15: The Vallotton Room

This hall is used to display works by Felix Vallotton (1865-1925) that came into the Hermitage in 1921 from the collection of the St Petersburg-based businessman Georg Haasen. The artist whom his friends called "the foreign Nabi" was a native of Lausanne in Switzerland and differed from the other members of the group not only in his non-French origins, but also in the style of his works. Vallotton's austere, rather dry paintings are full of very fine details executed with assurance. The manner of working is very laborious and we can only be astonished at the artist's immense legacy - some 1,600 paintings are registered in his inventory book. Vallotton developed an original style of wood engraving and turned his hand to book illustration and posters, as well as writing articles on art. In 1892 the artist joined the Nabi group.

The display is installed in the room that was the office of the head of the Department of Foreign Trade within the Ministry of Finance. The fireplace has survived from the original decoration of the room.