Amsterdam, NL -The inaugural exhibition of Hermitage Amsterdam, At the Russian Court. Palace and Protocol in the 19^th Century, promises to be one of the most lavish ever presented in Europe, and one of the largest.   With more than 2,200 objects on loan from the State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, the exhibition will fill the Amstelhof—the historic, newly restored home of Hermitage Amsterdam—from 20 June 2009 to 31 January 2010, as it recreates life at the Russian court during the nineteenth century: a period that spanned the reigns of six tsars, from the little-known Paul I, son of Catherine the Great, to the tragic Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia.

Hermitage Amsterdam is the only dedicated, independently managed venue in the West of St Petersburg’s magnificent State Hermitage Museum. At the Russian Court — a scholarly researched exploration of the opulent material culture, elaborate social hierarchy and richly layered traditions of the Tsarist court at its height in the 19th century.    Hermitage Amsterdam will then stage two large-scale, temporary exhibitions each year, drawing on the encyclopaedic collections and unparalleled scholarship of Russia’s museums to offer cultural riches that would otherwise be unavailable in Amsterdam.

One entire exhibition wing of Hermitage Amsterdam will be devoted to the elaborate protocol of the nineteenth-century Russian court, with its public demonstrations of power and opulence. The other wing will tell the story of the grandiose dinners, parties and themed balls hosted by the tsars in the Hermitage. Among the objects that will bring these subjects to life will be hundreds of exceptionally rich ball gowns and other costumes, magnificent court paintings by Franz Xaver Winterhalter and Ilya Repin, extraordinary items of furniture including the famous Romanov throne, impressive pieces of jewellery by makers such as Fabergé, vast and valuable dinner services and the last tsarina’s own grand piano.

Hermitage Amsterdam is housed in the classically proportioned Amstelhof, built in 1681-83 as a charitable home for the elderly, which must have been seen by Tsar Peter the Great during his stay in Amsterdam.   Renovated at a cost of some 40 million euros (approximately US$50 million), the building has been redesigned as a series of open and light filled galleries by architect Hans van Heeswijk.

This spectacular exhibition, which will occupy 2,200 square metres, has been designed by Merkx+Girod Architecten, whose previous work includes the recent Rijksmuseum Amsterdam exhibition The Masterpieces (2008) and the exhibition Morocco: 5,000 Years of Culture in De Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam (2004).   Inspiration for the design has been drawn from the two most famous rooms in the Winter Palace in St Petersburg, the Nicholas Hall and St George’s Hall. The decorations in these rooms will be reflected in the two great exhibition halls at the Hermitage Amsterdam.

The installation will include a number of interactive computer programmes, to offer information beyond the material found in the traditional text displays and the audio-tour.   Another striking feature of the presentation will be the projection of images from the film Russian Ark, which was photographed entirely in the Hermitage in St Petersburg by the Russian director Alexander Sokurov.   These images will combine with music and revolving display cases to create the impression of a nineteenth-century ball taking place within the Hermitage Amsterdam.

“The opening of Hermitage Amsterdam is the culmination of nearly two decades of planning,” stated Ernst W. Veen, Managing Director of Hermitage Amsterdam.     “At the same time, it is a continuation of more than 300 years of close ties between Amsterdam and St Petersburg, going back to Tsar Peter the Great’s fabled residence in our city.”

The exhibition will be accompanied by a handsome, richly illustrated catalogue in Dutch and English, featuring four scholarly essays, twelve shorter articles on various aspects of the exhibition, a family tree of the Romanovs, an explanation of the complex hierarchy of the Russian court, and detailed descriptions of the objects.

Hermitage Amsterdam
Address:                                          Amstel 51, 1017 AB Amsterdam
Opening times:                                Daily from 10am to 5pm and on Wednesday to 8pm
Closed:                                             25 December, 1 January and 30 April
Information:                                    +31 (0)20 530 87 51
E-mail:                                             This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website:                                          www.hermitage.nl