Amarone DOC for the Hermitage becomes an official wine of the State Hermitage
On 19 February 2014, in the museum’s Council Hall, an agreement was signed with the Italian company Allegrini on international scholarly and cultural collaboration on the study and research of links between art and wine and of themes relating to natural landscape and landscape art. The State Hermitage chooses Amarone della Valpolicella Classico as its official red wine for the next five years. At the signing ceremony, exclusive bottles were presented that were specially made with the label Amarone DOC for the Hermitage.
Marking of museum objects
On 25 February 2014 a round table was held in the Council Hall devoted to the marking of museum objects in the collection of the State Hermitage. As part of its constant efforts to improve the security of the museum’s stocks, the Hermitage initiated the development of a new type of marking that provides rapid, easy and unambiguous identification of an object as belonging to the museum collection.
Exhibition in the Kovalenko Art Museum in Krasnodar
On 25 February 2014 the Kovalenko Art Museum in Krasnodar presented the exhibition “The Golden Fund of the Krasnodar Art Museum. Dedicated to the 250th Anniversary of the Hermitage” consisting of works that had in their time been transferred from the Hermitage collection and formed the basis of the collection of Western European art in the Krasnodar museum. The display comprised eight graphic works and five paintings belonging to the French, Italian and Dutch schools of art that present a picture of the development of art in Western Europe from the 16th century to the early 19th.
Day of the Hermitage in Lositsy and Liady
As part of the collaboration between the State Hermitage with the Charitable Community in the village of Lositsy, Pskov region, on 28 February 2014 a Day of the Hermitage was held in the community and at the secondary school (headmistress: Yelena Mokhova) in the neighbouring village of Liady. Members of the visiting group, which was led by Vladimir Matveyev, Deputy General Director of the State Hermitage for exhibitions and development, spoke about the museum that is celebrating its 250th anniversary and about the archaeological expedition operating in Pskov region and also presented to the school pupils St Petersburg State University’s department of museum affairs and protection of monuments that is headed by the Hermitage’s General Director, Mikhail Piotrovsky.
The Formal Ceremony Transferring the Exchange to the State Hermitage
On 18 April 2014 a formal ceremony took place transferring the building of the Exchange, one of St Petersburg’s outstanding architectural monuments, to the State Hermitage, marking the start of the project to create a new Hermitage museum complex, the Museum of Heraldry and Awards.
Digitalizing Museum Items
On 29 April 2014 a round table meeting entitled “The Time for Integration” was held in the Hermitage Council Hall devoted to the digitalization of museum items. The project to create digital images of museum items was begun in 2012. In two and a half years one million objects were photographed, enabling the museum to produce a considerable corpus of high-resolution digital images for security.
Presentation of the book Selling Russia’s Treasures
On 1 May 2014 MacDougall’s auction house in London was the venue for the presentation, organized by the London Bespoke company and The Art Newspaper Russia, of the English-language edition of the book Selling Russia’s Treasures. The book was compiled by Natalya Semyonova and Nicolas Iljine and is devoted to the story of the sale of museum collections by the Soviet government in the 1920s and ‘30s. The anthology begins with a foreword by Mikhail Piotrovsky, “The Lessons of the Museum Sales” and includes contributions by members of the Hermitage staff – Yelena Solomakha (“The Destruction of the Hermitage”) and Yury Piatnitsky (“Russian Icons and the Art Market”).
“Hermitage Time” on the radio station Grad Petrov
On 3 May 2014 the project “Hermitage Time” devoted to the museum’s 250th anniversary started on the St Petersburg radio station Grad Petrov. It consists of programmes telling of the life of the Hermitage in various eras, the history of the buildings making up the museum complex, the museum collections and the most important temporary exhibitions. The programme is broadcast on alternate Saturdays.
Opening of the exhibition “Servants of the Imperial Court: Livery of the Late 19th – Early 20th Centuries in the Collection of the State Hermitage”
On 16 May 2014 the first exhibitions of the jubilee year began operating. The Moorish Dining Room and Rotunda in the Winter Palace housed the exhibition “Servants of the Imperial Court: Livery of the Late 19th – Early 20th Centuries in the Collection of the State Hermitage”. The exhibition presented for the first time some 250 items of clothing and accessories from the Hermitage’s unique collection of the livery of the Russian court in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The exhibition continued until 21 September 2014.
Opening of the exhibition “At the Court of the Russian Emperors. Costume of the 18th to early 20th centuries in the Hermitage collection”
16 May 2014. The largest state rooms of the Winter Palace became the setting for the major exhibition “At the Court of the Russian Emperors. Costume of the 18th to early 20th centuries in the Hermitage collection”. The extensive display was calculated to reflect the wealth of the spiritual, artistic and public life of Russian courtly society, the changes in tastes, styles, fashion and habits between the 18th and early 20th centuries. The exhibition continued until 19 October 2014.
Opening of the exhibition “Claude Monet: Three Landscapes from the Beyeler Foundation”
On 20 May 2014 the exhibition “Claude Monet: Three Landscapes from the Beyeler Foundation” opened in the Winter Palace as another of the “Masterpieces from the World’s Museums in the Hermitage” series. It was prepared by the State Hermitage and the Beyeler Foundation of Switzerland. The display was organized in the halls of the Impressionists and splendidly supplemented by the collection of Claude Monet’s painted works from the stocks of the State Hermitage, beginning with the celebrated Woman in the Garden and two large Montgeron canvases. These “garden landscapes” executed at Sainte-Adresse and Montgeron inevitably invite comparisons with the later views of Giverny. The exhibition continued until 13 September 2014.
Opening of the exhibition “Antique Weapons from the Collection of the State Hermitage”
On 23 May 2014 the exhibition “Antique Weapons from the Collection of the State Hermitage” opened in the Hermitage Vyborg Exhibition Centre. It presented some 250 unique works of weaponry and paintings from four departments of the State Hermitage. The exhibition consisted of three sections: the first devoted to European arms of the 10th–19th centuries, the second to weapons from the countries of the East from the 16th century onwards and the third to works of the Russian school of weapon-making from the 17th–19th centuries.
“Day of the Hermitage Cat”
On 24 May 2014 the Hermitage held the traditional children’s celebration the “Day of the Hermitage Cat” devoted this time to the museum’s jubilee. In the Large Courtyard of the Winter Palace prizes were presented to the winners of the schoolchildren’s art competition “The Hermitage Cats: We are 250!” The best works were exhibited in the Jordan Gallery with special labels identical to those used for the exhibits in the museum halls. The popular children’s game “A Journey with the Hermitage Cat” was also devoted to the museum’s 250th anniversary: anyone who wanted could join in a search for depictions of cats and dogs on exhibits from the collections acquired by Catherine the Great.
The Intermuseum 2014 International Festival of Museums
Between 2 and 9 June 2014 the State Hermitage took part in the Intermuseum 2014 international festival that was held in the Manezh Central Exhibition Hall in Moscow. This year the chief theme was formulated as “Museums in the Digital Age” (or “Museums in the Information Space”). In its 250th-anniversary year the Hermitage presented festival visitors with its latest products in the field of multimedia and digital technologies.
Opening of the exhibition “Monologue in Praise of the Seashell”
On 10 June 2014 the exhibition “Monologue in Praise of the Seashell” opened in the Blue Bedroom of the Winter Palace. It featured more than 150 works of decorative and applied art spanning a period from deep antiquity (4th millennium BC) to the present day from the collection of the State Hermitage. The exhibition continued until 5 April 2015.
Opening of the refurbished display “The Art of Byzantium 4th–15th Centuries”
On 11 June 2014 the State Hermitage opened the refurbished display of the Art of Byzantium from the 4th–15th centuries. The Hermitage is the only museum in Russia to have a special display devoted to the culture and art of Byzantium. In terms of the variety of the exhibits, their high artistic level and historic-cultural significance the collection is one of the finest in the world. The reopened display features several new ways of presenting the material.
Opening of the Refurbished Display of the Art of the Islamic Middle East
On 11 June 2014 the refurbished permanent display of the art of the Middle East opened in the State Hermitage after a long break. Two halls on the top floor of the Winter Palace (Nos 383 and 384) present works of art and culture of the Middle East in the Islamic period of the 8th to 13th centuries: metal items, bronze and ceramic vessels, a box and plaques made of ivory, wooden panels, rock crystal vessels, glazed and unglazed ceramics and fabrics.
Premiere Showing of The Hermitage Revealed at the Moscow Film Festival
On 22 June 2014, the documentary film The Hermitage Revealed by the British director Margy Kinmonth had its premiere as part of the Moscow International Film Festival. The film invites viewers to take a fascinating journey through the amazing history of the Hermitage, which has travelled a winding path from imperial palace to main state museum.
Preliminary Showing of the Manifesta 10 Biennale for Journalists
On 26 June 2104 the Atrium of the General Staff was the venue for a press conference devoted to the opening in the Hermitage of the Manifesta 10 European biennale of contemporary art. 26 June was press-day at the biennale. Journalists were the first to acquaint themselves with the works of artists participating in the Hermitage section of Manifesta.
9th Traditional Charitable Grand Reception in the Hermitage
On 27 June 2014 the State Hermitage hosted the 9th traditional charitable grand reception, which was devoted to the museum’s 250th anniversary. This year the Hermitage invited its guests on a journey through the three centuries of its great history.
Manifesta 10 European Biennale of Contemporary Ar
On 28 June 2014 the Manifesta 10 European Biennale of Contemporary Art opened to the public. Two-thirds of the main display was housed in the General Staff building, the remainder in the Winter Palace and New Hermitage.
Opening of the Manifesta 10 Biennale in the Large Courtyard of the Winter Palace
On 28 June 2014 the Large Courtyard of the Winter Palace became the setting for the festive opening of the Manifesta 10 European Biennale of Contemporary Art. Staff of the Hermitage and Manifesta 10, participating artists, representatives of the Russian and foreign media and figures from the arts were invited to the party.
