The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg is one of the largest and oldest museums in the world holding over 3 million treasures and boasting more curators than any other art institution. To mark the momentous occasion of its 250th anniversary the museum opened its doors for the filming of Hermitage Revealed – a cinematic event that is a must-see for all fans of art, architecture and the culture and history of Russia.
Hermitage Revealed takes audiences on a thrilling journey through the museum’s tumultuous history from imperial palace to state museum, and offers unprecedented access to special collections and exclusive areas that remain hidden from the public eye. The production brings together the oldest, the rarest, the most precious and the most closely guarded of Russia’s greatest treasures; items bought with great wealth or acquired by other means, items hoarded and saved from violent revolutionaries, items thought lost and later re-found – all works and their unique stories presented with an intimacy and immediacy that no museum or gallery experience can match. From Rembrandt to Russian masterpieces, from prehistoric artefacts to the private gemstone collection of Catherine The Great, from Michelangelo to Matisse and much, much more, the exquisite treasures the Hermitage has to offer are seemingly endless. Hermitage Revealed puts you right there amongst it all – exploring the art and revealing the human stories behind this great institution.
Press Quotes
Hermitage film chronicles great museum’s turbulent history. Director recalls how institution has been shaped by wars, revolution and purges.
THE ART NEWSPAPER – 24 July 2014
Margy Kinmonth interviewed by Theodora Clarke:
“My films do have this sort of secret world aspect…. I have a natural curiosity to come, open doors and go backstage and see the workings of things.”
RUSSIAN ART & CULTURE – 15 August 2014
Inside this glittering labyrinth, the history of great art unfolds. Its vast trove of masterworks dwarfs other galleries. Now a documentary throws open the doors of the mighty Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.
THE TIMES – 16 August 2014
St. Petersburg is often portrayed as a character in Russian literature. And in this film the Hermitage is also shown as a character – a living, breathing entity playing a part in the country’s history.
VOICE OF RUSSIA UK – 19 August 2014
As the titles suggests, the film aims to give audiences an immersive experience – to provide them with privileged access to a museum that houses many of Russia’s greatest treasures and that has had a very colourful history from the time of Catherine The Great to the present day.
THE INDEPENDENT – 23 August 2014
Movie maker from London lays bare treasures of the Hermitage…and its cats
EVENING STANDARD – 8 September 2014
Superbly illustrated…Kinmonth hits pay dirt whenever she parts the crowds…allows us to gaze upon Rembrandt, Titian and Kandinsky…
THE GUARDIAN – 4 September 2014
Filmmaker Margy Kinmonth was given unprecedented access to the Hermitage Museum and discovered a world of extraordinary art, hidden from public view.
BONHAMS MAGAZINE – Winter 2014
Take an eye-filling tour through the 250-year-old St. Petersburg museum and its priceless collection of everything from prehistoric artifacts to Old Masters to Catherine the Great’s private jewels.
PACIFIC SUN – July 2018
