We went to the Hermitage
We went to the Hermitage
Technology's wonderful!
We went to the Hermitage
We went to the Hermitage
Technology's wonderful!
We don't have a teleporter, but we do have Zoom!
When the Covid pandemic forced us to cancel our annual Friends' Study Tour to Riga, Tallinn and Helsinki in 2020, it didn't occur to us to imagine an alternative.
As the months passed, though, and in conversation with Professor Alexei Leporc, who would have been our guide, we formed a plan. Last night, 20th April 2021, it happened! Nearly 100 Friends of the Whitworth were whisked on a virtual tour of one of the world's most incredible art galleries, the Hermitage in St Petersburg, where Professor Leporc is the Curator of 19th and 20th Century Prints.
It is no secret that the Hermitage's collection of Western European Art is one of the finest in the world. It contains masterpieces from all the major centres of artistic development in Europe from the 13th to the 19th centuries. What is less well known is the story behind the Hermitage and its collections; the personalities, the politics, and, in some instances, the intrigue. Based on the collections bought up wholesale by Catherine the Great, less for what they were (although Catherine loved her cameos), and more for the prestige attached to them and - quite simply- to fill the walls of the Small and Great Hermitages, it has been expanded over the years. Further Imperial purchases, Bolshevik confiscation of private collections, and appropriation of artwork in conquered Germany all played a part. Not everything was quite as it should be!
Our visit to the Hermitage is only one of the lectures and events that we have organised during the last few month. We look forward to planning more and, as the world returns to normal, to adding our more traditional programme. We may even meet Professor Leporc in person! We would love to have you join us.
Membership of the Friends of the Whitworth costs as little as £27 (£45 for 2 people). As well as supporting the Whitworth Gallery, members also have access to our lecture and events programme, privileged access to our tours at home and overseas and discounts in the Gallery Shop and Cafe. You can join from this website.
We don't have a teleporter, but we do have Zoom!
When the Covid pandemic forced us to cancel our annual Friends' Study Tour to Riga, Tallinn and Helsinki in 2020, it didn't occur to us to imagine an alternative.
As the months passed, though, and in conversation with Professor Alexei Leporc, who would have been our guide, we formed a plan. Last night, 20th April 2021, it happened! Nearly 100 Friends of the Whitworth were whisked on a virtual tour of one of the world's most incredible art galleries, the Hermitage in St Petersburg, where Professor Leporc is the Curator of 19th and 20th Century Prints.
It is no secret that the Hermitage's collection of Western European Art is one of the finest in the world. It contains masterpieces from all the major centres of artistic development in Europe from the 13th to the 19th centuries. What is less well known is the story behind the Hermitage and its collections; the personalities, the politics, and, in some instances, the intrigue. Based on the collections bought up wholesale by Catherine the Great, less for what they were (although Catherine loved her cameos), and more for the prestige attached to them and - quite simply- to fill the walls of the Small and Great Hermitages, it has been expanded over the years. Further Imperial purchases, Bolshevik confiscation of private collections, and appropriation of artwork in conquered Germany all played a part. Not everything was quite as it should be!
Our visit to the Hermitage is only one of the lectures and events that we have organised during the last few month. We look forward to planning more and, as the world returns to normal, to adding our more traditional programme. We may even meet Professor Leporc in person! We would love to have you join us.
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