Hermitage Amsterdam
Encyclopedia
Hermitage Amsterdam is a dependency of the Hermitage Museum
of Saint Petersburg
on the Amstel
river in Amsterdam
. The dependency is located at the former Amstelhof
, a classical style building from 1681. The dependency has been displaying small exhibitions in a side building next to the Amstelhof since 24 February 2004. The full museum was opened on 19 June 2009.
It is currently the largest dependency of the Hermitage Museum, with the total area of the building numbering 12846 square metres (15,363.7 sq yd), and the exhibition area 2172 square metres (2,597.7 sq yd) (two big exhibition halls and exhibition rooms).
The building was opened in 1682 as a retirement home
for elderly women, and was named Diaconie Oude Vrouwen Huys (Deanery Home for Old Women). The building is located on the east bank of the river Amstel
. Since 1817, the home was open for both elderly men and women, and it was renamed Diaconie Oude Vrouwen- en Mannenhuis (English: Deanery Home for Old Men and Women). The building was first named Amstelhof
(Amstel Court]) in 1953.
For centuries, the building was used as a retirement home. Due to modernizations in healthcare, the building was no longer sufficient. The building was transformed into the museum when the last inhabitants left the Amstelhof in 2007. On 20 June 2009, the whole museum was opened by Dutch Queen Beatrix
and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
. The museum was open to the public the following day.
Already on 24 February 2004, a small museum was opened in an adjacent building on the Nieuwe Keizersgracht. This museum temporary closed in 2008 in order to be transformed into the Hermitage for Children. It opened on the same day as the rest of the Hermitage to the public, on 20 June 2009.
and the other about the history of the building Amstelhof
. In the rest of the museum is a temporary exhibition of half a year.
The Hermitage Museum
of Saint Petersburg
has one of the finest collections of French painting from the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. This remarkable part of the collection comprises hundreds of masterpieces by artists regarded as pioneers of Modernism, including Matisse, Van Dongen, De Vlaminck, Derain and Picasso. The exhibition places the concept of Modernism in a historical perspective and looks at how artists took part in this revolutionary movement. This collection originated with the renowned Russian collectors Morozov and Shchukin
.
For the first time highlights of this ‘modern’ collection of French art from the Hermitage will be seen in the Netherlands, in an exhibition unequalled among Dutch museums. In the future a second exhibition will go into the origins of this modern art on the basis of a rich selection from the famous Impressionists in the Hermitage. The guest curator is Henk van Os, University Professor at the University of Amsterdam and chairman of the Specialists Council of the Hermitage Amsterdam.
No ruler in antiquity appeals to the imagination as much as Alexander the Great (356 BC – 323 BC, king from 336 BC). From his youth he inspired the people around him. During his campaigns in the East, Alexander went in search of the origins of Dionysus, who, according to the ancient Greeks, came from the exotic East, possibly India. Alexander followed in Dionysus’s footsteps and reached many countries: Egypt, Syria, Bactria, Persia, India and Mongolia. Everywhere he founded new capitals and named them all Alexandria. He left behind a legacy of Greek culture in the form of Hellenism.
His fame lived on, long after antiquity. He was an example to many European, Russian and Islamic rulers. Paintings, tapestries and decorative art depicted Alexander’s life and history. The exhibition covers all these aspects, with objects from classical antiquity to the modern age, of Western and non-Western origins.
Hermitage Museum
The State Hermitage is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. One of the largest and oldest museums of the world, it was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been opened to the public since 1852. Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display,...
of Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
on the Amstel
Amstel
The Amstel is a river in the Netherlands which runs through the city of Amsterdam. The river's name is derived from Aeme stelle, old Dutch for "area abounding with water"....
river in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. The dependency is located at the former Amstelhof
Amstelhof
The Amstelhof , is a former retirement home and now home to the Hermitage Amsterdam museum. It was built near the Amstel river in 1682 by the diaconate of the Dutch Reformed Church after having received an inheritance of the rich merchant Barent Helleman. He died on 18 October 1680 and left...
, a classical style building from 1681. The dependency has been displaying small exhibitions in a side building next to the Amstelhof since 24 February 2004. The full museum was opened on 19 June 2009.
It is currently the largest dependency of the Hermitage Museum, with the total area of the building numbering 12846 square metres (15,363.7 sq yd), and the exhibition area 2172 square metres (2,597.7 sq yd) (two big exhibition halls and exhibition rooms).
History
Retirement home
A retirement home is a multi-residence housing facility intended for senior citizens. Typically each person or couple in the home has an apartment-style room or suite of rooms. Additional facilities are provided within the building, including facilities for meals, gathering, recreation, and some...
for elderly women, and was named Diaconie Oude Vrouwen Huys (Deanery Home for Old Women). The building is located on the east bank of the river Amstel
Amstel
The Amstel is a river in the Netherlands which runs through the city of Amsterdam. The river's name is derived from Aeme stelle, old Dutch for "area abounding with water"....
. Since 1817, the home was open for both elderly men and women, and it was renamed Diaconie Oude Vrouwen- en Mannenhuis (English: Deanery Home for Old Men and Women). The building was first named Amstelhof
Amstelhof
The Amstelhof , is a former retirement home and now home to the Hermitage Amsterdam museum. It was built near the Amstel river in 1682 by the diaconate of the Dutch Reformed Church after having received an inheritance of the rich merchant Barent Helleman. He died on 18 October 1680 and left...
(Amstel Court]) in 1953.
For centuries, the building was used as a retirement home. Due to modernizations in healthcare, the building was no longer sufficient. The building was transformed into the museum when the last inhabitants left the Amstelhof in 2007. On 20 June 2009, the whole museum was opened by Dutch Queen Beatrix
Beatrix of the Netherlands
Beatrix is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands comprising the Netherlands, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and Aruba. She is the first daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. She studied law at Leiden University...
and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev is the third President of the Russian Federation.Born to a family of academics, Medvedev graduated from the Law Department of Leningrad State University in 1987. He defended his dissertation in 1990 and worked as a docent at his alma mater, now renamed to Saint...
. The museum was open to the public the following day.
Already on 24 February 2004, a small museum was opened in an adjacent building on the Nieuwe Keizersgracht. This museum temporary closed in 2008 in order to be transformed into the Hermitage for Children. It opened on the same day as the rest of the Hermitage to the public, on 20 June 2009.
Exhibitions
There are two permanent presentations, one about Netherlands–Russia relationsNetherlands–Russia relations
Netherlands-Russia relations is the relationships between the two countries, the Netherlands and Russia. Russia has an embassy in The Hague, and the Netherlands have an embassy in Moscow, a consulate in Saint Petersburg, and an honorary consulate in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.-During the time of Peter the...
and the other about the history of the building Amstelhof
Amstelhof
The Amstelhof , is a former retirement home and now home to the Hermitage Amsterdam museum. It was built near the Amstel river in 1682 by the diaconate of the Dutch Reformed Church after having received an inheritance of the rich merchant Barent Helleman. He died on 18 October 1680 and left...
. In the rest of the museum is a temporary exhibition of half a year.
Matisse to Malevich
- Matisse to Malevich. Pioneers of Modern Art from the Hermitage 6 March to 17 September 2010
The Hermitage Museum
Hermitage Museum
The State Hermitage is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. One of the largest and oldest museums of the world, it was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been opened to the public since 1852. Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display,...
of Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
has one of the finest collections of French painting from the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. This remarkable part of the collection comprises hundreds of masterpieces by artists regarded as pioneers of Modernism, including Matisse, Van Dongen, De Vlaminck, Derain and Picasso. The exhibition places the concept of Modernism in a historical perspective and looks at how artists took part in this revolutionary movement. This collection originated with the renowned Russian collectors Morozov and Shchukin
Sergei Shchukin
Sergei Ivanovich Shchukin was a Russian businessman who became an art collector, mainly of French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art, following a trip to Paris in 1897, when he bought his first Monet. He later bought numerous works by Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, and Paul Gauguin, among...
.
For the first time highlights of this ‘modern’ collection of French art from the Hermitage will be seen in the Netherlands, in an exhibition unequalled among Dutch museums. In the future a second exhibition will go into the origins of this modern art on the basis of a rich selection from the famous Impressionists in the Hermitage. The guest curator is Henk van Os, University Professor at the University of Amsterdam and chairman of the Specialists Council of the Hermitage Amsterdam.
The immortal Alexander the Great
- The immortal Alexander the Great The Myth, The Truth, His Journey, His Legacy 18 September 2010 - 18 March 2011.
No ruler in antiquity appeals to the imagination as much as Alexander the Great (356 BC – 323 BC, king from 336 BC). From his youth he inspired the people around him. During his campaigns in the East, Alexander went in search of the origins of Dionysus, who, according to the ancient Greeks, came from the exotic East, possibly India. Alexander followed in Dionysus’s footsteps and reached many countries: Egypt, Syria, Bactria, Persia, India and Mongolia. Everywhere he founded new capitals and named them all Alexandria. He left behind a legacy of Greek culture in the form of Hellenism.
His fame lived on, long after antiquity. He was an example to many European, Russian and Islamic rulers. Paintings, tapestries and decorative art depicted Alexander’s life and history. The exhibition covers all these aspects, with objects from classical antiquity to the modern age, of Western and non-Western origins.
External links
- Hermitage Amsterdam, official website
- Section on the Amsterdam Hermitage on the official Hermitage Museum website