Michail Borisovich Piotrovsky is Director of the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, one of the world s most important museums. He was met and interviewed by east at Ferrara at the opening of the first exhibition ever Hermitage in Italy? Russian-Italian Academy CULTURE edited by Simone Cofferati organized by the Hermitage Italy Foundation. These are his thoughts on works of art, branding, marketing, sponsored events, diplomats and diplomacy
CULTURE T he world s great museums are creating affiliate branches abroad. Why? What are the goals? For answers to these questions, we spoke to the Director of the Hermitage, Michail Borisovich Piotrovsky. Doctor Piotrovsky, the Hermitage Italy Foundation was founded in October 2007, and we in journalism call it: the Italian branch of the Hermitage. Is this definition to your liking, or, in your opinion, would another be more correct? No, I do not like this definition, because what we have created here in Ferrara (headquarters of the Foundation, editor s note) is much more complex, much more interesting and important. It is not a simple affiliate of the Hermitage because we have not brought any works of art for permanent exhibition here. This center organizes a variety of cultural and artistic events. We prefer the unofficial definition of Russian-Italian Academy. The Hermitage has opened a number of centers the world over, each with a specific character; the Ferrara center is dedicated to training, research and related activities. You, the Louvre in the United Arab Emirates, the Guggenheim in Spain The trend with the world s great museums seems to be to open affiliates to reach a greater audience and to exhibit works of art that would otherwise languish in storage for lack of exhibition space, or is it more of a logic of exploiting the brand? Or both? In general, I believe this to be a positive development: great collections exist and they must be shared, and the best way to share them is for the museum institution itself to take its own works of art on tour throughout the world (rather than let someone else do it...). But it is also a question of the brand: museum The Hermitage Italy Foundation The Hermitage Museum of St. Petersburg was created in 1764 to host the collection of 225 Flemish and Dutch paintings bought by the Empress Catherine the Great from the Berlin art dealer Johann Ernest Gotzkowski. Today its collection has grown to over 3 million paintings and artifacts housed in 10 buildings, 7 of which are XVIII and XIX Century monumental palaces. Chief among these is the Winter Palace, former imperial residence of the Czars. Inaugurated in October 2007, the Hermitage Italy Foundation is headquartered in Ferrara, within the premises of Castello Estense. Its mission is to promote the knowledge and conservation of cultural heritage, the training of Russian and Italian scientific and technical personnel in the fields of research, restoration, conservation, administration and development of the works of art, and to further cultural ties between the Museum and Italian cultural and scientific institutions. Grazia Neri_Tass 135
HERMITAGE IN ITALY? RUSSIAN-ITALIAN ACADEMY For kind concession of Villaggio Globale International Piotrovsky who? Michail Borisovich Piotrovsky was born in Yerevan, Armenia, in 1944. He graduated in 1967 from the Oriental Studies Faculty of Leningrad State University with a major in Arab Studies. In the same year he joined the staff of the Leningrad Oriental Studies Institute as an assistant researcher, and went on to work there until 1991, when he became Deputy Director of the Hermitage in charge of research and was appointed Director of the Museum on July 1992. He has authored over 200 scientific publications including catalogs of Arab manuscrips, the publication of Medieval works and ancient inscriptions, books on the spiritual and political history of Islam, Arab culture and archeology in Arabia. He is currently also president of the Scientific Committee of the Hermitage Italy Foundation inaugurated in October 2007. _In July 1992 he was appointed director of the museum. He has authored more than 200 scientific works including catalogues on Arabic manuscripts, medieval works and antique inscriptions and books on the spiritual and political history of Islam and Arab culture and archaeology in Arabia. He is the president of the scientific committee 136
CULTURE goers are also motivated to visit exhibitions because of the exhibitor s name, and it is in the museum s interest to take advantage of its brand. In effect, however, this does not greatly increase ticket sales; what it does create is a great number of excellent relationships... Yes, I believe it to be a positive trend, and I might add that we have a certain amount of experience with it. _Two works by Benvenuto Tisi, also called Il Garofolo: Holy Family, 1522-1524, oil on canvas, 53x82 cm, Frankfurt am Main, Städelsches Kunstinstitut und Städtische Galerie. Facing page: The Entombment, c. 1540, oil on canvas (transferred from panel), 53x75.5 cm, St Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum The Foundation is headquartered in Ferrara, which is thus the logical location for your first exhibition in Italy. The painter to whom the exhibition is dedicated, Benvenuto Tisi called il Garofalo, is also from Ferrara, though some of the exhibition s major works have been brought from St. Petersburg... How did the Hermitage come to acquire such a conspicuous collection of Garofalo s work? Is there a story here? Well, the Hermitage has important collections of everything... It is a very longstanding tradition in Russia for our rulers to ask our diplomats to be very proactive in purchasing works of art abroad, and they have always been diligent in doing so. Particularly active among these was the General Consul stationed in Milan, who bought a great number of works from the 137
HERMITAGE IN ITALY? RUSSIAN-ITALIAN ACADEMY Garofalo, painter of Ferrara Estense Castello Estense - Ferrara (Italy) April 5 July 6, 2008 Every day 9:30 19:30 Internet: http://www.mostragarofalo.it The exhibition is dedicated to Benvenuto Tisi called Garofalo (Ferrara 1481 1559), a major 16th century exponent of Ferrarese painting, who worked for wealthy aristocratic and religious patrons of the City of the Estes, as well as for the Este court itself. Most of the 70 works on exhibit came from the Hermitage in St. Petersburg and from Ferrara itself, but museums and collections in London, Rome, Paris, Dresden, Cracow, Birmingham, Strasburg, Maastricht, Amsterdam, Cologne, Chartres, Budapest and Frankfurt also provided works on loan. _Benvenuto Tisi, also called Il Garofolo: The Marriage in Cana, 1531 Oil on canvas, 30x248cm, St Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum Monastery of St. Bernardino in Ferrara. The Monastery owned quite a few paintings by Garofalo, having been one of his major patrons (Garofalo worked for this Monastery for 20 years, editor s note). That is the reason why this artist is so well represented in the collection of our museum. In speaking about Garofalo and of our diplomatic assets, there s an interesting story I would like to tell you: one of the paintings in the exhibition a deposition of Christ in the Sepulcher was the first Renaissance painting brought to Russia at the time of Peter the Great. It had been purchased by one of our diplomats who believed it to be by Raphael Well, Raphael or no Raphael, I believe it is a work of a very high caliber. Apart from their doubtless cultural value, how do exhibitions like this one balance out economically? Do they, that is, generate sufficient proceeds to cover the costs and turn a profit? In other words and more generally speaking, can culture and the great cultural events create economy? Exhibitions such as this can only be realized through sponsorships and it would be impossible without sponsors. Our choice of Ferrara was also motivated by the guarantee of a five-year sponsorship. And the next affiliate? Work has just started on a joint Hermitage-Guggenheim project in Vilnius, Lithuania, for a new center dedicated to modern art. As you know, Lithuania is an ex-soviet republic and there is a need to rebuild relations. I am convinced that art is the best way to accomplish this. 138