The aim of the exhibition is to introduce the Greek audience to a period of Art History from the Rennaisance (15th century) until today. Its concept revolves around the Hermitage collections and the big collectors, the tsars of the Romanov Dynasty. The exhibition presents archaeological artefacts and works of art, paintings, minor arts objects and sculptures representative of the Russian museum’s collections, spanning from the 5th c. BC to the 20th century. The exhibition will run through February 26, 2017.
The exhibition is divided in two sections. The first, presenting minor arts and personal objects of the tsars, is hosted in the central building of the museum, while the second, which includes works of art from the Rennaissance until the 20th century is exhibited in the temporary exhibition hall of the Byzantine and Christian Museum.
The Hermitage holds one of the largest collections of western European painting and sculpture of later years from the Renaissance to the 20th century. The establishment of the collection has its roots in the reign of Peter the Great (1672–1725) who purchased works by Dutch and Flemish painters during his European tours.
Catherine the Great (1729–1796) was responsible for the immense enrichment of the collection. Keeping up with the cultural policy of the rulers of Central Europe, Catherine, assisted by a large team of advisors, created a collection which towards the end of her life amounted to approximately four thousand paintings produced by the most important painters of the Italian, French, Flemish, and Dutch Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo.
That same policy was followed to a greater or lesser extent by all the Czars until the last sovereign Nicholas II, thereby enhancing the imperial collections with later works and forming major unities of the art movements of the 19th and the 20th century.
In the wake of the October Revolution in 1917 the Museum was nationalized following the nationalization of the great private collections of affluent Russian merchants, bourgeois and aristocrats, which thus enriched the Hermitage with a large number of works.
HELLENIC MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND SPORTS
General Coordination: Dr. Maria Andreadaki-Vlazaki: General Secretary of the Ministry of Culture and Sports
Organization: Dr. Elena Korka, Director of the General Directorate of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage; Souzana Choulia-Kapeloni, Director of the Directorate of Museums; Dr. Aikaterini P. Dellaporta, Director of the Byzantine and Christian Museum; Nikoleta Saraga, Head of the Department of Exhibitions and Museum Research of the Directorate of Museums; Dr. Kalliopi-Phaidra Kalafati, Head of the Department of the Archaeological Collections of Icons, Wall-Paintings, Mosaics, Copies, Manuscripts, Anthivola, Engravings, Drawings, Incunabula and the Loverdos Collection of the Byzantine and Christian Museum; Dr. Maria Borboudaki, Head of the Department of Sculptures, Woodcarvings, Ceramics, Minor Arts, Textiles and Canvases of the Byzantine and Christian Museum
Supervision of Exhibition: Sofia Gerogiorgi, Ioanna Alexandri, Dr. Jenny Albani, Dr. Antonis Tsakalos, Dafni Tsironi
Museographical study-Implementation: Anestei Parisi, Spyros Nasainas
Administrative Support: Tasia Zacharatou, Aggeliki Peleki, Emy Vogiatzi, Aspasia Kouroumali, Pelagia Koukoreba, Eleftherios Litsos, Chrysoula Liapi, Kyriaki Georgali
BYZANTINE & CHRISTIAN MUSEUM / General Coordination-Curator of the Exhibition: Dr. Aikaterini P. Dellaporta
Realization supervision: Dr. Maria Borboudaki, Sofia Gerogiorgi, Ioanna Alexandri
Museographical Design and Installation: Anestei Parisi, Spyros Nasainas
Antiquities Conservation: Evangelos Arbilias, Youli Doskari, Eleni Zarikou, Thanasis Kavasis, Aggeliki Kalamitsi, Artemis Kabouraki, Giorgos Korkovelos, Akis Margaritof, Basilis Bakalis, Nikos Mylonas, Babis Papatheologou, Baso Papakosta, Jenny Perdikari, Ioanna Stefani, Dafni Filiou
Graphic Design: Yannis Stavrinos, Giorgos Soupios
Photographer: Nikos Mylonas
Public relations-Promotion: Katerina Choina, Magda Zindrou,Elena Betzou
Technical support: Giannis Gonios, Petros Kalofonos, Spyros Xepapadakis
Lighting: Giannis Tsonis, Sotiris Tsonis, Nikos Stamatopoulos
Administrative Support: Maria Bitha
Wood structures-Museum Cases: Manos Lignos
Plexiglass structures: Miltos Tsafas
Inox supports: Dimitris Drosos
Painting: Petros Pavlik
Digital printing: Nikos Paschalidis
Translation: Dimitris Doumas
Transportation in Greece: Orpheas Beinoglou
THE STATE HERMITAGE MUSEUM/Organization committee: Professor Mikhail Piotrovsky, General Director of the State Hermitage Museum; Professor Georgy Vilinbakhov, Deputy of the General Director of the State Hermitage Museum and Research Departments; Dr. Svetlana Adaksina, Deputy of the General Director of the State Hermitage Museum, General Curator; Professor Sergey Androsov, Head of the Department of Western European Fine Art; Professor Andrey Alexeyev, Head of the Archaeology of Eastern Europe and Siberia Department; Dr. Natalya Kozlova, Head of the Oriental Department; Dr. Anna Trofimova, Head of the Department of Classical Antiquities; Dr. Vyacheslav Fedorov, Head of the History of Russian Culture Department
Exhibition concept-Curator: Dr. Mikhail Dedinkin, Deputy of the Head of the Department of Western European Fine Art
Work Group: Tatyana Baranova, Mikhail Dedinkin, Alexandra Kattsova, Elena Korolkova, Olga Kostyuk, Zoya Kuptsova, Maria Menshikova, Alexander Solin, Arseniy Sokolov
Antiquities Conservation/Supervision: Tatyana Baranova, Head of the Department of Scientific Restoration and Conservation