By Dean Gregory, to Museum Spotlight Europe (May 2021)
In the first installment of this series, we explored exhibitions dedicated to African masks, Proto-Renaissance Italian art and Belgian and Danish sculpture.
In the second installment of the series, we will look at spaces dedicated to Egyptian mummies, Murano glassmakers, Russian porcelain and others.
Egyptian Mummies
The special exhibition on mummies compliments the vast, permanent collection of Egyptian antiquities at the Hermitage. The institution houses approximately 7,500 works of art from Predynastic Egypt in the 4th millennium BC, to the periods of Greco-Roman rule into the 4th century AD. The exhibition is open from September 15 through December 12, 2021.
Murano Glass
In collaboration with the Berengo Studio of Venice, the Hermitage features an exhibition, Glasstress: Window to the Future, which showcases 60 contemporary artists and their glass creations. Some of the artists in the exhibition include: Jaume Plensa, Tony Cragg, Lucio Fontana, Jan Fabre, Wim Delvoy, Jean Arp and Ai Weiwei. Although the show focuses on modern applications of traditional glassmaking, Murano glassmaking dates back to the days of the Venetian republic in the late 13th century. Visitors to Venice, in fact, have the opportunity to learn about the evolution of glassmaking technologies at the Murano Glass Museum. The exhibition is open from October 2, 2021 until January 30, 2022.
Arabia and the Al Thani Collection
The Al Thani collection underscores the Arab-influenced Western masterpieces in the Hermitage collection, including Henri Matisse’s Arab Coffeehouse. The collection itself features a range of works from the ancient Egyptian, Roman and Islamic world through contemporary times. Of note, the Al Thani Collection Foundation will establish a museum in Paris, France at the Hôtel de la Marine, positioned on the Place de la Concorde, in the heart of the French capital. The exhibition takes place from October 6, 2021 through January 15, 2022.
Henri Matisse
Arab Coffeehouse, 1913
Glue colours on canvas
© Succession H. Matisse
Russian Porcelain
The exhibition, Material Memory: The Porcelain by Sergey Rusakov, celebrates the rich tradition of Russian porcelain and honors the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory operating in St. Petersburg. The hallmark of the show is a large, three-dimensional work commemorating the originator of Russian porcelain, Dimitry Vingradov. The other works of porcelain range from kitchenware and tableware to items of interior decor. The exhibition occurs from November 13, 2021 to February 20, 2022.
STUDY. IN SEARCH OF A MATERIAL
2018–20
Porcelain, fire clay
©Imperial Porcelain Factory joint-stock company
Photography x Nikolaevsky
Dedicated to Fyodor Nikolaevsky (1849-1917), the exhibition, Fyodor Nikolaevsky, Photographer of the Imperial Hermitage, features more than 100 photographs and affiliated pieces. The collection contains photographic reproductions, pictures of the museum’s past exhibits, as well as personal possessions of the artist. The exhibition lasts from November 27, 2021 to February 27, 2022.
Glass from the Eastern
Collaborating with the Shlomo Moussaieff Collection in London and the Eretz Israel Museum, the special exhibition, Master Ennion: Ancient Glass of the Eastern Mediterranean, First to Fourth Centuries, displays the art of glassmakers in Ancient Roman Syria. The exhibition highlights six signed works from the master Ennion as well as 50 other glassworks from affiliated craftsmen. The exhibition occurs from December 4, 2021 through March 13, 2022.
In the third and final installment of our series, Museum Spotlight will discover special exhibitions at the Hermitage dedicated to Albrecht Dürer, the Gutenberg Bible and Russian porcelain painters.
Cover image by the Hermitage Museum
