The State Hermitage Museum: Exhibitions

The Hermitage in the World of Publications - 2005
7 - 11 December 2005

During the Hermitage Days, the Foyer of the Hermitage presents the traditional exhibition informing visitors about the museum's activities in research and exhibitions during the year gone by. This is the tenth exhibition of its kind and one may find here monographs, collections of research work, abstracts from conferences and Hermitage public readings, and the catalogues of temporary exhibitions which were held inside the Hermitage, in museums around Russia and abroad.

The broad research interests of Hermitage staff are reflected in the publications of materials from scholarly conferences: the Hermitage readings in memory of V.F. Levinson-Lessing and in memory of B.B. Piotrovsky; and the scholarly bulletins issued by the State Hermitage (State Hermitage Publishing House, 2005).

For the 14th Colloquium of the International Academy of Heraldry, a catalogue entitled The Book of Heraldry in the Hermitage was published under the overall scholarly editorial direction of G.V. Vilinbakhov, the Deputy Director of the State Hermitage for Research (Slavia Publishing House, St Petersburg, 2005). The opening of the Museum of the Guards within the State Hermitage has been marked by the publication of academic works devoted to questions of military history; among those which generated particular interest is the volume on The Russian Imperial Guards (Slavia Publishing House, St Petersburg, 2005).

The results of a long period of archeological work are presented in the monograph Borisphen - Berezan. The Beginning of the Age of Antiquity in the Northern Black Sea Littoral by S.L. Soloviev, senior researcher in the State Hermitage's Department of the Ancient World. This tome celebrates 120 years of archeological excavations on the island of Berezan. B.I. Marshak, leading researcher of the State Hermitage's Oriental Department and V.I. Raspopova are the authors of the Report on excavations at the site of the ancient settlement of Penjikent in 2004 (Issue VII, State Hermitage Publishing House, 2005). In the monograph by L.L. Barkova, senior researcher in the State Hermitage's Department of Archeology of Eastern Europe and Siberia, and N.V. Polosmak, senior researcher of the Institute of History, Russian Academy of Sciences, Costume and Textiles of the Altai Pazyryks (4th - 3rd century BC) (Infolio Publishing House, Novosibirsk, 2005), there is an examination of the costumes and textiles (fabric and felt) from “extinct” burial grounds in High Altai culture which are preserved in the State Hermitage and in the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Section of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

To mark the 85th anniversary of the birth of V.M. Potina, a collection entitled Curator, Researcher, Teacher was published (State Hermitage Publishing House, 2005). The team of authors was from the State Hermitage's Department of Numismatics.

There is considerable interest in M.V. Uspensky's monograph From the History of Japanese Art (State Hermitage Publishing House, Propiley Publishing House, St Petersburg, 2004), devoted to the history of graphic art in Japan and issues surrounding its study. The author examines the work of artists from the middle and second half of the 19th century. M.V. Uspensky is also the author of the monograph Samurai of the Eastern Capital (Yantarny Skaz Publishing House, Kaliningrad, 2005).

Among the other scholarly publications by museum staff on display in the exhibition are abstracts of dissertations: Yu.V. Plotnikova, researcher in the Department of History of Russian Culture, Fans in Russia during the 18th - early 20th Centuries and D.Yu. Guk, director of the Computer and IT Sector, Providing the Linguistic Dimension of a Museum's Electronic Catalogue (State Hermitage Publishing House, St Petersburg, 2005). There are also the materials from a seminar held under the aegis of the Hermitage-UNESCO - Managing Museums: Museum Activities in the 21st Century (State Hermitage Publishing House, St Petersburg, 2005).

For the 60th anniversary of the Victory in WWII, a special collection entitled The Hermitage. Chronicle of the War Years 1941 - 1945 was published. It presents documents from the archives of the State Hermitage (State Hermitage Publishing House, 2005).

The history of the creation of the theatre and its brilliant existence is the subject of the book The Hermitage Theatre by D.V. Varygin, director of the State Hermitage's Theatrical and Educational Department, and I.G. Etoeva, researcher in the Department of Western European Art (Slavia Publishing House, St Petersburg, 2005).

The Hermitage's intensive activity organizing exhibitions is demonstrated by the scholarly catalogues it publishes. There has been a lot of interest in the publications prepared by museum staff and issued by the Slavia Publishing House for the series of exhibitions in the Hermitage - South of Russia Program entitled The World of Heroes. Myth and Reality. In 2005 the Hermitage opened its first Exhibition Center in Russia - the Hermitage-Kazan. This important event was marked by the release of a monumental catalogue for the exhibition, The Golden Horde. History and Culture (Slavia Publishing House, St Petersburg, 2005), and also by the book Brilliant Kazan. Catalogue and Album. compiled by T.N. Larina. (Manezh Central Exhibition Hall, 2005).

Alongside the catalogues on exhibitions held in museums around Russia, one finds catalogues of exhibitions abroad. The most interesting publications in this category include Russia! Nine hundred years of masterpieces and master collections (Guggenheim Museum, New York, 2005) and Catherine la Grande (The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 2005).

The exhibition of Avant-garde porcelain in the Hermitage Rooms of Somerset House, London, was highly successful. An accompanying catalogue entitled Circling the Square: Avant-garde Porcelain from Revolutionary Russia was prepared by N.V. Kudryavtseva, who headed the State Hermitage's Museum of the Porcelain Factory division. Another big success was the show (and catalogue) entitled Nicholas and Alexandra at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

During the past year the Hermitage-Amsterdam exhibition center presented two exhibitions, each of which was marked by the publication of scholarly books: I. Artemieva Venezia, Zwolle: Waanders Publishers, Amsterdam, 2005); and Y. Pyatnitsky Pilgrim Treasures: Byzantium - Jerusalem (Zwolle,Waanders Uitgevers, 2005).

Exhibitions in Japan also generated substantial interest: Life with flowers. Masterpieces from The State Hermitage Museum was written by K. Savvateev, L.T. Isachenko, and T.N. Kosourova (Shizuoka: Shizuoka Art Gallery, 2005). The shows in Italy resulted in the publications Da Giotto a Malevic. La reciproca meraviglia (Milano: Electa, 2004 and Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum. Russia. Lucanian vases by Elena Ananich. (Roma: "L'ERMA" di Bretschneider, 2005).

There was a particularly large number of catalogues issued on the occasion of exhibitions in the Hermitage itself, among them: A Priceless Gift. Dedicated to Lydia Nikolaevna Delektorskaya. Paintings, Sculpture, Drawings, Prints, Books (Slavia Publishing House, St Petersburg); Henri Brasilier (Acatos Publishing House, Paris, 2005); Silver Filigree from the 17th-19th Centuries in the Hermitage Collection (State Hermitage Publishing House, St Petersburg); Alexander I. The Sphynx who remained an enigma to the grave... (Slavia Publishing House, St Petersburg); The Art of 18th-19th Century Weaponry from Tula in the Hermitage Collection (State Hermitage Publishing House, St Petersburg); From François I to Louis XIV (State Hermitage Publishing House, St Petersburg); Muses and Masks. Theatre and Music in Antiquity. The Antique World on the Petersburg Stage (Ars Publishing House, St Petersburg); Futurism. Novecento. Abstraction. Italian Art of the Twentieth Century (Skira Publishing House, Italy, 2005); Mannerheim. Russian Officer. Marshal of Finland (State Hermitage Publishing House, St Petersburg); The Art of Western European Manuscripts in the 15th - 16th Centuries (State Hermitage Publishing House, Ars Publishing House, St Petersburg, 2005); Vienna and Budapest on the edge of the centuries, 1873-1920. Works from collections in Austria, Hungary and Russia (Slavia Publishing House, St Petersburg, 2005); At the Court of the Russian Emperors. Works by Mihaly Zichy from the Collection of the State Hermitage (State Hermitage Publishing House, St Petersburg, 2005).

The participation of the State Hermitage in exhibitions organized at Russian museums is also reflected in such publications as Ladies in Waiting and Noblewomen of the 18th - early 20th Century, which accompanied an exhibition in the State Historical Museum (Artist and Book Publishing House, Moscow, 2005) and Ivan Bianchi, the first Photographer of Petersburg (Publishing House of the State Museum of the History of St Petersburg, 2005).

The series Your Hermitage published a book by I.A. Kireeva, director of the State Hermitage's School Center, entitled Spanish Painting in the Hermitage (State Hermitage Publishing House, St Petersburg). The series Halls and Buildings put out new books by N.N. Nikulin, leading researcher of the Department of Western European Art, entitled The Raphael Loggias and by T.A. Petrova, senior researcher of the Department of the History of Russian Culture, entitled The Pavilion Hall of the Small Hermitage ; as well as the book The Hermitage Theatre by Yu.Yu. Denisova, E.V. Kuzmina, and T.R. Pasynkova, researchers in the Educational Department (State Hermitage Publishing House, 2005).

The series In brevi, which is particularly popular among visitors to the museum, put out new books this past year including works by V.M. Faibisovich, director of the Sector on New Acquisitions of the State Hermitage: The Upbringing of Alexander and Alexander I and the Monk Fedor Kuzmich (State Hermitage Publishing House, 2005). Other books in this series were by T.V. Rappe, director of the Sector on Applied Art of the Department of Western European Art - A Captive of the Line (State Hermitage Publishing House, 2005); E.V. Kuzmina, senior researcher of the Educational Department - The White Gold of Sevres; and E.N. Ivanova, senior researcher of the Department of Western European Art - Frogs, Snakes and the Gods of Olympus (State Hermitage Publishing House, 2005).

Among the new guide books, one is worthy of special mention: The Menshikov Palace by V.V. Meshcheryakov, I.V. Saverkina, E.A. Andreeva, and E.I. Ignatieva (State Hermitage Publishing House, 2005). In addition to the scholarly works of museum employees and catalogues of exhibitions, the exhibition displays booklets from the series Masterpieces of the World's Museums in the Hermitage. I.A. Sokolova, leading researcher in the State Hermitage's Department of Western European Art, wrote Rembrandt.The Pallas Athena. M.O. Dedinkin, senior researcher in the same department, wrote Three Paintings by Max Ernst (State Hermitage Publishing House, 2005). There were also additional booklets published to mark other important events in the life of the museum, such as Caravaggio in the Hermitage: Painting and Aroma (Slavia Publishing House, St Petersburg, 2005).

The exhibition was prepared by staff of the State Hermitage's Research Library. The curator of the exhibition is N.V. Martynenko, deputy director of the Library. The Editorial and Publishing Department of the State Hermitage headed by E.V. Zvyagintseva also participated.