The International Hermitage Friends’ Day

On 8 December, 2010 the Museum welcomed all Hermitage Friends from around the world for the traditional annual event – celebration of the International Hermitage Friends’ Day.

The evening began with the official ceremony: the new system of dynamic lighting for the Alexander Column and the Angel on top of it, developed for the museum by ‘Philips’, was switched on for the first time in front of the Friends gathered in the Main Courtyard of the Winter Palace. The ceremony was followed by a traditional walk through the evening museum. Hermitage Friends had a tour of all exhibitions that were to open during the Hermitage Days–2010, including the Urartu Artifacts: New Acquisitions. Collection of Urartian antiquities shown at this exhibition was given to the Hermitage by the collector Torkom Demirjian, owner of the Ariadne Galleries in New York, with the active support from the Hermitage Museum Foundation (USA).

The walk was followed by the traditional welcome of Prof. Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage Museum, in the Hermitage Theatre, ceremony of Honorary Diplomas bestowed on Sponsors of the State Hermitage Museum, and a concert of the State Hermitage Orchestra. Following that, the new lighting installed on the Jordan Staircase and in the Jordan Gallery of the Winter Palace was demonstrated to the Friends. This project has been implemented also with the support and participation of the ‘Philips. The evening program ended with the cocktail in the beautifully lit Jordan Gallery.

For membership information please call: (812) 710-90-05
fax: (812) 571-95-28
e-mail: friendsclub@hermitage.ru
or visit our web-page: INTERNATIONAL FRIENDS’ CLUB

Illumination of a figure of the angel on the Alexander’s Column

Applause to the new illumination system

Friends walking along the museum in the evening

At the exhibition Buried Treasure of Factory Owner Likhacheva

Traditional meeting with M. Piotrovsky at the Hermitage Theater

Awarding of diplomas