I had extremely high expectations for this exhibition and, in short, I was not disappointed. The Hermitage exhibition displays a large and varied range of paintings and objects that were collected by Catherine the Great and stored in St Petersburg, Russia. This is the first time an exhibition from the Hermitage has been held in Australia.
The sheer size of this exhibition meant it was well worth the entrance price. The way it was presented as well was nothing less than stunning. Each room was painted such a vibrant colour to reflect the artwork held inside. The space also replicates how the actual Hermitage looks inside. A very aesthetically beautiful exhibition.
In fact, if you really liked the wall colours, you can always head to wherever your local Dulux paint suppliers are and purchase the colour for yourself.
I visited with the preconception that it would just be a collection of nice art. I was really excited to see that each space told the history of the collection. For example, one room was filled with Dutch paintings. There was explanatory text on the wall as to how they were acquired etc, establishing some important context. You were then free to roam around and read as much or as little as you wished. Expect to see some Rubens, Rembrandt and Dürer.
I highly recommend this exhibition to everyone! The artwork was fantastic but it was the setting that was really impressive. So even if you’ve seen paintings like these in overseas art galleries it is still an experience to visit this exhibition.
Curate Your Own Adventure 