Russia’s State Hermitage Museum Hopes to Resume Exhibitions Abroad in 2023

 / Go to the mediabankState Hermitage Museum in St.Petersburg / Go to the mediabankST. PETERSBURG, Russia (Sputnik) – Russia’s State Hermitage Museum chief Mikhail Piotrovsky expressed the hope on Tuesday that overseas exhibitions will resume in 2023.

"We had two exhibitions abroad at the beginning of the year. Now there is a moratorium, there are no exhibitions abroad, they will probably start next year," Piotrovsky told reporters.

Piotrovsky explained that the museum intends to expand cooperation with China and hold overseas exhibitions in Malaysia, Japan, Arab countries and Gulf states.At the same time, the organization of exhibitions abroad is not a priority for the Hermitage, as permanent exhibitions and presentation of own museum collections remain a priority, the chief said, noting that modern technologies make it possible to organize events at proper level without exhibits leaving the museum.

"You only need to take abroad something absolutely exceptional. In fact, the exhibition of one thing, two things — this is the practice that will probably prevail all over the world," Piotrovsky emphasized.

© Sputnik / Sergey Guneev / Go to the mediabankA view of the Palace Square and State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. The photo was taken from a helicopter.A view of the Palace Square and State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. The photo was taken from a helicopter. / Go to the mediabankIn April, the Finnish customs service detained Russian artworks from the collections of such Russian museums as the State Hermitage, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Abramtsevo Museum, the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, and the Museum of Oriental Art worth more than $45.7 million. Ultimately, the artworks were safely returned to Moscow.However, the Hermitage introduced a one-year moratorium on participating in foreign exhibitions in Europe and in the United States in June, following the incident.

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