Amsterdam's Hermitage ends partnership with St. Petersburg. War destroys everything

TheHermitage in Amsterdam, the world’s largest branch of the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, is severing relations with the Russian museum after 30 years. The Dutch institute made this known in a note, saying that this rupture is a result of theRussian attack on Ukraine that makes collaboration no longer feasible. “For a long time,” the institute explained, “Hermitage Amsterdam has distanced itself from political developments in Putin’s Russia. After all, politics focuses on the realities of everyday life, while our focus is on art treasures and movements spanning centuries. The ties we had carefully built with the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg gave us access to one of the most famous art collections in the world, from which we could draw for our exhibitions.”

However, the Dutch museum continues, “Russia’s recent attack on Ukraine makes it no longer sustainable to maintain this distance. Our board and directors have decided to cut ties with the State Hermitage Museum. It is with difficulty that the supervisors, directors, management and employees of the Hermitage Amsterdam break ties with the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. In recent decades, collaborations with Russian colleagues had been harmonious. Differences of opinion had always proved bridgeable. It led to fine and well-attended exhibitions in Amsterdam. With the Russian army’s invasion of Ukraine, a boundary was crossed. War destroys everything. Even 30 years of collaboration. Hermitage Amsterdam has no other choice. Like everyone, we hope for peace. Also for changes in Russia’s future that will allow us to reconnect with the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.”

The Dutch museum, which since 2009 has been housed in a 1681 building, theAmstelhof, a former retirement home, had opened in 2004. It then moved to its current location, as mentioned, in 2009, after it had been sold by the City of Amsterdam in 1999. The transformation of the building had begun in 2007, and the opening had taken two years and an investment of about 40 million euros. However, the museum will continue to keep its doors open to the public: in fact, the collaboration with the Hermitage in St. Petersburg is not the only one; over the years the museum has opened partnerships with other institutes, mainly Dutch, and also periodically hosts exhibitions unrelated to its relationship with the Russian museum. The Hermitage in Amsterdam is a private museum that lives on what it earns and the support of its sponsors. It also made it known that the Russian avant-garde exhibition that was scheduled to run until January 8, 2023, will remain closed until further notice.

Amsterdam's Hermitage ends partnership with St. Petersburg. War destroys everything

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