The Art of Connecting
No doubt Tsar Peter the Great saw the Dutch building that would, 300 years later, house the art collection amassed by his descendants. In 1696, the Russian ruler visited Amsterdam to learn about Dutch trade and ship building. He must have seen the classical Amstelhof building on the Amstel River. Now, it houses changing exhibitions from the famous Hermitage collection.
The Hermitage Amsterdam is one of the first cross-border ventures in the world of art museums. The project started life in the 1990s, when Amsterdam museum director Ernst Veen began collaborating with Hermitage curator Michael Piotrovsky.
Russian Rembrandts
On a visit to Russia, Veen saw that the Hermitage had 22 works by Rembrandt. But they were exhibited in a gallery unsuited to their artistic value. He decided to seek Dutch funding to renovate the gallery. He succeeded, and later did the same for a gallery housing other Dutch and Flemish masterpieces.
This led the Hermitage to consult with Veen on a bigger problem. The museum’s exhibition space, though huge, could show only 5% of its collection. Back in Amsterdam, Veen learned that the Amstelhof would soon become available. He immediately saw the potential: “We could establish a satellite museum of the Hermitage here,” he told Piotrovsky.
Pilot Project
In June 2009, the Hermitage Amsterdam was opened by Queen Beatrix and Russia’s President Medvedev. It rapidly became the most popular museum in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. In its first nine months, it welcomed 700,000 visitors.
“This museum functions as a bridge,” says Veen. “We are already noticing a lot more attention for the historic ties which, over the ages, have connected Russia and the Netherlands at various levels. I find it a satisfying thought that we have been able to contribute to this.”
- Tell a friend
