Bloomberg‘s John Varoli reports on the Hermitage’s expansion into Amsterdam:
The first exhibition, “At the Russian Court: Palace and Protocol in the XIX century,” features 1,800 items from the St. Petersburg-based museum, one of the largest in the world. Hermitage officials said it’s the biggest show they’ve ever mounted, both abroad or in Russia. Most items are portraits of the Russian imperial family and aristocrats, as well as their clothes and personal belongings. […]
Amsterdam’s two leading galleries, the Stedelijk Museum, with its collection of modern art, and the Rijksmuseum, best known for its Dutch Old Master paintings such as Rembrandt masterpieces, are renovating their buildings to increase exhibition space and improve conditions for visitors.
The Amsterdam branch is part of the Greater Hermitage project that includes a new building in northern St. Petersburg open to the public, and renovation of its General Staff Building, expected to conclude in 2014.
“The Hermitage’s general strategy is based on the idea of accessibility,” Piotrovsky said. “While no museum can ever show everything it owns, we strive to make museum collections accessible to the public as far as this is possible.”
Financing for the Hermitage Amsterdam came from city and provincial governments, private companies, and the state lottery. The Hermitage also has small outposts in Kazan, the capital of Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan, and in Ferrara, Italy.
Amsterdam’s $55.6 Million Hermitage Challenges Sex, Drugs Image (Bloomberg)