THE STATE HERMITAGE MUSEUM ANNUAL REPORT n 2017 CONTENTS General Editor 4 The Year of the Centenary of the Revolution Mikhail Piotrovsky, General Director of the State Hermitage Museum, 6 State Hermitage Museum. General Information Full Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 14 Awards Full Member of the Russian Academy of Arts, Professor of St Petersburg State University, 20 Composition of the Museum’s Collection Doctor of History 38 Permanent Displays 48 Temporary Exhibitions 96 Restoration and Conservation EDITORIAL BOARD: 104 Publications Mikhail Piotrovsky, 120 Electronic Editions and Multimedia Projects General Director of the State Hermitage Museum 122 Conferences Georgy Vilinbakhov, 129 Dissertations Deputy Director for Research 130 Research Trips Svetlana Adaksina, Deputy Director, Chief Curator 134 Archaeological Expeditions Marina Antipova, 156 Restoration and Reconstruction of Museum Buildings Deputy Director for Finance and Planning 160 Structure of Visits to the State Hermitage in 2017 Alexey Bogdanov, Deputy Director for Maintenance 161 Educational Events Mariam Dandamayeva, 173 Special Events Academic Secretary 180 Agreements Signed Elena Zvyagintseva, 184 International Advisory Board of the State Hermitage Museum Head of the Publishing Department 186 Guests of the Hermitage Larissa Korabelnikova, Deputy Head of the History and Information Service 194 Hermitage Friends’ Organisations Ekaterina Sirakanian, 204 Hermitage Friends’ Club Head of the Development Service 206 Financial Statements of the State Hermitage Museum 208 Principal Patrons and Sponsors of the State Hermitage Museum in 2017 212 Staff Members of the State Hermitage Museum EXECUTIVE GROUP: Alexander Butyagin, Vera Chudinova, Irina Dalekaya, Mariam Dandamayeva, Ekaterina Danilina, Ludmila Ershova, Victor Faybisovich, Larissa Korabelnikova, Elena Kuzminykh, Regina Mamedova, Anna Matyukhina, Svetlana Philippova, Natalia Polevaya, Marina Stepanova, Elena Zvyagintseva © The State Hermitage Museum, 2018 THE YEAR OF THE CENTENARY OF THE REVOLUTION The Hermitage had so far staged hardly any exhibitions specially dedicated to the Russian revolution. in Seoul saw the history of French art through Hermitage eyes, while London was looking at the Scyth- There had been no need for it. The main exhibit, the White Dining Room where the Provisional Gov- ians. An exhibition in Versailles, which was opened by two Presidents, focused on the French trip ernment was arrested, had always been included in tours, an element of the museum’s general history. of Peter the Great. The mantelpiece clock with a rhinoceros had been stopped at the supposed time of the arrest. This year The whole world was our exhibition room. This is the main way to ensure that museum collections we had it wound again and we put up a large exhibition called “History was Made Here”, with which we become more accessible. tried to have the walls of the Winter Palace tell the story of the life and death of the tsar’s family, of the Another way towards accessibility is through mobility and constant renewal of our own permanent hospital laid out in the state rooms, of the evacuation of the Hermitage, of Kerensky and the storming exhibitions. This year saw the unveiling of renovated rooms at the Museum of the Guard, of brand-new of the Winter Palace, of its French model and of the Russian myth of the storming of the palace created rooms of African art, of innovative rooms at the Cabinet of Artists’ Books, a highly relevant display by the great Eisenstein. The grand exhibition became part of a system of horizontal and vertical events. of the collections from the time of the Great Migrations. A new exhibition of ancient carved gems The vertical series was launched by the exhibition “From the Dinner Service Storerooms”, in which in newly-redecorated rooms brings together a story of masterpieces, including the legendary Gonza- the famous imperial porcelain services were telling the story of the astonishing luxury of the Russian ga Cameo, and the story of Catherine the Great’s passion for them. New rooms dedicated to the art court which gave an impetus to the revolution and was wiped out by it. Then came the “Anselm Kiefer, of Mamluk Egypt have been unveiled. To mark this event, our British friends gave us a gift of a splendid for Velimir Khlebnikov” exhibition. All of its paintings were specially created by the outstanding artist Mamluk encrusted vessel. In Staraya Derevnya the public was introduced to sensational open-storage to commemorate the great poet’s prophecy concerning the year of the revolution. Kiefer masterfully collections of Russian costumes and showcases. You need to go to the Hermitage often in order to see channelled the “grim genius of the German nation” to bring to life the natural and moral atmosphere everything that is going on there at the same time. of the autumn of 1917. We have had some occasions for joy, which can be described as recoveries. The great Lute Player Over the entire year the Hermitage held dedicated displays to mark specific events that unfolded by Caravaggio is back after conservation. A Hermitage painting by the Dutch master Louis de Moni, in the Winter Palace and around it. Near the main exhibition there was a display of book graphics from earlier sold off by the government, has been bought back. The Hermitage was also presented with the time of the revolution, followed a little later by an exhibition of politically-themed porcelain. This a statue of Telemachus once intended for it. It has only reached us now thanks to a generous and keen- year saw a greatly successful “Romanovs & Revolution” exhibition at the Hermitage • Amsterdam eyed art patron and member of the Board of Trustees. Centre, whereas the British Museum held a Hermitage exhibition dedicated to the memory of the rev- The Hermitage has the reputation of a conservative innovator. Among this year’s innovations are intel- olution entitled “Scythians: Warriors of Ancient Siberia”. The Tate Gallery tied its exhibition of Ilya lectual marathons as an alternative to the Night of Museums; the Days of the Hermitage in locations and Emilia Kabakov’s art to the centenary of the Russian revolution; it has relocated to the Hermitage where we are planning to launch our satellites; VR films and “outsider” exhibitions in Amsterdam for the coming year. and at the Hermitage, a series of other events aimed at special needs people. The Forum Concept This is how the “salvo system” of Hermitage exhibitions works. It could be a residual memory of the on the ground floor of the General Staff Building is up and running (exhibitions and events outside salvos fired in October 1917. the museum zone per se). The programmes of the Hermitage satellites are both individual and close- This system, which entails a burst-like, simultaneous staging of exhibitions very different in type, sub- ly tied to the overall cultural offensive programme. The general strategy is becoming apparent even ject matter and audience, also resulted in a grand display of Ancient Egyptian art: “Nefertari and the to the sceptics. Valley of the Queens” from Turin; an exhibition of designer footwear by Manolo Blahnik; “The Hermit- One of our main innovations has been the creation of the Endowment Fund. Its proceeds have been age Encyclopaedia of Textiles” and photographs by the Henkin brothers; a story of the ancient culture scheduled to go towards the purchase of new exhibits. This year they have been sufficient for the pur- of Dilmun, an Arabian “paradise”, and an exhibition commemorating Giacomo Quarenghi; the sculp- chase of Kiefer’s Aurora. This is now a memory, not just of the revolution itself, but of our efforts tures of dying enemies from Naples and The Last Judgment by Tiepolo. to commemorate it and remind people of it. This scheme included as its integral part the exhibition of porcelain at the Hermitage • Kazan Centre; the exhibition of Dutch paintings at the Hermitage • Amsterdam Centre; the exhibition of Flemish art at the Hermitage • Vyborg Centre. An exhibition at the Perm Art Gallery was dedicated to the memory of the Stroganovs; one at Astana celebrated the historic art of weapon-making; the National Museum Mikhail Piotrovsky Director of the State Hermitage 4 5 STATE HERMITAGE MUSEUM. GENERAL INFORMATION STATE HERMITAGE MUSEUM. GENERAL INFORMATION FOUNDING OF THE MUSEUM “Staraya Derevnya” Centre for Restoration, Conservation and Storage The foundation date of the museum is considered to be 1764, when Empress Catherine the Great Completion of the first phase – 2003, completion of the second phase – 2012 acquired an impressive collection of paintings from the Berlin merchant Johann Ernest Gotzkowsky. Stock Exchange. 1805–1810 The museum celebrates the anniversary of its founding each year on 7 December, Architect, Jean-François Thomas de Thomon St Catherine’s Day. STATUS OF THE HERMITAGE MUSEUM SPACE In a Decree by the President of the Russian Federation dated 18 December 1991 the State Hermitage Total area 233,345 m2 Museum was included into a list of the most valuable objects of national heritage. Exhibition area 84,000 m2 In a Decree by the President of the Russian Federation dated 12 June 1996 the State Hermitage Exhibition rooms 542 Museum was placed under personal patronage of the President of the Russian Federation. MAIN COLLECTIONS ENTERING THE MUSEUM SINCE ITS FOUNDATION In a Decree (No. 984) dated 29 November 2011 the new Statutes of the State Hermitage Museum, as a federal government funded institution, were approved. According