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The 7th International
Charity Gala Reception in the Winter Palace On June 29th, 2012, the State Hermitage Museum hosted its annual Charity Gala Reception, which has already become a traditional; this year, it was dedicated to the 200-year anniversary of the victory over Napoleon in the Patriotic War of 1812. The guests invited to the event included stars of the contemporary art world Calatrava and Cragg, representatives of old Russian families like the Romanovs, Yuryevsky, Galuzina, Rodziankos, the Directors of the Hermitage Foundations in the USA, Great Britain and Russia, the Directors of some of the largest museums in the world, representations of the Christie’s and Sotheby’s auction houses, the heads of sponsor companies, collectors of art, philanthropists and journalists. The guests approached the Nicholas entrance with its famous Atlantes and climbed the great Nicholas staircase to the Gallery of the History of Ancient Painting for a welcome cocktail. In the St. George Hall (Large Throne Room), the General Director of the State Hermitage Museum, Mikhail Borisovich Piotrvosky, gave a welcome speech to the assembled guests, and a ceremony for the Artist in the Hermitage award, which was presented to contemporary artists Santiago Calatrava and Tony Cragg, whose works are currently on display in the Hermitage, was held. This part of the evening continued with a concert consisting of works from the age of the Patriotic War of 1812, performed by the Russian Horn Orchestra, conducted by Sergei Polyanichko and the choir of the Mariinsky Theatre, headed by choirmaster Andrei Petrenko. Next, in the Armorial Hall, the guests viewed a one-day exhibit entitled 1812, specially prepared for the gala reception, which served is a kind of announcement of a major Hermitage Project entitled The Storm of the Twelfth Year, and the recently opened exhibit in the Nicholas Hall entitled Santiago Calatrava. The Quest for Movement. The menu for the grand dinner in the Jordan Gallery of the Winter Palace was made up of Russian dishes from the 19th century, which owe a great deal to French influence. During the dinner, the quests were invited to the Great Courtyard of the Winter Palace, where an exhibit entitled Luke by Tony Cragg opened on that very day as part of the Sculpture in the Courtyard project. After the dinner, a ball was held in the Armorial Hall, with the participation of performers from the Mariinsky Theatre and the Most Graceful guest received a diamond pendant (a prize from the Smolensk Diamonds Company from the prima donna of the Mariinsky Theatre, Victoria Yastrebova. As is tradition, the famous Peacock Clock struck midnight. The "grace cup" awaited the guests in the Hanging Garden for the first time since its restoration. This gala reception is intended to draw attention to the public company for collecting charitable contributions in support of the specialized fund for the management of special-purpose capital for the development of the State Hermitage Museum. The foundation for the creation of this fund was laid by a donation from one of its founder, Vladimir Olegovich Potanin. Support for the gala reception was provided by Gazprombank OJSC, JTI International, Arktikmorgeo, Neftegazmontazhservis LLC, the INTARSIA Group of Companies, the Hennessy Social and Cultural Foundation, the Blavatnik Family Foundation. The informational partner is TATLER magazine. |
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Copyright
© 2011 State Hermitage Museum |
