State Hermitage Museum
Since 1764
Russia
North-West Federal District of the Russian Federation
St. Petersburg
Assets
The State Hermitage Museum, one of the largest museums in the world, has collections of more than three million works of art and monuments of world culture. It includes painting, graphics, sculpture and objects of applied art, archaeological finds and numismatic material.
History
2024: Museum attendance reaches 3.2 million
The attendance of the Hermitage in 2024 reached 3.2 million people. This was announced at the end of December 2024 by the director of the museum Mikhail Piotrovsky.
According to him , the museum has two big threats - bureaucratization and commerce. Piotrovsky added that the second threat is commerce, since there is an illusion that since the institution has large flows of people, then you need to make money on it. He stressed that this approach could lead to a fragmentation of the "moral climate" inside the museum.
2023: Spending 100 million rubles on new exhibits
In 2023, the State Hermitage spent more than 100 million rubles on the purchase of 673 works of art and 43 archival documents. On December 26, 2023, the head of the new revenues sector of the Marina Blyumin Museum told reporters about this.
 | Every day we receive dozens of offers to purchase this or that in the collection, "says Marina Blyumin, head of the new revenue sector. - Without careful examination, not a single item is received in the museum collection, and there is a scientific concept of recruiting museum funds. |  |
In 2023, the Hermitage acquired the painting "Queen of Sheba before King Solomon" by Flemish artist Artus Volfort. According to Blumin, this artist was forgotten for many decades, and his work was ranked among the Rubens circle. The Queen of Sheba is his first work in the Hermitage, and after restoration it will take its place on a permanent exhibition of Flemish art.
Another new name for the Hermitage is Raffaello Carelli, who in the museum is called the most significant artist of Neapolitan painting of the 19th century. His "Tarantella" with Neapolitans dancing against the background of Vesuvius is now also in the collection of the St. Petersburg Museum.
The department of the history of Russian culture was replenished with two portraits of unknown authors. One of the works is the "Portrait of a Lady with a Fan" of the 1760-1770s, in which experts highlight the stunning detail of the costume and accessories, and the "Portrait of Grigory Ivanovich Chertkov" of the mid-19th century - the image of Adjutant General Alexander II will be placed in the Museum of the Guard in the General Staff, and there are hopes that during the attribution this portrait of an unknown artist will turn out to be very famous.
The Hermitage makes purchases with the money it earns. The museum is also financed by patrons of art, with their permission exhibits are bought. Also, part of the money comes from the state budget.[1]
2021: Sale of a digital copy of Da Vinci's painting for $150.5k
On September 7, 2021, it became known about the sale of a digital copy of Leonardo Da Vinci's painting "Madonna Litta" from the Hermitage collection for $150.5 thousand NFT- the auction was held on the cryptocurrency exchange. Binance
Bidding continued for a week. The starting price of each token was $10 thousand, the sale was carried out in BUSD. This is the stablecoin of the Binance crypto exchange, pegged to the US dollar in a 1:1 ratio.
In addition to the "Madonna of Litta," digital copies of the paintings "Judith" by Giorgione, "Lilac Bush" by Vincent van Gogh, "Composition VI" by Vasily Kandinsky and "Corner of the Garden in Montgeron" by Claude Monet were put up for sale. A digital token (NFT) for Jorjdone's painting was purchased for $65 thousand, Van Gogh - for $75 thousand, Kandinsky - for $80 thousand, Monet - for $74 thousand. The final price of NFT for five paintings from the Hermitage collection amounted to $444.5 thousand.
| | We congratulate the State Hermitage on the completion of an unprecedented project for the Russian market. This is a big victory and a unique example that gives all participants in the art market a lot of new opportunities for development, - said Gleb Kostarev, director of Binance in Eastern Europe. | |
All proceeds from the sale will go to the State Hermitage. The winners of the auction will also receive an NFT video with the moment the token they bought was signed by the museum's CEO Mikhail Piotrovsky.
In August 2021, the Hermitage accused Rammstein group leader Till Lindemann of illegally selling NFT with images taken at the Hermitage during the filming of the Favorite City video. Following the negotiations, the museum allowed the musician to use NFT images of the Hermitage on the Twelve X Twelve marketplace.
The first exhibition of works of art in the NFT-token format in Russia will be held at the State Hermitage in September 2021. Works for her, made in the form of non-replaceable tokens, will be taken by the museum's contemporary art department. The exhibition will last until the end of 2021.[2]
2019: The winners of the competition for the development of AR-applications for the Hermitage are determined
On November 6, 2019, the organizers - companies Epson and, Ascreen State the Hermitage, as well as - ITMO University summed up the results of the competition for young application developers. The augmented reality AR-Craft competition was attended by 14 student teams from leading universities. St. Petersburg Valuable prizes were awarded to 3 teams of winners. More. here
2001: The Abduction of Jean-Léon Jérôme's "Pool in the Harem"
Jean-Leon Jerome's painting "Pool in the Harem," painted in 1875 by order of Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich (future Russian Emperor Alexander III), was exhibited at the Paris Salon and was even used in an advertisement for whiskey, which caused criticism, but now from Christians because of its sexual connotation.
For some time, the canvas was stored in the Anichkov Palace, but during the nationalization of 1918 it entered the State Hermitage Museum, where it was exhibited in subsequent years.
In 2001, the painting was stolen from the Hermitage by an unknown person who cut it from a subframe. For several years, the work was considered lost, but in 2006 it was transferred anonymously to the State Duma.
After restoration, which took four years due to the poor condition of the canvas, in 2009 the painting returned to the permanent exhibition of the Hermitage, while its abduction remained undisclosed.
1991
By a decree of the President of the Russian Federation of December 18, 1991, the State Hermitage was included in the list of especially valuable objects of the national heritage of the peoples of the Russian Federation.
1945: Return of paintings from evacuation
Main article: World War II
1934: Getting a series of Hubert paintings with scenes from Voltaire's life
A series of paintings by the Swiss artist Jean Hubert about the daily life of Voltaire was acquired by Catherine II in 1775 with the mediation of Friedrich Melchior Grimm, then placed in Tsarskoye Selo, later, under unclear circumstances, disappeared from there and reappeared, already as part of the Vorontsov collection in Odessa, then in Alupka. From there, during the years of the "cultural revolution," they were seized by the All-Union Association "Antiques," which was engaged in the sale of works of art from palaces and collections of old Russia, and transferred to the Hermitage in 1934. The paintings themselves can be viewed here.
1930: Sale of sculpture "Diana" by Gudon to magnate Galust Gulbenkian
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The sculpture was acquired by Catherine II directly from Goodon. In the spring of 1786, it was installed in the Grotto in Tsarskoye Selo.
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The statue was later in the State Hermitage, but was sold to oil magnate Galust Gulbenkian in 1930. The statue cost him £20,000 and is now on display at the Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon. This work is considered one of the most famous sculptures of the 18th century.
1914: Nicholas II declares war on Germany from balcony
1906: Nicholas II at the opening of the State Duma
1903: Ball in Russian costumes of the 17th century to the 290th anniversary of the Romanov house
In February 1903, the famous costume ball was held in the Winter Palace, at which the entire color of the Russian aristocracy appeared in national costumes of the 17th century, specially sewn for this event. The ball was dedicated to the 290th anniversary of the Romanov house.
It is believed that the idea of a Russian-style ball came to Empress Alexandra Fedorovna at breakfast, which was attended by artist Pavel Vasilyevich Zhukovsky and Minister of the Imperial Court, Baron Vladimir Borisovich Fredericks. There was a dispute between the guests about the innovations of Peter I regarding the Russian traditional costume, and the empress decided to set the ball a national theme.
Nicholas II was dressed in the costume of the tsar - "the exit dress of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich," and Empress Alexander Fedorovna - in the costume of Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna. On her initiative, participants in historical costumes after the end of the ball were captured in their photographs by the best photographers in the capital.
The costumes of the masquerade participants in the style of "pre-Petrovsky time" were created according to the design of the artist Sergei Sergeyevich Solomko and with the involvement of specialists in the era of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.
In 1904, by order of the Imperial Court, a special gift "Album of a costume ball in the Winter Palace" was issued on the Expedition for the Preparation of State Papers, containing heliogravures and phototypes. These photographs later became a valuable historical source.
1887: Admission of the statue of Voltaire in the chair of Goodon's work
On May 19, 1784, a statue of Voltaire by the French sculptor Jean-Antoine Goudon was unpacked and placed in the Grotto (Morning Hall) of Tsarskoye Selo. Since 1887, the statue has been located in the Hermitage.
1851: Entry of Russia's only sculpture by Michelangelo, "The Racing Boy"
Sculptures from the collection of Briton Lyde Brown were bought through the mediation of the St. Petersburg merchant Stander. Catherine II paid £23,000 for the collection. With this collection, Michelangelo also came to Russia. The sculpture was installed in the Grotto of Tsarskoye Selo, and since 1851 it has been located in the Hermitage. For more details see Tsarskoye Selo.
1850: Entry of "Bust of Ares" and "The Head of the Goddess"
President of the Academy of Arts I. I. Shuvalov, who retired abroad after the accession to the throne of Catherine II, spent 10 years in Italy (1763-1773). His departure from Russia was not entirely voluntary, according to the German traveler I. Bernoulli, "he received advice to go on a trip."
Shuvalov manages to acquire several ancient originals. Perhaps his most valuable acquisition was a fragment of a statue of the Ares Borghese type, which, judging by the documents of the papal chancellery, was expelled from Italy to Russia 25/III-1771. In the record of the export permit stored in the Roman State Archive, the sculpture is designated as "the head of Achilles, ancient."
Bust of Achilles
G. Tishbein writes that Achilles "was found 6 miles from Rome, by the road leading to Civita Vecchia by two peasants, Andreo Mattei bought from them for 5 workshops, and after that passed into the hands of General Shuvalov. It is curious that during the time that the "Shuvalov Achilles" was in Rome (apparently, while it was restored by the sculptor B. Kavacheppi and turned into a spectacular bust of an ancient hero), it became quite widely known. They were delighted with the painter A. R. Mengs, and the carver N. Marchant reproduced the Shuvalov bust on one of his extremely fashionable gemmas.
Marble. Roman work on the Greek original of Alcamenes c. 420s BC]]
It seems that the name "Achilles" established behind him, the Shuvalov bust owes it to Mengs. I. Bernoulli, who visited Russia in 1777, notes in the Shuvalov Palace in St. Petersburg "a beautiful man's head in a helmet, which Mengs highly appreciated and considered Achilles." As one of the most beautiful ancient sculptures, Goethe places in his Weimar house a cast of the "Shuvalov Achilles" opposite the cast of Apollo Belvedere.
Later, from the St. Petersburg palace of Shuvalov (now Rakov St., 25), the sculpture moved to Tsarskoye Selo and was located in Grota near the Tsarskoye Selo pond, and the sculptor Shubin was entrusted with sculpting its marble repetition. Achilles' bronze cast adorned the colonnade of the Cameron Gallery.
In 1850, the bust enters the congregation. Hermitage
The Goddess's Head
In March 1771, I. I. Shuvalov expelled from Rome to St. Petersburg, together with Achilles, another sculpture of the classical era, which in permission for export is designated as an "ancient bust of Faustina."
As the "colossal head of Juno" it was marked by I. Bernoulli in the Shuvalov Palace in 1777.
In 1793, St. Petersburg academician Koehler, describing the collection of sculptures in Tsarskoye Selo, especially noted this work as the "head of Juno."
Apparently, later she moved to the Tauride Palace, from where she entered the Hermitage collection in 1850.
1764: Catherine II acquired a collection of paintings from the Berlin merchant I.E. Gotskovsky
The date of foundation of the Hermitage is 1764, when Catherine II acquired a collection of paintings from the Berlin merchant I.-E. Gotskovsky. The museum celebrates its foundation day annually on December 7 - St. Catherine's Day.
1762: Catherine II announces her accession from the balcony of the Winter Palace during the coup
1755: Amber cabinet sent to Tsarskoye Selo
In 1755, Elizaveta Petrovna decided to transport the Amber Cabinet from the Winter Palace to the Grand Palace of Tsarskoye Selo and ordered Rastrelli to do this. A special team was sent from Tsarskoye Selo, which manually transferred the boxes with dismantled panels from the capital to a country residence.
1746: Amber cabinet installation with canvases painted "under amber"
It is documented that Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, shortly after accession to the throne, found use of the Amber Cabinet panel donated to Peter I by the Prussian king, in the new winter residence under construction for her - the Third Winter Palace, where in 1743 it was ordered to place an amber cover. Italian master A. Martelli was invited to repair and correct amber details. However, there were not enough ready-made elements to decorate the new interior, so the architect F.-B. Rastrelli decided to put mirror pilasters in it and paint additional panels "under amber."
In 1745, Frederick II presented Elizabeth Petrovna with another amber frame, designed by A. Reich, in the decor of which allegories glorifying the Russian empress were used.
The Amber Room, assembled in 1746, began to serve as official receptions, although as the Winter Palace was reconstructed, it was repeatedly transferred from place to place.
Notes
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