The independent Dutch institution, which mounted exhibitions twice a year with pieces from Russian collections, puts an end to thirty years of collaboration.
“With the invasion of the Russian army in Ukraine, a border has been crossed. War destroys everything. Even 30 years of collaboration», the museum said in a statement. The Hermitage of Amsterdam has been housed in the Amstelhof since 2009, a famous Amsterdam building dating from the 17thand century. The museum, an autonomous and independent legal entity, mounted two exhibitions a year with objects from the collection of the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg. It has a permanent collection on the history of the Amstelhof and the relations between the Netherlands and Russia. It also houses collections from other museums like the Amsterdam Museum and the Rijksmuseum.
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“For a long time, the Hermitage in Amsterdam kept away from political developments in Putin’s Russia”, pointed out the museum. Instead, he focused on “artistic treasures and movements that span the centuries” rather than on the “everyday reality”but the institution specifies that “differences of opinion have always proven to be surmountable”, leading to hugely popular exhibitions in the Dutch capital. Corn “Russia’s recent attack on Ukraine makes this distance untenable”explains the museum.
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The severing of its ties with Russia means that much of its collection is now closed to the public. In particular his recent exhibition Russian avant-garde – art revolutionis closed until further notice.