The State Hermitage Museum: Information

View from the Hermitage: A Museum Portrait on a City Backdrop
Article in Sankt-Peterburgskie vedomosti
31 January 2008 (N 017)

During the week we presented a new international project Hermitage 2014 Masterplan.
In 2014 the State Hermitage Museum will celebrate its 250 anniversary. Usually when organizations want to celebrate their anniversary they turn to Moscow, gain governmental approval for the celebration, issue of special coins, additional money for restorations etc…

It is likely that we will do this too. But firstly we’ll start with examining what the Museum should be in the 21st century – an integrated museum in a city like St. Petersburg.

We believe that the time has come to consider carefully the complete development of the museum at the turn of the 20th-21st centuries, take a look at what needs to be preserved and what can be released.

Museums have proven that they can live in a market orientated system, that they can make money, but be convinced that it is no simple task. The criteria for museum life should not be those of the market. We have other indicators for success. It is sufficient that the authorities and state continually look around the market. And now they’re saying that museum incomes are part of the state budget and want to finance us through our own incomes. The next step will be criticizing museums for their failure to make more money.

With this background we are already having to avoid numerous minefields. Let us say that our social purpose is in conflict with tax legislation. Problems have already arisen with benefits which we grant visitors and with free visitor days. According to legislation in force, museums can have open days, but must pay a tax for it. The madness of the idea – lost profits!

Fortunately, not all of our work is confined by legalistic hair-splitting. There are purely professional, museum matters where we have achieved distinct success. We have began using new technologies. The State Hermitage Museum is one of the most advanced museums in this area. We have a good website, which is continually updated and advanced technology in the halls. But this does have its nuances: visual interaction is important, but should be appropriately located – we need not explain the problems of having children’s programmes located in display halls... No new technology is capable of replacing a museum. Even the best disk is incapable of replacing the intrinsic value of a real artifact. Incidentally, people do understand this, and are therefore prepared to queue up to see exhibitions.

One more pressing question is the relationship between virtual reality, theatre and authenticity. Museums around the world are accustomed to creating spectacular exhibitions, where there is musical and theatrical accompaniment. It is attractive, but it is worth while considering how much we are losing in the role museums play.

Many museums today are expanding. It is also a tendency in the 21st century. World famous architects are designing museum buildings. Experience has shown that it is not difficult to find money for a famous architect. A more complicated task is to find the means to maintain the new buildings in the future. And even harder is to fill those buildings with items which people would want to see. Museums are growing beyond their capabilities. Such a situation is not uncommon today: buildings which cost a substantial amount of money stand empty. Few people bother going to them. It is terrible to lose the soul of the museum!

Sometimes it is said of the State Hermitage Museum, that it is huge and holds more that it can exhibit. The Hermitage truly is huge, but so far it is not ‘too’ large, but is approaching its limits. If we complete the reconstruction of the General Staff Building, we will create a Museum of the Guard and a display of stored items and the limit will be reached. So far this thinking is only on the level of felt intuition.

Not depending on intuition we decided to initiate the joint Hermitage 2014 Masterplan with ÀÌÎ research group belonging to the Dutch architectural bureau of Rem Koolhaas. We have already worked with this famous architect. He worked on our exhibition centre in Las Vegas, was a consultant for the reconstruction of the General Staff Building and offered his views on the use of the historical building. Then we decided to carry out a joint research project on what a museum might be in the 21st century.

I will say at once, that the research was experimental. Koolhaas’ team and a team from the State Hermitage Museum will work on the project over the course of a year. The task is to understand what a museum is today, what does it perceive itself as being and what paths does it have for future development. The research was financed by the State Hermitage Museum, the Dutch Government, the Friends of the Hermitage Society and the Russian company, Mercury.

The analysis was based on the conception of the architecture in the broadest sense of the word – the architecture of events, the architecture of international relations... Everything is derived from the understanding that there is such a thing as the golden medium. Using this principle one can develop any idea. The participation of architects in our research into the museum’s function is an approach thoroughly appropriate for our times.

We wanted to create a portrait and self portrait of the museum. An analysis of each room in the State Hermitage Museum will be conducted. During its entire history these rooms have had different functions. For example, Voltaire’s Library is in the Bosphorus Halls, in the General Staff Building at various times there was a ministry and a gaol... It is necessary to understand how the layering of historical events, architecture, interiors and collections are combined. From this point of view we will see what needs to be done further, understand what tradition requires of a modern museum exhibition.

The second direction of the work is the Hermitage as a museum. We are analyzing the exhibition policies of the museum. How does the centre and the storage function? To what extent can the items in storage replace the museum?

While analyzing this, we focus on the State Hermitage Museum as a general purpose museum. I have repeatedly said that this is a special category of museum, one which was developed in imperial times. We are talking about culture. And how does this work today?

This problem is being discussed with museums around the world at UNESCO conferences. A clear example is the case of the British Museum which is being attacked on all sides with demands that they return items which have come from various countries. The museum has responded that representatives of various countries and ethnicities now live in London in large numbers. The British Museum will establish artistic events for these populations – exhibitions, special events. This is a new function for general purpose museums.

I am often asked if the State Hermitage Museum will host exhibitions on Orthodox or Islamic art. You often hear that our city is so full of migrants that practically no locals remain. I agree that it is necessary to educate new arrivals. This is one of the new functions of a museum. It is necessary to see how these functions can be carried out, using, for example, the experience of the British Museum. One of Rem Koolhaas ideas was to celebrate various national and cultural festivals of people living in St. Petersburg in the General Staff Building.

Another important question is the State Hermitage Museum and its place in the city. The museum is part of the city. How should the architectural ensemble of Palace Square be used? We are often upset by what is done there. It is important to come to a definition of what is permissible. It is worth while taking a look at this in relation to what is occurring in different countries around the world.

In other words, the development of the State Hermitage Museum is a municipal project. We are concerned about what we can do for the city and how to change it. The ground floor of the General Staff Building will be turned into a city forum open to the city. Palace Square is a wonderful area. The 21st century may come up with its own suggestions for what can be done there and how.

At some time McKenzie firm drew up an economic and organizational masterplan – how to establish a press service, how to make money etc…They advised us. Furthermore, we went round other world class museums and studied how they operated from a business point of view. We learnt a lot. But this is now insufficient. Today we will watch and see how museums around the world come to life in the 21st century and will again learn something new and teach others.

If we are to talk from a practical point of view, we intend to experiment with temporary exhibitions. We will work together on a permanent exhibition on Islamic art. We will see what new ideas can be used for displaying traditional art forms in the 21st century using technology and maintaining political correctness, authenticity and using expositions to help form political connections... We have already made some progress, the renewal of diplomatic ties between Russia and the United States was celebrated in the General Staff Building. The ceremony was started with a visit by the American ambassador to Gorchakov’s office.

We will also see what can be devised for displaying examples of new art. There was an idea during the exhibition of Islamic art In Palaces and Tents to set up a modern pavilion in the courtyard of the Winter Palace. The museum hopes that its experimental groups will come up with fresh ideas and suggestions. Of course, not all of them will be used. It is possible that several seminars and traveling exhibitions will develop out of the project. There will probably be a book which will include all of the ideas – this in itself will be a cultural event.

I think that this will be interesting for everyone. The International Board for the State Hermitage Museum will ensure the development of the Masterplan.