The Greater Hermitage
The “Greater Hermitage” is a programme for the development of the State Hermitage Museum that includes the creation of exhibition centres within Russia and abroad. An important project goal is to make the Hermitage’s unique collection more accessible by opening additional display spaces.
Five Hermitage satellite centres are currently operating in this country: the Hermitage–Kazan, Hermitage–Vyborg,. Hermitage–Siberia (in Omsk), Hermitage–Ural (in Yekaterinburg) and Hermitage–Eurasia (in Orenburg). Construction and restoration work is currently underway in two more exhibition centres: the Hermitage–Kaluga and the Hermitage–Vladivostok.
“Why ‘satellite’? First of all, because it has been launched into orbit and can come out of it when and if necessary. It can adjust its orbit and contents. Each satellite centre is unique and dissimilar to the others. Each satellite is a one-off project,” Mikhail Borisovich Piotrovsky, General Director of the State Hermitage, states.
Hermitage Days
In the functioning centres, as well as in museums that are due to soon become fully fledged satellite centres, Hermitage Days are held each year. The programme for these occasions incorporates lectures given by members of the Hermitage staff and master classes in restoration, as well as screenings of films about the museum and its collections, including the Hermitage VR virtual reality cinema.
In many cities, award ceremonies are held for winners of the Iskusny Glagol [“Artful Word”] Prize named after Vladimir Matveyev, a competition for journalists and bloggers who cover culture.
The main event of the Hermitage Days is an exhibition of masterpieces from the stocks of the State Hermitage. The theme for the exhibition is agreed with each of the centres, and the selection takes account of the wishes of the museum, the cultural tradition and interests of the local population.
“The Hermitage Days are a festival that tells people about the Hermitage. Our museum is not just great collections, but also highly experienced restorers, the latest technologies, narratives about art for adults and children,” says the museum’s Director Mikhail Piotrovsky. “We gift you the Hermitage itself for a few days!”
