The Hermitage News

Journalists from Novgorod in the Hermitage

On 2 February 2016, a 25-strong group of journalists from Novgorod visited the State Hermitage. In the course of a guided tour, the guests viewed the main halls of the Hermitage, the Diamond Rooms, the General Staff and its new permanent displays – the famous collection of Impressionists and the Fab

Anti-Terrorism Exercises at the Staraya Derevnya Restoration and Storage Centre

In the period from 25 to 28 January 2016, a series of training exercises to bolster the museum’s defences against terrorism were held for the staff of the Museum Security Service at the Staraya Derevnya Restoration and Storage Centre.

The State Hermitage And The Mikhailovsky Theatre Present A Premiere Of The Opera Brundibar In The Hermitage Theatre

On 27 January 2016, the anniversary of the complete lifting of the Nazi Siege of Leningrad and International Holocaust Memorial Day, the Hermitage Theatre was the venue for the first (concert) performance in St Petersburg of the opera Brundibár in Russian.

Commemorative Evening in the Official Hotel of the State Hermitage

On 27 January 2016, the Official Hotel of the State Hermitage hosted an evening celebration marking the 72nd anniversary of the lifting of the Siege of Leningrad, organized by the State Hermitage, the hotel and the Imperial Porcelain Factory.

Presentation of letters about the museum during and after the Great Patriotic War donated to the State Hermitage

On 25 January 2016, the Hermitage Theatre was the venue for a press conference given by Mikhail Borisovich Piotrovsky, General Director of the State Hermitage, regarding the donation to the museum of letters about the Hermitage during and after the Great Patriotic War.

Flowers Laid at Piskarevskoye Memorial Cemetery

“Recording Architecture”: a presentation of students’ short films relating to the exhibition “Golden Generation. Modernism in Finnish Architecture and Design”

On 22 January 2016, at 7 pm, the Youth Centre became the venue for the screening of short films about Modernist architecture in St Petersburg and Vyborg that were made by students as part of the "Recording Architecture" project relating to the exhibition “Golden Generation. Modernism in Finnish Arch

Start of the Joint Project between the State Hermitage and the “Anton’s Right Here” Foundation

On 22 January 2016, the first excursion took place for students of the Anton Tut Ryadom (“Anton’s Right Here”) Centre for Creativity, Education, Training and Social Habilitation of Adults with Autism which is headed by Liubov Arkus, a film director and editor-in-chief of the cinema magazine Seance.

Meeting With The Creators Of The Educational Programme “Ceramic Impressions” From Faenza In The Youth Centre

On 21 January the Youth Centre hosted a meeting with the group from the celebrated Italian ceramics centre of Faenza that created the educational programme “Ceramic Impressions”.

Lukonin Readings 2016

On 20 and 21 January 2016, the State Hermitage held the latest Lukonin Readings – an annual conference dedicated to the memory of Vladimir Grigoryevich Lukonin (1932–1984), an outstanding Russian scholar, specialist on the art of ancient Iran and head of the Hermitage’s Department of the East.

Georgy Vilinbakhov Elected to Chair the Board of the St Petersburg English Assembly

The St Petersburg English Assembly (English Club), one of the oldest public organizations in the country, was founded in March 1770, ceased to function in 1918, after the revolution, and was revived in the spring of 1998.

Round Table: “Sensing Space And Time. Museum Programmes For The Blind And Visually Impaired”

On 19 January 2016, the round table “Sensing Space and Time. Museum Programmes for the Blind and Visually Impaired” began work at the Staraya Derevnya Restoration and Storage Centre.

Ritual Dismantling Of The Mandala Of White Tara In The Hermitage

On 15 January 2016, on the top floor of the Winter Palace, the ritual dismantling of the mandala of White Tara took place, marking the end of the exhibition “Abode of Charity.” Tibetan Buddhist Art.

Meeting of the creative Union of Museum Workers of St Petersburg and Leningrad Region. Seeing in the “Old New Year” in the State Hermitage

On 14 January 2016, the State Hermitage hosted the traditional seeing-in of the “Old New Year” (according to the Julian calendar) in the company of members of the creative Union of Museum Workers of St Petersburg and Leningrad Region that is headed by Mikhail Borisovich Piotrovsky, General Director

Merry Christmas

On 7 January 2016, as is traditional on the first Thursday of the month, entry to the museum for individuals will be by cost-free tickets.

2015. Gift Of The Year A Painting By Konstantin Makovsky And A Sculpture By Ettore Ximenes

As is traditional, on the last day of December the Hermitage presented to the public the most interesting gifts received in the past year.

Restoration of the Façades in the Great Courtyard of the Winter Palace Completed

Between June and December 2015, work was carried out in the Great Courtyard of the Winter Palace to restore the façades and repair the utilities.

Formal Opening of the Underground Passageway for Staff between the Small and Large Hermitages

On 30 December 2015 the State Hermitage formally opened the underground passageway for staff between the Small and Large (Old) Hermitages.

Opening Of The Carl Fabergé Memorial Rooms

29 December 2015 saw the opening of the Carl Fabergé Memorial Rooms – a new permanent display in the General Staff Building.

New Permanent Displays: The Cabinet of the Artist’s Book and French Pastels of the 19th and 20th Centuries

On 29 December 2015, in the run-up to the New Year, new permanent exhibitions opened in the General Staff: The Cabinet of the Artist’s Book and French Pastels of the 19th and 20th Centuries, which form a new section of the permanent display devoted to the graphic art of the 19th and 20th centuries.