The Byzantine and Christian Museum in Athens invites you to the opening of the exhibition "Hermitage: Gateway to History", Wednesday, November 2, 2016 at 19:00.
For the first time the Byzantine Museum presents important archaeological treasures and art works from the imperial collections of the Hermitage Museum of St. Petersburg.
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| Pair of earrings with pendant doves |
Objects of high aesthetic and artistic value, which the Tsar Romanov, beginning with Peter the Great (1672-1725) collected from the late 17th and for two more centuries in order to create very rich art collections. Nowadays the Hermitage is one of the largest and most important museums of the world.
The exhibition presents 80 antiques and works of art, paintings, sculptures and miniature works representative of the most important collections of the Hermitage Museum, dating from the 5th century. B.C. up to the 20th century, features works that have enriched the collections of the Hermitage after the October Revolution and until today.
The exhibition is divided in two parts.
The first, concerning miniature objects and personal belongings of the tsars are exposed in the main building of the museum, while the second, with works of art from the Renaissance to the 20th century, presented in the journal BCM showroom.
In the main building, the exhibits introduce the viewer to the Hermitage of St. Petersburg, but also in the history of the palace, which is a cluster of buildings which were constructed in the 18th and 19th century on the banks of the Neva River.
Of special interest are the exhibits of the famous Siberian collection created by Peter the Great with gold objects of Siberian nomadic populations, especially the Scythians. Apart from the golden buckles and jewelry of the people who lived on the northern coast of the Black Sea, are the Hellenistic masterpieces by Scythians that came into direct contact with the Greek colonies and are influenced by Greek art.
The following are several miniature works, mainly personal belongings of tsars from their daily life (such as cigarette case with a portrait of Empress Elizabeth of gold, silver, enamel and precious stones), and gifts by foreign diplomats, especially eastern countries such as China and India.
The second major section is a panorama of European art from the Renaissance era to the 20th century, presenting representative works, mainly paintings, and sculptures. It covers the entire spectrum of European art and trends often reflect the ideology of their time. The three rooms include works in chronological order and at school.
Paintings like "The Apostles Peter and Paul" by El Greco and "Venus and Adonis" by Rubens are eye-catchers.
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| El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos 1541-1614 |
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| Rubens |
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| Master of the female half-lengths - 1530-1540 |
The Hermitage exhibition: Gateway to History completes the cycle of exhibitions which was organized by the Ministry of Culture and Sport with the Byzantine and Christian Museum to honour the "Greece - Russia" year 2016.
Duration of the exhibition: From November the 2nd, 2016 until February the 26th, 2017.
For more information and opening hours:
Byzantine Museum
