria, Italy, Latvia and Greece. In 1976, Gopas and his second wife separated, and in 1977 Gopas resigned from his teaching role at the university and travelled to Ehrwald, Austria. He quickly became disillusioned and returned to New Zealand.
Illness and death After Gopas' return to New Zealand in the late 1970s, his mental health deteriorated and he was committed to
Sunnyside Hospital for periodic treatment. Suffering from alcoholism, Gopas' condition deteriorated, and his left leg was amputated above the knee due to circulatory issues. He made a partial recovery from this surgery before complications arose. On 23 July 1983, two weeks before the scheduled opening of the first exhibition dedicated to his life's work, Gopas died of a heart attack caused by
arteriosclerosis, at his home in Christchurch. == Exhibitions ==