The State Hermitage Museum: Exhibitions

Blitz and Blockade: Henry Moore in the Hermitage
7 May 2011 - 28 August 2011
3rd floor. Courtyard Gallery of the Winter Palace
Great Courtyard of the Winter Palace

On 7 May 2011, the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, and The Henry Moore Foundation present Blits and Blockade: Henry Moore at the Hermitage. The exhibition coincides with the 70th anniversary of the ending of the Blitz and the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the Siege of Leningrad and runs until 7 August.

The use of the Hermitage basements as shelters during the Siege adds an unusual poignancy to the display. As well as five galleries of Moore drawings, one room will be dedicated to the drawings of Soviet architect Alexander Nikolsky. They record images of people sheltering in the basement during the bombardment. The exhibition includes a wide range of Moore's compositions from both the First and Second Shelter Sketchbooks, interspersed with related enlarged drawings, and six sculptures. Outside will be three monumental works Large Four Piece Reclining Figure (1972-1973), Draped Reclining Mother and Baby (1983), Reclining Figure: Hand (1979).

This exhibition has been curated by the Foundation's Head of Collections and Exhibitions, Anita Feldman, in close collaboration with The Hermitage Director Mikhail Piotrovsky. Professor Piotrovsky visited The Henry Moore Foundation at Perry Green in Hertfordshire, to see Moore's collections and studios. Curators from the State Hermitage Museum are Dr.Sergey Androsov, the Head of the Western European Art Department and Alexei Mitin, Curator of Drawings.

"We are honoured and excited to have worked with the Hermitage to realise this exhibition," said Feldman. "We are used to taking Moore's work to ambitious locations, although each experience brings different challenges. As well as the drawings and indoor sculpture, our team is particularly looking forward to siting the monumental works in the Courtyard of the Winter Palace."

The exhibition is generously supported by the Hermitage Foundation UK and it forms part of the "Hermitage 20/21" project, an ambitious program aimed at showcasing the best of contemporary art in the Hermitage and expanding the display of 20th century art.

The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, published by Fontanka, London, 2011, in Russian and a companion edition in English, distributed by Thames and Hudson. The catalogue includes an introductory essay by Prof. Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage Museum, and The Henry Moore Foundation's Chair Duncan Robinson, as well as essays by Anita Feldman, Foundation Director Richard Calvocoressi, Dr. Sergei Androsov and Alexei Mitin. The catalogue will be launched in early June, 2011, in London at gallery Calvert 22, at an event organized in collaboration with the Hermitage Foundation UK.

The Henry Moore Foundation is a leading arts charity, founded by the artist in 1977 to encourage public enjoyment and understanding of the visual arts. www.henry-moore.org.

The sponsors of the exhibition are "JT International", "Coca-Cola Export Corporation", "Ilim Group", "Renaissance Construction".

The Media sponsors of the exhibition are "L'OFFICIEL" and "ARTCHRONIKA".