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Far in Russia's frozen north
is St Petersburg.
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And on the banks of the Neva river,
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stands the State Hermitage Museum.
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Its story is a microcosm of
Russian history.
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The Hermitage has witnessed
dramatic events -
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war and revolution.
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But the art has survived
to tell the tale.
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For many years, I've been fascinated
by the Hermitage
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and what makes it unique.
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Finally, as a film-maker,
I was given unprecedented access
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to tell its story.
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00:00:58,620 --> 00:01:00,660
Through the imperial splendour,
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everywhere you're reminded
that it's a palace.
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The spirit itself
and taste is also a monument.
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You can feel it in every gallery
and we are lucky to have interiors
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and to keep the spirit of palace.
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You could imagine how the emperors
and the empresses were living
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in this place, and dancing
and doing a lot of other things.
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Behind the scenes today, instead of
tsars there are museum curators
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preserving the art
for future generations.
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I'll be meeting them and hearing
their stories.
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I think the Hermitage has
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so much more resonance in the heart
of a Russian man or woman.
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It's more than a museum.
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It's really part of the soul
of the nation.
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I'll be opening doors
previously closed to the public,
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looking at the history of the
building and what makes it tick.
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MARCHING MUSIC
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In the throne room of
the Winter Palace,
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the court of St Petersburg gathered
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to celebrate the anniversary
of the museum.
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The Hermitage is one of the largest
museums in the world,
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a city within a city
and a state within a state.
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It's a labyrinth of 2,000 rooms
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housing over three million
objects...
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..founded in 1764
by Catherine The Great,
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who came to the throne dramatically
in a coup d'etat,
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taking the title
Empress of all the Russias.
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You know she told
about herself that,
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"I'd rather have
the man's spirit, not woman's,
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"but I don't look mannish
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"because together with the mind
and character of a man,
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"I have an appeal
of a pleasant woman."
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And that's what we see
on her portraits.
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'This is a wonderful and very famous
portrait of Catherine the Great.
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'It's Catherine the Great
in military robe
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'and one of the regiments of the
guards on her horse, called Diamond.
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00:03:32,660 --> 00:03:36,460
'And this painting was not
in good condition.
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'So now when they begin to
restore it they can now prove
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00:03:40,180 --> 00:03:42,820
'that it is done
by the painter himself.
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00:03:42,820 --> 00:03:47,340
'So now we have the first portrait
of Catherine of this style.'
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Here comes another problem.
It's my problem.
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Now where to show it?
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It's a very big portrait.
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In the costume store,
away from public view,
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I found more evidence of
Catherine's personality,
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miraculously conserved
for 250 years.
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00:04:09,420 --> 00:04:12,380
She was very strong and powerful.
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00:04:12,380 --> 00:04:14,820
It's the first impression
of her costumes.
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Throughout her 34-year reign,
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Catherine looked towards Europe and
used her incredible wealth and power
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to civilise
a previously barbaric Russia.
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It's our outstanding costume of the
Catherine the Great uniform dress.
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It's dated nearly 1767.
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The Hermitage owes most of
its greatest pieces to Catherine,
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whose passion was collecting.
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Her ambitions knew no ends.
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Russia has to come to the level
of European countries.
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Not only Army, not only Navy,
culturally.
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Everything should be on that level.
And also collections.
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Then it is... It should be endless
and absolutely impressive.
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00:05:30,860 --> 00:05:34,380
She acquired three major
collections en bloc, really.
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1760s, she was able
to buy the collection
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00:05:37,980 --> 00:05:39,740
of Count Bruhl in Dresden.
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00:05:54,140 --> 00:05:58,100
This painting, which is
Titian's first masterpiece,
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was acquired by
Empress Catherine the Great.
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This painting was described
by Giorgio Vasari as one of the...
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of Titian's first works in Venice.
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00:06:19,700 --> 00:06:23,060
And the acquisition of
the collection of Crozat in 1771
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was certainly one of the major things
for the collection,
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because it included also the first
Raphael that came to Russia.
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It was in itself
something like 400 paintings.
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00:06:47,900 --> 00:06:50,940
She also picked up one of
Rembrandt's greatest works.
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00:07:07,300 --> 00:07:11,180
And then 1779 - and it was
very political also, the decision -
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that she was buying the
collection of Robert Walpole.
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He was Prime Minster for England.
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She was trying just to show Europe
that Russian money is unlimited,
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absolutely unlimited.
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And Walpole's collection,
it is 200 paintings nearly, 198.
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And of the first quality.
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It was not just
the whim of a capricious woman.
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It was always a serious
matter for her.
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For instance, she brought
the Walpole Collection,
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then Russia was in two wars,
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one with the Swedes on the north
and one with the Turks on the south.
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Even at such a serious and
difficult moment for the country
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she was able to spend money
for buying pictures.
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So she understood very, very well,
how it worked for her image.
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And just imagine, then,
these ships arriving here,
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opposite to the palace,
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and then unloading them.
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And all these greats
coming to this corridor
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and simply filling the walls.
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00:08:51,940 --> 00:08:55,620
Catherine's legacy, to this day,
inspires creativity.
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It's a living museum,
a place of scholarship.
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00:08:59,420 --> 00:09:03,220
I found artists working everywhere,
learning from the great masters.
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One of her most surprising
acquisitions was a sculpture,
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discovered completely by chance.
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Catherine II made a very,
very important acquisition.
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She bought the collection
of Marquis Lyde Browne in 1787.
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This job lot of 250 classical
sculptures from England
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was discovered completely
by chance on arrival in Russia
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to contain a rare masterpiece -
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this unfinished marble
by Michelangelo.
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Professor Mikhail Piotrovsky,
director of the Hermitage,
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followed dynastically
in his father's footsteps.
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The first place I came was the
Hermitage, when I begin to walk.
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We lived nearby and my father
worked in Hermitage all his life
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so I was brought here.
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When I was growing up...
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As I was told, I should remember
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that the first place
I was brought was the arsenal.
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So I was shown some drums and swords.
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I didn't ever touch
the swords - forbidden.
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So I have this experience from
my childhood, the museum experience
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and the experience of archaeology
and studying ancient history.
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I have studied the profession
from the beginning.
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I was watching how my father
was doing it.
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He was a great person and certainly
he was a great director.
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In the middle of the 19th century,
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these rooms have been rooms of,
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let's say, the government,
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because the State Council of Russia
was situated here
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and the place which is my office,
the room which is my office,
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was the Cabinet of Ministers
of the Russian Empire.
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Then they all moved to another,
bigger building,
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but we still feel that we are part
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of the governing body
of the Russian Empire.
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The Hermitage was long ruled
by imperial tsars.
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Now the directors
are state appointed.
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I was taken to the real
inner sanctum of the Hermitage.
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The desk in Piotrovsky's office
belonged to Tsar Alexander III,
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but has since disappeared
under piles of papers.
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BUZZER
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Piotrovsky speaks nine languages.
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TRANSLATION:
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'I must know how to do all
the things which are done
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'by all the different kinds
of people in Hermitage,
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'so I'm a co-ordinator,
and the final...
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'..well, place and
person for arbitration.
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'Final decision is mine.
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'So it's very totalitarian,
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but it's how it was always
and should be.'
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I was lead to a room in
a far hidden corner of the museum,
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away from the public eye.
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I was told we'd find out all about
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Catherine the Great's
private obsession -
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collecting engraved
gemstones and cameos.
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All preserved in their original
18th century Roentgen cabinets.
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What we see now, we have the...
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We can see how Catherine the Great
was keeping her collections.
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And definitely these are wonderful...
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Well, it's not showcases,
but they're wonderful pieces of art.
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We try to keep it
as it was in Catherine's time,
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because she also had it in storage.
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That's a way how you keep them.
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So I'll show you how...
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...it was and is.
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This is unbelievable. And these
cabinets were specially built by...
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These cabinets had been
specially built for Catherine.
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And this tells you a bit about her,
doesn't it? The kind of quantity.
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Yes.
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Quantity and quality,
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because this is a very important part
of Hermitage
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and Catherine
the Great's acquisitions.
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It was always quality,
which was very high.
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They are a collection
of the best names
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but also the best things
from the best names.
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In a way, I think the passion
which she had for art is a passion
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which everybody must have
that works in the museum.
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It's a great delight
to work with all the things.
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To work in such surroundings.
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That's why sometimes the government
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thinks that they don't need
to pay us money,
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because we're enjoying
our life being here.
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Sometimes I think that her job
and your job are very similar.
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Er, well, partly.
I am not running the country.
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HE CHUCKLES
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Although the Hermitage was created
by Catherine the Great,
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it was her predecessor,
Peter the Great,
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who also collected widely.
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One of the quirkiest items
I found in the Hermitage
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is a waxwork of Peter,
who was nearly seven feet tall...
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..and actually a great hero
who founded St Petersburg.
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A small throne room
was built in his memory,
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which was under restoration.
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He'd acquired from tomb robbers
ancient Scythian gold
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00:15:48,900 --> 00:15:52,220
dating back to the 7th century BC,
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00:15:52,220 --> 00:15:54,220
which had been brought
to southern Russia
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by nomadic tribes from central Asia.
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Siberia yielded yet more treasures.
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And we will see
the costume of Peter the Great.
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He was very talented
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and I'm proud of this fact that he
chose the French fashion for Russia.
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This uniform became
the museum exhibit in 1732.
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He collected a lot of items.
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Sculptures,
it was very new for Russia.
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00:17:15,740 --> 00:17:18,900
And his choice was
really incredible.
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00:17:21,500 --> 00:17:24,420
I discovered that one of these
very special exhibits
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was acquired through a swap.
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The most famous sculpture
of the Hermitage
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came under the reign
of Peter The Great.
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00:17:33,460 --> 00:17:39,020
You can see it in this gallery
and it came in 1719.
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00:17:39,020 --> 00:17:42,740
It was given to Peter The Great
by Pope Clement the 11th
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00:17:42,740 --> 00:17:46,340
in exchange for relics
of St Brigitta.
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00:17:48,220 --> 00:17:55,100
Imagine, it was covered by light,
light colours, rouge lips,
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black-blue eyes,
gilded hair
218
00:17:58,900 --> 00:18:04,420
and her charm and her power
was very impressive,
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00:18:04,420 --> 00:18:05,780
even in antiquity,
220
00:18:05,780 --> 00:18:12,060
and a lot of ancient writers left us
a description of this statue.
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00:18:14,260 --> 00:18:19,580
'They say that a certain man
was once overcome with love
222
00:18:19,580 --> 00:18:22,420
'for the statue and that,
after he had hidden himself
223
00:18:22,420 --> 00:18:24,820
'in the shrine
during the night-time,
224
00:18:24,820 --> 00:18:30,020
'he embraced the statue and
that it thus bears a stain,
225
00:18:30,020 --> 00:18:31,700
'an indication of his lust.'
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00:18:33,380 --> 00:18:36,500
The swap turned out to be one-sided.
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In the end, the Pope
never got his relics.
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One legacy built on another -
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00:18:44,260 --> 00:18:48,900
every ruler who was on the throne,
found here in the Romanov Corridor,
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00:18:48,900 --> 00:18:51,180
added something to the Hermitage,
231
00:18:51,180 --> 00:18:54,900
accumulating more and more treasures
for the ever growing collection.
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00:18:56,980 --> 00:18:58,580
In the early 1800s,
233
00:18:58,580 --> 00:19:01,460
Catherine the Great's grandson,
Alexander I,
234
00:19:01,460 --> 00:19:03,060
defeated Napoleon.
235
00:19:07,460 --> 00:19:09,980
A portrait of all the generals
who fought
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00:19:09,980 --> 00:19:11,660
appears in the 1812 Gallery.
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00:19:15,420 --> 00:19:16,780
He was also a collector.
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00:19:25,340 --> 00:19:31,060
First acquisition was certainly
for sculpture from the collection
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00:19:31,060 --> 00:19:36,260
of Josephine Beauharnais,
the wife of Napoleon.
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00:19:36,260 --> 00:19:41,940
And the works of Canova
are something sentimental.
241
00:19:52,380 --> 00:19:55,460
Alexander also acquired
great paintings from Paris.
242
00:20:15,020 --> 00:20:18,660
Alexander's brother, Nicholas I,
was to make a huge impact
243
00:20:18,660 --> 00:20:21,420
on the architecture
of the Hermitage,
244
00:20:21,420 --> 00:20:23,220
by building a victory chariot,
245
00:20:23,220 --> 00:20:27,460
and a column in memory of Russia's
triumph over Napoleon.
246
00:20:30,620 --> 00:20:34,100
He also added a museum wing
to the Winter Palace.
247
00:20:37,380 --> 00:20:41,980
This gallery was a part of
the New Hermitage,
248
00:20:41,980 --> 00:20:47,220
the first public museum
constructed by Nicholas I.
249
00:20:52,940 --> 00:20:56,540
The New Hermitage building...
which is an impressive one
250
00:20:56,540 --> 00:20:59,300
and I think quite unique
in the world.
251
00:20:59,300 --> 00:21:03,740
And every visitor,
believe me, says "Wow!"
252
00:21:03,740 --> 00:21:05,500
entering this interior.
253
00:21:40,020 --> 00:21:42,860
The space is wonderful.
It's a great example of
254
00:21:42,860 --> 00:21:45,460
how the masterpiece of museum
architecture has been done.
255
00:21:45,460 --> 00:21:47,860
This is New Hermitage building
by Leo von Klenze
256
00:21:47,860 --> 00:21:49,900
which still is considered to be
257
00:21:49,900 --> 00:21:52,620
one of the best museum buildings
in the world.
258
00:21:52,620 --> 00:21:53,700
And it is.
259
00:22:10,380 --> 00:22:11,860
It's part of what Hermitage is.
260
00:22:11,860 --> 00:22:15,420
We are keeping the memory
of Russia and Russian Empire
261
00:22:15,420 --> 00:22:16,620
and Russian history.
262
00:22:17,900 --> 00:22:21,060
Not only by objects
but with the buildings
263
00:22:21,060 --> 00:22:24,180
and trying to remind people
what our history is.
264
00:22:34,180 --> 00:22:37,620
But in 1837, all the treasures
were nearly lost forever,
265
00:22:37,620 --> 00:22:40,140
in a big fire which burned
for several days,
266
00:22:40,140 --> 00:22:41,820
gutting the Winter Palace.
267
00:22:43,100 --> 00:22:46,700
The art was saved by the guards
and dumped in the snow.
268
00:22:46,700 --> 00:22:50,380
Some gold ornaments were only found
when the snow melted in the spring.
269
00:22:53,420 --> 00:22:54,900
Within a year and a half,
270
00:22:54,900 --> 00:22:58,540
the palace was completely rebuilt
by Nicholas I,
271
00:22:58,540 --> 00:22:59,980
and the art reinstalled.
272
00:23:01,100 --> 00:23:07,300
In 1852, it was opened for public as
the first public museum in Russia.
273
00:23:16,500 --> 00:23:18,980
One of the most popular
exhibits today
274
00:23:18,980 --> 00:23:22,900
is the Madonna Litta
by Leonardo Da Vinci.
275
00:23:22,900 --> 00:23:24,940
Now when you come to the Hermitage,
276
00:23:24,940 --> 00:23:29,460
you see there are crowds
around Leonardo, endless crowds.
277
00:23:29,460 --> 00:23:31,420
People that, when they come
to the Hermitage,
278
00:23:31,420 --> 00:23:33,420
they all need to see Da Vinci.
279
00:24:05,340 --> 00:24:07,260
Second painting, Madonna Benois.
280
00:24:07,260 --> 00:24:10,900
And it was one of the greatest
lucks of the Hermitage,
281
00:24:10,900 --> 00:24:14,300
that it was discovered
in Saint Petersburg,
282
00:24:14,300 --> 00:24:16,540
in the private family of Benois.
283
00:24:19,180 --> 00:24:21,900
And then it was decided to buy it
for the Hermitage.
284
00:24:21,900 --> 00:24:25,860
Nicholas II,
who had no artistic interest,
285
00:24:25,860 --> 00:24:28,700
in this case he gave the money,
286
00:24:28,700 --> 00:24:31,980
because for that time it was
the highest price for the painting.
287
00:24:31,980 --> 00:24:34,380
Highest price lasted until 1960s.
288
00:24:43,220 --> 00:24:46,940
In the early 20th century,
the Hermitage played centre stage
289
00:24:46,940 --> 00:24:50,020
to the biggest upheaval
in Russian history -
290
00:24:50,020 --> 00:24:53,180
an era of massive social change.
291
00:24:53,180 --> 00:24:56,180
There was huge dissent against
the tsarist autocracy,
292
00:24:56,180 --> 00:24:58,140
who ruled from the Winter Palace.
293
00:24:59,620 --> 00:25:01,940
With the onset of
the First World War,
294
00:25:01,940 --> 00:25:04,500
St Petersburg was renamed Petrograd.
295
00:25:07,460 --> 00:25:09,940
Parts of the Winter Palace
changed their function
296
00:25:09,940 --> 00:25:11,540
and became a hospital,
297
00:25:11,540 --> 00:25:13,180
and later an orphanage.
298
00:25:17,340 --> 00:25:21,660
By 1917, the museum's treasured
collection was in jeopardy
299
00:25:21,660 --> 00:25:25,820
and was packed up into crates
for shipping to safety in Moscow,
300
00:25:25,820 --> 00:25:28,340
out of the reach of
the advancing German army.
301
00:25:39,100 --> 00:25:42,820
When foreigners are near the Baltic,
we have to evacuate collections.
302
00:25:42,820 --> 00:25:45,940
It was in 1917,
there was three trains.
303
00:25:45,940 --> 00:25:49,820
Two managed to go out of Petrograd,
went to Moscow,
304
00:25:49,820 --> 00:25:53,540
and the third stopped because
the October Revolution happened
305
00:25:53,540 --> 00:25:55,580
and there was no way
to get to Moscow.
306
00:25:55,580 --> 00:25:56,860
It just came back.
307
00:25:59,300 --> 00:26:03,620
It wasn't just the Germans that
Tsar Nicholas II had to worry about.
308
00:26:03,620 --> 00:26:06,860
Lenin's revolutionary Bolsheviks
were uprising against him.
309
00:26:15,700 --> 00:26:19,980
YELLING
310
00:26:23,940 --> 00:26:28,100
The Revolution had a great impact
on the Hermitage
311
00:26:28,100 --> 00:26:31,900
and of course
the Winter Palace as well,
312
00:26:31,900 --> 00:26:35,300
which was residency of
the Tsar's family.
313
00:26:35,300 --> 00:26:39,540
Even though it wasn't as dramatic
as in Eisenstein film.
314
00:26:47,940 --> 00:26:50,340
Revolution is like a fire,
315
00:26:50,340 --> 00:26:53,540
and so when the situation
became difficult,
316
00:26:53,540 --> 00:26:58,180
the director of Hermitage just closed
the doors to the Winter Palace.
317
00:26:58,180 --> 00:27:02,700
So when the Winter Palace was
stormed, the Hermitage saved itself.
318
00:27:02,700 --> 00:27:04,940
They didn't let anybody
get in to the museum
319
00:27:04,940 --> 00:27:07,300
and at certain moment
they opened up the doors
320
00:27:07,300 --> 00:27:09,860
to the members of Revolutionary Guard
321
00:27:09,860 --> 00:27:12,100
who came just to protect
the collection.
322
00:27:15,940 --> 00:27:19,260
The clock in the White Dining Room
stopped at ten past two,
323
00:27:19,260 --> 00:27:22,020
the exact moment
the Bolsheviks broke in
324
00:27:22,020 --> 00:27:23,740
and arrested the provisional
government
325
00:27:23,740 --> 00:27:25,260
who were meeting around this table.
326
00:27:26,620 --> 00:27:30,460
Only five days after
the October Revolution,
327
00:27:30,460 --> 00:27:34,260
Minister of Public Enlightenment
issued a decree
328
00:27:34,260 --> 00:27:38,020
ensuring that both Winter Palace
and the State Hermitage
329
00:27:38,020 --> 00:27:39,340
became the museums.
330
00:27:41,700 --> 00:27:47,180
Nicholas II and his entire family
were executed in Yekaterinburg,
331
00:27:47,180 --> 00:27:49,220
marking the end of
the Romanov dynasty.
332
00:27:50,700 --> 00:27:52,260
Their portraits were slashed.
333
00:27:54,940 --> 00:27:57,500
Petrograd was then renamed Leningrad
334
00:27:57,500 --> 00:27:59,980
and the capital of Russia
was moved to Moscow.
335
00:28:06,660 --> 00:28:10,420
Incredibly, all the remaining
contents of the Palace and Museum
336
00:28:10,420 --> 00:28:15,060
came back to the Hermitage intact,
now seen as property of the people.
337
00:28:23,380 --> 00:28:25,540
There are two ways
you can do something
338
00:28:25,540 --> 00:28:27,460
against the previous regime.
339
00:28:27,460 --> 00:28:30,300
Or you just destroy things,
which mostly is done,
340
00:28:30,300 --> 00:28:33,660
or you show things and say
"Well, look how bad it is.
341
00:28:33,660 --> 00:28:37,020
"Look how terrible it was
to use money of the people
342
00:28:37,020 --> 00:28:40,580
"to bring this." And so this second
style is much better.
343
00:28:42,660 --> 00:28:47,540
The effect of the Revolution meant
the entire Palace was nationalized.
344
00:28:47,540 --> 00:28:52,220
Every corner of the building became
part of the Soviet State Museum.
345
00:28:52,220 --> 00:28:55,660
Even the most unusual
and private of places.
346
00:28:55,660 --> 00:28:58,180
We are in the porcelain storage,
347
00:28:58,180 --> 00:29:02,940
which used to be the former
bathroom of two Russian Empresses.
348
00:29:02,940 --> 00:29:04,780
And you can see here
a lot of evidence
349
00:29:04,780 --> 00:29:06,860
of how the bathroom looked
like in their time.
350
00:29:11,260 --> 00:29:13,700
One of these rooms were chosen to be
351
00:29:13,700 --> 00:29:16,060
the storage of the
Russian Imperial porcelain.
352
00:29:35,660 --> 00:29:38,540
Within a few months after
the porcelain factory
353
00:29:38,540 --> 00:29:41,220
turned into the state
porcelain factory,
354
00:29:41,220 --> 00:29:45,860
they got a request from the
government that the Soviet porcelain
355
00:29:45,860 --> 00:29:50,700
should become a part of Lenin's plan
of the monumental propaganda.
356
00:29:56,460 --> 00:30:00,940
The new ideology, the new political
and economical issues
357
00:30:00,940 --> 00:30:02,940
of the newly-born country.
358
00:30:04,260 --> 00:30:10,340
After the Revolution, traditional
artists didn't immediately accept
359
00:30:10,340 --> 00:30:13,060
the new Bolshevik power,
360
00:30:13,060 --> 00:30:16,420
and it was left
for avant-garde artists,
361
00:30:16,420 --> 00:30:19,340
who offered their services
to the new state.
362
00:30:22,300 --> 00:30:26,060
Kazimir Malevich was
the father of Suprematism.
363
00:30:26,060 --> 00:30:30,060
In 1915, he exhibited
his famous Black Square.
364
00:30:38,540 --> 00:30:41,820
After the Revolution,
Kazimir Malevich also felt
365
00:30:41,820 --> 00:30:44,940
that he could produce art
of the new Russia,
366
00:30:44,940 --> 00:30:51,340
so they were hoping to impose
their new art and new artistic forms
367
00:30:51,340 --> 00:30:53,940
into the porcelain production.
368
00:30:53,940 --> 00:30:56,860
But still Malevich wanted it
to be unique,
369
00:30:56,860 --> 00:31:00,860
rather than something that every
worker will have in their house.
370
00:31:05,860 --> 00:31:09,980
This movement was to inspire
another Russian artist, Kandinsky,
371
00:31:09,980 --> 00:31:12,700
to produce some of
his greatest paintings.
372
00:31:30,780 --> 00:31:35,500
The new Communist ideology stated
that all property must be shared.
373
00:31:35,500 --> 00:31:38,020
Many wealthy individuals
were forced to flee the country
374
00:31:38,020 --> 00:31:39,380
in fear of their lives
375
00:31:39,380 --> 00:31:42,940
and leave behind their immense
private collections of European art.
376
00:31:44,540 --> 00:31:46,340
This was a period when the museum
377
00:31:46,340 --> 00:31:49,140
acquired some of its most famous
and valuable works.
378
00:31:52,140 --> 00:31:54,100
One such collection came from
the home
379
00:31:54,100 --> 00:31:56,540
of wealthy Moscow merchant
Sergei Schukin.
380
00:31:57,780 --> 00:32:02,940
Of course he couldn't take
with him something -
381
00:32:02,940 --> 00:32:06,860
not any money, letters,
documents, nothing.
382
00:32:06,860 --> 00:32:08,500
His collection was nationalised.
383
00:32:42,020 --> 00:32:43,980
Van Gogh, Cezanne
384
00:32:43,980 --> 00:32:45,820
and then Matisse.
385
00:32:50,780 --> 00:32:53,980
And then Picasso
was the latest comer.
386
00:32:57,020 --> 00:33:03,380
But in the '30s, this art,
modern art was...
387
00:33:03,380 --> 00:33:07,580
not greeted in the country.
388
00:33:07,580 --> 00:33:11,380
The museum was now run by directors
under government control.
389
00:33:11,380 --> 00:33:14,540
This newly-acquired Western art
was branded as decadent,
390
00:33:14,540 --> 00:33:17,100
banned and not to be shown.
391
00:33:17,100 --> 00:33:20,780
It's incredible to think that
Picasso and Matisse were mothballed.
392
00:33:22,020 --> 00:33:27,020
Instead, the Hermitage focused on
its own ancient Russian history,
393
00:33:27,020 --> 00:33:30,300
a period before
the European-loving tsars.
394
00:33:30,300 --> 00:33:33,580
So at that time archaeology became
the main source of objects
395
00:33:33,580 --> 00:33:38,420
and the main trend of scientific
research in Hermitage,
396
00:33:38,420 --> 00:33:40,860
so it is also
a history of Hermitage.
397
00:33:40,860 --> 00:33:43,620
And we have here several rooms,
398
00:33:43,620 --> 00:33:50,460
which are dedicated to results of
the work of Russian archaeologists.
399
00:33:50,460 --> 00:33:52,660
The world's oldest carpet
400
00:33:52,660 --> 00:33:55,580
was discovered in Siberia
by Hermitage curators.
401
00:33:57,260 --> 00:34:01,140
It was preserved in ice
in the frozen tombs of Pazyryk,
402
00:34:01,140 --> 00:34:03,540
dating back to 500 BC.
403
00:34:07,060 --> 00:34:10,100
Here lies a tattooed
Scythian warrior.
404
00:34:10,100 --> 00:34:12,260
This really is Russia's own history.
405
00:34:17,180 --> 00:34:21,220
Objects were reclassified according
to their Communist value.
406
00:34:21,220 --> 00:34:23,900
In the mid '20s,
under Stalin's reign,
407
00:34:23,900 --> 00:34:26,340
the Hermitage suffered
catastrophic losses
408
00:34:26,340 --> 00:34:28,020
to its collection of European art.
409
00:34:29,340 --> 00:34:32,220
To raise money for tractors
and machine tools,
410
00:34:32,220 --> 00:34:36,940
Russia sold off many of Catherine's
precious old masters to America,
411
00:34:36,940 --> 00:34:40,340
bought by wealthy financier
Andrew Mellon,
412
00:34:40,340 --> 00:34:43,300
who founded the National Gallery
Of Art, in Washington DC.
413
00:34:45,860 --> 00:34:50,060
There were more works offered
than the 21 he acquired.
414
00:34:50,060 --> 00:34:51,700
They were great Old Masters
415
00:34:51,700 --> 00:34:53,980
that the Russian government
decided to sell
416
00:34:53,980 --> 00:34:55,340
to raise cash at the time.
417
00:34:58,700 --> 00:35:01,700
You know in 1911,
there was a guide book
418
00:35:01,700 --> 00:35:06,180
published by Alexandre Benois,
a Russian historian of art
419
00:35:06,180 --> 00:35:08,740
and, erm, sometimes it seems to me,
420
00:35:08,740 --> 00:35:12,100
when I just turn the pages
of this guidebook
421
00:35:12,100 --> 00:35:14,500
and see the reproductions there,
422
00:35:14,500 --> 00:35:16,500
the images, they showed...
423
00:35:16,500 --> 00:35:19,460
They just took this book
into their hands,
424
00:35:19,460 --> 00:35:22,380
you know, and just put
the finger, I want this,
425
00:35:22,380 --> 00:35:23,740
want this and this,
426
00:35:23,740 --> 00:35:27,020
because you can see
that all these masterpieces,
427
00:35:27,020 --> 00:35:29,860
a lot of them
are reproduced in this book.
428
00:35:32,380 --> 00:35:34,380
Well, the collection also houses
429
00:35:34,380 --> 00:35:37,140
probably some of the greatest
Italian Renaissance masters
430
00:35:37,140 --> 00:35:39,820
in the entire world.
431
00:35:39,820 --> 00:35:41,900
The Raphael Alba Madonna,
432
00:35:41,900 --> 00:35:44,700
the great tondo, it's
an extraordinary painting.
433
00:35:48,820 --> 00:35:50,740
This really is pretty exciting,
434
00:35:50,740 --> 00:35:53,100
to go through this museum and say,
435
00:35:53,100 --> 00:35:55,260
"Oh, wow, that's
a fabulous painting."
436
00:35:55,260 --> 00:35:57,260
It turns out, "Oh,
that was Andrew Mellon?
437
00:35:57,260 --> 00:35:59,580
"Oh, my gosh,
it came from the Hermitage."
438
00:36:01,780 --> 00:36:05,380
Well, it was an extraordinary coup,
no question about it.
439
00:36:05,380 --> 00:36:10,860
I think he paid something
north of $6,600,000,
440
00:36:10,860 --> 00:36:12,540
at the time, for them.
441
00:36:12,540 --> 00:36:14,060
Can't imagine.
442
00:36:14,060 --> 00:36:17,100
It was quite an extraordinary
thing, historically.
443
00:36:17,100 --> 00:36:18,540
Still is for that matter.
444
00:36:25,820 --> 00:36:29,420
It was a national tragedy because
defence was difficult because,
445
00:36:29,420 --> 00:36:33,820
well, politically, no real
possibility of saying no
446
00:36:33,820 --> 00:36:36,340
was existing in the '30s.
447
00:36:37,780 --> 00:36:42,220
A letter was sent to Stalin by
future museum director Josif Orbeli,
448
00:36:42,220 --> 00:36:43,820
begging him to halt
the sell-off.
449
00:36:44,980 --> 00:36:47,540
But the purge didn't stop at art.
450
00:36:47,540 --> 00:36:50,300
The Hermitage staff were
now under threat.
451
00:36:50,300 --> 00:36:51,980
Seen as enemies of the state,
452
00:36:51,980 --> 00:36:54,660
they were prosecuted
under trumped-up charges.
453
00:36:56,060 --> 00:36:59,060
Over 50 were exiled
to the Gulag prison camps.
454
00:37:05,820 --> 00:37:10,780
Many people from the Hermitage
spent time in Gulag.
455
00:37:10,780 --> 00:37:17,780
People were sent because of their
being a member of a noble family,
456
00:37:17,780 --> 00:37:22,980
being the son or the daughter
of an officer of Tsar army.
457
00:37:25,820 --> 00:37:28,940
My grandfather, Nikolai Bauer,
458
00:37:28,940 --> 00:37:34,580
had worked in the Hermitage
more than 25 years
459
00:37:34,580 --> 00:37:37,100
and he was arrested
460
00:37:37,100 --> 00:37:39,180
and in September executed.
461
00:37:40,540 --> 00:37:45,340
During the Reign of Terror,
at least 12 curators never returned.
462
00:37:45,340 --> 00:37:48,460
To this day, people don't want
to talk about the purge.
463
00:37:49,660 --> 00:37:52,860
And do you know
why they were sent away?
464
00:37:52,860 --> 00:37:55,580
I don't know why
they were sent away. Don't know.
465
00:38:01,100 --> 00:38:06,500
My father was in prison for short
time, half a year, but this was...
466
00:38:06,500 --> 00:38:11,980
It was beginning, they got...
Then he was freed and he, I think,
467
00:38:11,980 --> 00:38:14,780
was using that decision... He's not,
468
00:38:14,780 --> 00:38:17,980
hasn't done anything wrong
in the next years which came.
469
00:38:20,980 --> 00:38:24,820
AUDIO FROM A SPEECH BY HITLER
470
00:38:57,140 --> 00:39:01,820
In World War II, Hitler had
the Hermitage in his sights.
471
00:39:01,820 --> 00:39:06,420
The Nazis weren't just killing
people, they were looting the art,
472
00:39:06,420 --> 00:39:10,540
systematically plundering across
Europe for the Fuhrer's own museum.
473
00:39:13,260 --> 00:39:16,380
There was the question of being
robbed and everything taken out
474
00:39:16,380 --> 00:39:19,700
so when Germans began to come in
close to St Petersburg,
475
00:39:19,700 --> 00:39:21,980
Hermitage was prepared
for evacuation.
476
00:39:21,980 --> 00:39:23,780
It was Orbeli's decision.
477
00:39:23,780 --> 00:39:28,180
They began to prepare collections
for evacuation to Urals.
478
00:40:06,660 --> 00:40:10,780
Three trains had been prepared.
Two managed to leave Leningrad.
479
00:40:15,820 --> 00:40:18,900
The third had to go back
because the Siege was closed.
480
00:40:18,900 --> 00:40:21,260
The same thing happened in 1917.
481
00:40:23,260 --> 00:40:25,500
They were put into crates
482
00:40:25,500 --> 00:40:30,700
and then evacuated to Ural
Mountains, as all other things.
483
00:40:30,700 --> 00:40:34,260
So just frames were on the walls.
484
00:40:50,860 --> 00:40:54,500
TRAIN WHISTLE
485
00:41:04,020 --> 00:41:08,780
SIRENS
486
00:41:12,540 --> 00:41:14,500
With most of the collection safe,
487
00:41:14,500 --> 00:41:17,300
the curators and their families
sheltered in the cellars
488
00:41:17,300 --> 00:41:18,780
underneath the Winter Palace.
489
00:41:27,260 --> 00:41:32,260
The Germans bombed
all the food stores
490
00:41:32,260 --> 00:41:34,540
and it was extraordinary,
491
00:41:34,540 --> 00:41:39,820
kind of the smell of burning sugar
was absolutely hanging,
492
00:41:39,820 --> 00:41:42,020
hanging over Leningrad.
493
00:41:42,020 --> 00:41:44,460
You smell it everywhere
and so on.
494
00:41:44,460 --> 00:41:49,300
No food anymore, kind of,
bombs started coming the whole time
495
00:41:49,300 --> 00:41:52,260
and then the Germans surrounded.
496
00:42:02,660 --> 00:42:05,420
Didn't your father come here
as the fire warden?
497
00:42:05,420 --> 00:42:06,460
Yes, definitely.
498
00:42:07,580 --> 00:42:11,300
Well, my father, the fire warden,
they had them mostly at nights,
499
00:42:11,300 --> 00:42:17,260
so they had been going through these
rooms at night, during the war,
500
00:42:17,260 --> 00:42:20,260
and we have a picture,
one of the pictures,
501
00:42:20,260 --> 00:42:21,940
which is so dark, dark, dark.
502
00:42:21,940 --> 00:42:25,780
It's exactly of this room, during
the night, at night during the war.
503
00:42:38,340 --> 00:42:42,780
Everything was concentrated
on what to eat next
504
00:42:42,780 --> 00:42:44,620
and all kind of things appeared.
505
00:42:46,420 --> 00:42:49,300
First of all belts,
506
00:42:49,300 --> 00:42:52,460
which my father kind of had
a lot at home.
507
00:42:52,460 --> 00:42:56,980
So these belts were slowly cooked
till they were quite soft
508
00:42:56,980 --> 00:42:59,660
and they were quite delicious.
509
00:42:59,660 --> 00:43:02,340
Then...
SHE LAUGHS
510
00:43:02,340 --> 00:43:06,620
..my grandmother,
first of all she had a cat,
511
00:43:06,620 --> 00:43:10,660
then my mother said, "Well, you must
decide who is more precious to you,
512
00:43:10,660 --> 00:43:12,940
"your cat or your granddaughter,"
513
00:43:12,940 --> 00:43:16,020
So she cried and gave us her cat.
514
00:43:16,020 --> 00:43:19,020
Cats are delicious,
absolutely delicious.
515
00:43:23,980 --> 00:43:27,660
Soldiers who came from the front,
516
00:43:27,660 --> 00:43:32,260
who were hungry, who were tired
of battles and all those things,
517
00:43:32,260 --> 00:43:37,820
one of the guides made
an excursion around the Hermitage
518
00:43:37,820 --> 00:43:42,340
and he showed just empty frames
but talked about the paintings.
519
00:43:42,340 --> 00:43:46,020
He described them and people were
standing and listening
520
00:43:46,020 --> 00:43:48,700
and everybody was happy to listen,
521
00:43:48,700 --> 00:43:51,420
even when they couldn't
see the paintings.
522
00:43:59,780 --> 00:44:03,740
A third of the population
of Leningrad died in the Siege,
523
00:44:03,740 --> 00:44:06,140
including over 100
of the Hermitage staff.
524
00:44:12,300 --> 00:44:18,020
The first exhibition was opened
at once, shortly after the victory,
525
00:44:18,020 --> 00:44:22,100
and after, step by step,
galleries have been opened
526
00:44:22,100 --> 00:44:24,620
and these sculptures
occupy their places.
527
00:44:27,300 --> 00:44:33,380
During the war, the idea of
compensation, restitution arised,
528
00:44:33,380 --> 00:44:36,500
in all the countries
fighting Germany,
529
00:44:36,500 --> 00:44:38,220
but certainly, especially in Russia,
530
00:44:38,220 --> 00:44:44,900
because a lot of Russian heritage
was stolen, was taken by Germans.
531
00:44:44,900 --> 00:44:48,540
Then there was a decision that
when we win and come to Germany,
532
00:44:48,540 --> 00:44:51,780
first of all we'll take
our collections back
533
00:44:51,780 --> 00:44:54,500
and then we'll take some of them
as compensation
534
00:44:54,500 --> 00:44:57,980
for what is done to our countries.
535
00:44:57,980 --> 00:45:01,980
So we do have some of the paintings
and some archaeological material.
536
00:45:04,260 --> 00:45:07,420
Piotrovsky took me to the museum
storage facility centre
537
00:45:07,420 --> 00:45:10,020
on the other side of St Petersburg,
538
00:45:10,020 --> 00:45:14,020
where I discovered these frescos
liberated from Germany
539
00:45:14,020 --> 00:45:15,900
and kept by Russia since the '40s.
540
00:46:09,900 --> 00:46:12,580
For years, the hidden treasures
seized from Germany
541
00:46:12,580 --> 00:46:14,700
were kept in closed storage.
542
00:46:14,700 --> 00:46:16,420
Because they wanted them returned,
543
00:46:16,420 --> 00:46:18,580
it was too controversial
to exhibit them.
544
00:46:20,140 --> 00:46:22,940
However, the Russian
parliament decreed a law
545
00:46:22,940 --> 00:46:25,420
saying that all art should
stay where it was.
546
00:46:28,180 --> 00:46:36,100
In 1995, there was a permission
to show those paintings.
547
00:46:37,740 --> 00:46:39,100
That's how they're here.
548
00:46:53,860 --> 00:46:58,500
My opinion is that whatever
was taken during the war,
549
00:46:58,500 --> 00:47:00,740
or whatever it is, it's all right,
550
00:47:00,740 --> 00:47:03,540
but it should be shown
to the public.
551
00:47:03,540 --> 00:47:08,660
It shouldn't be kept hidden away
for years and years and years.
552
00:47:08,660 --> 00:47:11,900
That's my opinion,
but that's just my opinion.
553
00:47:18,660 --> 00:47:22,260
The sin is not to show art.
You have to show art.
554
00:47:22,260 --> 00:47:23,900
If you have something,
you must show it
555
00:47:23,900 --> 00:47:26,380
and then discuss
to whom it does belong.
556
00:47:26,380 --> 00:47:30,900
It's maybe still our socialist
upbringing and education,
557
00:47:30,900 --> 00:47:34,460
it's important. Art is more
important than property and money.
558
00:47:35,500 --> 00:47:38,740
I'm afraid not everybody
thinks this way,
559
00:47:38,740 --> 00:47:40,860
but still it's what
we try to teach at Hermitage.
560
00:47:47,540 --> 00:47:51,900
The death of Stalin in 1953
saw in a new era for the Hermitage.
561
00:47:57,820 --> 00:48:01,100
The extraordinary collection
of post-impressionist paintings
562
00:48:01,100 --> 00:48:03,260
seized from Schukin
and other exiles,
563
00:48:03,260 --> 00:48:07,460
which had been kept locked away,
could at last be shown.
564
00:48:07,460 --> 00:48:12,340
The people around Stalin, and Stalin
himself, they hated such art.
565
00:48:18,740 --> 00:48:25,460
Only from '56, we started here
to show impressionists,
566
00:48:25,460 --> 00:48:30,980
then Van Gogh, Gauguin,
Matisse, Picasso,
567
00:48:30,980 --> 00:48:35,620
and now every important painting
by such artists is on view.
568
00:49:07,500 --> 00:49:11,460
The government brought many foreign
dignitaries to the Hermitage,
569
00:49:11,460 --> 00:49:14,340
but the then-director,
Mikhail Artamonov,
570
00:49:14,340 --> 00:49:16,460
found himself fighting
a constant battle
571
00:49:16,460 --> 00:49:18,420
to keep hold of
the museum's treasures.
572
00:49:19,620 --> 00:49:22,300
Government always wanted
the Hermitage
573
00:49:22,300 --> 00:49:28,180
to give up some of its things
so that it could be used as gifts
574
00:49:28,180 --> 00:49:32,500
to foreign delegations or things
like that, and he refused to do it.
575
00:49:34,660 --> 00:49:37,860
The director of Hermitage was sacked.
576
00:49:37,860 --> 00:49:40,980
Many directors of Hermitage
have been sacked because Hermitage,
577
00:49:40,980 --> 00:49:43,220
it's a very special institution.
578
00:49:43,220 --> 00:49:46,020
It's very important, and in the '60s,
579
00:49:46,020 --> 00:49:48,100
this was the period
where my father came.
580
00:49:50,220 --> 00:49:55,060
In 1964, another archaeologist,
Piotrovsky's father Boris,
581
00:49:55,060 --> 00:49:57,540
was made director of the Hermitage.
582
00:49:57,540 --> 00:50:01,660
It was a hub for academic study,
but due to the Cold War
583
00:50:01,660 --> 00:50:03,580
virtually no tourists came
584
00:50:03,580 --> 00:50:06,260
and there was little money
to keep the museum running.
585
00:50:07,980 --> 00:50:11,260
Professor Mikhail Piotrovsky
succeeded his father
586
00:50:11,260 --> 00:50:13,340
becoming director in 1992.
587
00:50:13,340 --> 00:50:19,020
I have grown up in Hermitage
so I think it's very natural that
588
00:50:19,020 --> 00:50:24,900
when Hermitage needed
some special treatment,
589
00:50:24,900 --> 00:50:27,140
a person who has grown up
in Hermitage,
590
00:50:27,140 --> 00:50:28,620
but wasn't working in Hermitage,
591
00:50:28,620 --> 00:50:29,980
was somehow chosen.
592
00:50:31,260 --> 00:50:34,540
Russia's Perestroika saw
the collapse of the Soviet Union
593
00:50:34,540 --> 00:50:37,220
and the end of the Cold War.
594
00:50:37,220 --> 00:50:39,900
Leningrad was renamed St Petersburg.
595
00:50:39,900 --> 00:50:43,020
But the new Russia
had no money for art.
596
00:50:43,020 --> 00:50:46,220
So we learned from our colleagues
in Europe and America,
597
00:50:46,220 --> 00:50:48,300
who live in the jungle
of market economy,
598
00:50:48,300 --> 00:50:50,900
how you do behave in this situation.
599
00:50:50,900 --> 00:50:53,940
So we managed.
We managed to count the money.
600
00:50:53,940 --> 00:50:56,900
We managed to work
with small amounts of money
601
00:50:56,900 --> 00:50:59,660
for construction and for acquisition.
602
00:50:59,660 --> 00:51:03,060
We managed to bring together
Friends of Hermitage,
603
00:51:03,060 --> 00:51:05,340
to get money from the government.
604
00:51:05,340 --> 00:51:07,220
And when you walk through the museum,
605
00:51:07,220 --> 00:51:09,180
you see all the small challenges
606
00:51:09,180 --> 00:51:11,620
which are as important
as the big ones.
607
00:51:13,980 --> 00:51:17,060
These days, Piotrovsky's role
as museum director
608
00:51:17,060 --> 00:51:19,940
is as much political
as it is cultural.
609
00:51:19,940 --> 00:51:23,460
Putin as a ruler, it's very much
in Russian tradition,
610
00:51:23,460 --> 00:51:26,460
and he has made
a lot of important decisions
611
00:51:26,460 --> 00:51:28,620
in helping development of the museum.
612
00:51:30,940 --> 00:51:36,180
He is a cultural person who has
the right feeling of Hermitage.
613
00:51:36,180 --> 00:51:37,820
He was the first who began,
614
00:51:37,820 --> 00:51:40,420
not only to send his guests
to Hermitage,
615
00:51:40,420 --> 00:51:43,860
he began to come
with his guests to Hermitage.
616
00:51:43,860 --> 00:51:46,940
For us, for Russia,
it's a rare thing.
617
00:51:46,940 --> 00:51:50,700
I think it's also rare for other
countries, let's say.
618
00:51:53,060 --> 00:51:56,940
Nowadays, Hermitage art
travels widely.
619
00:51:56,940 --> 00:52:00,180
70 paintings were lent to
Houghton Hall in England,
620
00:52:00,180 --> 00:52:02,900
to recreate Sir Robert Walpole's
art collection,
621
00:52:02,900 --> 00:52:05,020
bought by Catherine the Great.
622
00:52:05,020 --> 00:52:07,900
All you see here is of the time,
so nothing has changed.
623
00:52:07,900 --> 00:52:10,740
Everything has been returned
to its original position,
624
00:52:10,740 --> 00:52:13,580
so on either side,
sort of in prime position,
625
00:52:13,580 --> 00:52:16,420
you have those two very great
portraits by Van Dyke
626
00:52:16,420 --> 00:52:18,260
which are in the Hermitage,
627
00:52:18,260 --> 00:52:22,660
and those are among the best
portraits by Van Dyke in any museum.
628
00:52:22,660 --> 00:52:24,380
So what we have tried to do here
629
00:52:24,380 --> 00:52:26,820
is to recreate
the collection as it was.
630
00:52:26,820 --> 00:52:28,980
In other words,
to re-hang the pictures
631
00:52:28,980 --> 00:52:31,300
how the pictures were displayed
in the 18th century.
632
00:52:31,300 --> 00:52:33,940
It's a once in a lifetime exhibition
633
00:52:33,940 --> 00:52:37,580
and certainly is
a legacy for the house,
634
00:52:37,580 --> 00:52:41,140
and I think for our two countries'
relationship I think it's very...
635
00:52:41,140 --> 00:52:45,100
After all, the arts is
a way of bridging...
636
00:52:45,100 --> 00:52:46,900
making bridges between countries.
637
00:52:46,900 --> 00:52:49,500
And you couldn't get
a better example of that,
638
00:52:49,500 --> 00:52:52,700
and at this time,
than this exhibition.
639
00:52:55,380 --> 00:52:57,220
Piotrovsky has been a globe-trotter,
640
00:52:57,220 --> 00:52:59,900
sort of exploring
the collections of the world.
641
00:52:59,900 --> 00:53:03,620
He's taken the museum from
one century to the next,
642
00:53:03,620 --> 00:53:06,060
from one world to the next as well.
643
00:53:06,060 --> 00:53:08,820
It's quite a difficult
transition, from Soviet times
644
00:53:08,820 --> 00:53:10,500
to contemporary times.
645
00:53:13,180 --> 00:53:17,220
Antony Gormley's exhibition brought
a new direction for the Hermitage.
646
00:53:20,020 --> 00:53:25,020
What is important for us is to show
the museum is a vivid organism.
647
00:53:25,020 --> 00:53:29,020
That it's not an old dusty archive,
648
00:53:29,020 --> 00:53:31,140
but is something that is living.
649
00:53:31,140 --> 00:53:33,540
And the contemporary sculptures,
650
00:53:33,540 --> 00:53:35,020
as well as old sculptures,
651
00:53:35,020 --> 00:53:38,300
are on the same level
of art history.
652
00:53:38,300 --> 00:53:44,340
So by introducing some new works
we also point to the old works,
653
00:53:44,340 --> 00:53:46,780
and people who come to see
something new,
654
00:53:46,780 --> 00:53:48,420
they rediscover the old ones.
655
00:53:50,220 --> 00:53:54,900
Of the 27 works in
the original Dionysus Room,
656
00:53:54,900 --> 00:53:57,380
I retained five.
657
00:53:57,380 --> 00:54:02,380
So all of them were
taken off their plinths,
658
00:54:02,380 --> 00:54:04,420
placed directly on the ground.
659
00:54:04,420 --> 00:54:07,580
That basically allowed you
to stand on the same level
660
00:54:07,580 --> 00:54:11,180
as the sculpted mythical figures
661
00:54:11,180 --> 00:54:15,620
of Venus, Athena, Eros and others.
662
00:54:17,380 --> 00:54:20,100
And that was my concept for,
in a way,
663
00:54:20,100 --> 00:54:23,660
re-booting the power
of these ancient works.
664
00:54:29,780 --> 00:54:33,140
The idea was that in one room
we have only Greek sculptures
665
00:54:33,140 --> 00:54:35,580
and in another room
we have only Antony's work
666
00:54:35,580 --> 00:54:40,300
and through the doorway it was
a dialogue in between them.
667
00:54:40,300 --> 00:54:41,940
It was a difficult project.
668
00:54:41,940 --> 00:54:44,060
And like a shock
669
00:54:44,060 --> 00:54:50,380
when these iron, ugly
from our point of view, statues,
670
00:54:50,380 --> 00:54:53,060
have been on display
in that gallery!
671
00:54:53,060 --> 00:54:56,580
But everybody was amused,
everybody,
672
00:54:56,580 --> 00:54:59,140
because they were friendly.
673
00:54:59,140 --> 00:55:03,180
And we can see, as visitors tried
to imitate the poses,
674
00:55:03,180 --> 00:55:04,940
like this, like this,
675
00:55:04,940 --> 00:55:06,740
and so on.
676
00:55:11,420 --> 00:55:14,940
Other contemporary artists
are working in unseen places,
677
00:55:14,940 --> 00:55:18,020
like underneath the Winter Palace
678
00:55:18,020 --> 00:55:23,140
where cats have traditionally lived
since it was built 250 years ago.
679
00:55:23,140 --> 00:55:26,260
I see the cats as a sub-culture.
680
00:55:26,260 --> 00:55:29,500
OK. So they are my friends
681
00:55:29,500 --> 00:55:32,860
and they are my community
and I talk with, you know.
682
00:55:32,860 --> 00:55:37,460
I will make a kind of installation
with wood and carpet
683
00:55:37,460 --> 00:55:44,940
and also like... Like, you know,
with this round wood
684
00:55:44,940 --> 00:55:47,540
where the cats climb and stuff,
685
00:55:47,540 --> 00:55:50,420
so a kind of cat place
but then for humans.
686
00:55:51,940 --> 00:55:55,620
Now in the 21st century, the
Hermitage has expanded its galleries
687
00:55:55,620 --> 00:55:59,260
across the square into
the General Staff Building,
688
00:55:59,260 --> 00:56:03,100
where paintings by Monet and Matisse
stand alongside Malevich.
689
00:56:06,980 --> 00:56:09,820
An ant hill of around
three million visitors
690
00:56:09,820 --> 00:56:11,420
has replaced the royal court
691
00:56:11,420 --> 00:56:14,420
for which the palace was
originally designed
692
00:56:14,420 --> 00:56:18,100
and moving them around
is today's architectural challenge.
693
00:56:18,100 --> 00:56:21,140
There is a kind of
experience of getting
694
00:56:21,140 --> 00:56:25,740
the masses through
the former spaces of rulers.
695
00:56:28,140 --> 00:56:35,980
Therefore, it is inevitably not
a kind of rare experience anymore,
696
00:56:35,980 --> 00:56:37,500
but a kind of common experience
697
00:56:37,500 --> 00:56:41,420
and so we are trying to enrich
the experience of being there.
698
00:56:48,220 --> 00:56:51,220
All the objects that simply
don't fit in the museum
699
00:56:51,220 --> 00:56:52,540
are in the storage facility.
700
00:56:53,700 --> 00:56:56,980
The entire contents of the
Winter Palace are displayed here
701
00:56:56,980 --> 00:56:59,780
in over 1km
of glass corridor.
702
00:57:02,420 --> 00:57:06,300
The beauty of the Hermitage is that
it's a museum, not about collecting,
703
00:57:06,300 --> 00:57:10,540
or about selection,
but about accumulation.
704
00:57:10,540 --> 00:57:13,580
It's not just about art -
it's about identity.
705
00:57:22,620 --> 00:57:25,940
I think the Hermitage is unique
706
00:57:25,940 --> 00:57:29,500
because you feel like
you're visiting a place
707
00:57:29,500 --> 00:57:32,260
in which history really did change.
708
00:57:33,900 --> 00:57:37,700
This is a tectonic plate
in the story of human culture.
709
00:57:41,420 --> 00:57:44,900
And this makes it not just
a gallery of art,
710
00:57:44,900 --> 00:57:48,700
but also the historical place,
very important for Russian people.
711
00:57:51,820 --> 00:57:53,460
By exploring the Hermitage,
712
00:57:53,460 --> 00:57:56,340
I've discovered why we collect
and keep things -
713
00:57:56,340 --> 00:57:58,460
to learn about
ourselves and our past.
714
00:57:59,860 --> 00:58:02,700
The Hermitage is a place of
cultural history -
715
00:58:02,700 --> 00:58:04,460
palace and museum together.
716
00:58:06,020 --> 00:58:10,060
After war, revolution and austerity,
717
00:58:10,060 --> 00:58:12,300
the art has survived
to tell the tale.
60643
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