Hermitage Days in Kaluga 2018. Opening of the exhibition “Servants of Justice: Lithographs by Honoré Daumier from the Collection of the State Hermitage”
Published on 5 of October 2018
From 3 to 7 October 2018, for the third time the Kaluga Museum of Fine Arts hosted Hermitage Days, a key event of which was the opening of the exhibition “Servants of Justice: Lithographs by Honoré Daumier from the Collection of the State Hermitage”.
Participating in the formal opening ceremony, which took place in the museum on 4 October, were Alexei Alexandrov, first deputy chairman of the Federation Council’s Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Structure; Victor Baburin, chairman of the Legislative Assembly of Kaluga Region; Konstantin Gorobtsov, Deputy Governor of Kaluga Region; Pavel Suslov, Minister of Culture and Tourism for Kaluga Region; Dmitry Liubin, head of the State Hermitage’s “Arsenal” Department; Natalia Marchenko. Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, and Larisa Khoroshilova, its Chief Curator.
Alexei Alexandrov expressed gratitude to the Hermitage and its General Director, Mikhail Piotrovsky. Natalia Marchenko voiced her appreciation to the Saint Petersburg museum for help in preparing and conducting the event. The Hermitage exhibition was introduced by Dmitry Liubin. He congratulated the Kaluga Museum of Fine Arts on its 100-year jubilee and noted that 2018 saw the 210th anniversary of the birth of Honoré Daumier, whose works from the Hermitage collection can today be seen by visitors to the Kaluga museum.
The exhibition “Servants of Justice” is an introduction to the work of the famous French artist Honoré Daumier (1808–1879), a painter, graphic artist, sculptor and outstanding exponent of the political and social cartoon. The display presents 10 prints from his celebrated series of lithographs Les Gens de Justice – The Servants of Justice. The exhibition has been organized as part of the agreement concluded in 2015 on collaboration between Kaluga Region and the State Hermitage. It will continue to run until 13 January 2019.
The extensive five-day programme for the Hermitage Days 2018 includes a variety of lectures, meetings, interactive and thematic lessons for children. The start of this educational programme took the form of master classes given by members of the State Hermitage staff, Dmitry Liubin and Anastasia Burkovskaya. They spoke about 19th-century French art and prints in the Hermitage collection, touching on issues relating to the display of graphic works in the museum. The lectures were broadcast live on the Kaluga Museum’s YouTube channel.
During the Hermitage Days, one of the halls was turned into a virtual reality cinema where visitors could view the film The Hermitage. Immersion in History with Konstantin Khabensky and get acquainted with the State Hermitage’s virtual reality programs.
One of the most important events of the Hermitage Days was the presentation of the project for the restoration of the Civil Governor’s House that is to become the Hermitage–Kaluga Centre.
The Hermitage Days continued until 7 October and ended with a concert given by the string orchestra of the Kaluga Regional Philharmonia. During the period, the Museum of Fine Arts extended its working hours, remaining open to the public until 8 in the evening.