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Exhibitions 2000-2007

Between 2000 and 2007, the Hermitage Rooms served as a backdrop for a series of rotating exhibitions, organised since 2003 in collaboration with The Courtauld Institute of Art, offering a glimpse of some of the magnificent treasures from the Hermitage and other collections.

		France in Russia: Empress Josephine's Malmaison Collection 25 July - 4 November 2007 Malmaison was the country retreat of Empress Josephine, where she lived with her husband Napoleon Bonaparte. The château was decorated and furnished in the latest antique taste providing a luxurious setting for Josephine's burgeoning art collection. Many of the works she collected were gifts from Napoleon which he had acquired during his various military campaigns in Europe. After her death, Tsar Alexander I bought an important part of the Malmaison paintings and sculpture collection and shipped it to St Petersburg to be installed in the Winter Palace. This exhibition brings together for the first time in this country a significant part of the The State Hermitage Museum's Malmaison collection. France in Russia: Empress Josephine’s Malmaison Collection is the last in the current series of exhibitions at the Hermitage Rooms more about the exhibition
		The Triumph of Eros: Art and Seduction in 18th Century France 24 November 2006 - 9 April 2007 This exhibition brings together a wide range of material from the Hermitage's rich collections, including paintings, drawings, furniture and a recently discovered group of prints depicting scenes from the education of Eros to explore the theme of art and seduction in 18th century French culture. more about the exhibition
		The Road to Byzantium: Luxury Arts of Antiquity 30 March to 3 September 2006 This major exhibition brings to London for the first time an extraordinary collection of classical Greek, Roman and Byzantine luxury artworks from The State Hermitage Museum, including finely decorated silver and gold, Athenian red-figure vases and exquisite cameos. more about the exhibition The Exhibition Guide (474KB .pdf file) left-click to open, right-click to download
		Gainsborough to Turner: British Watercolours from the Spooner Collection 17th November 2005 - 12 February 2006 The remarkable Spooner collection of early British watercolours is one of the finest of its kind. This is a rare opportunity to see 80 of the most exquisite watercolours in the intimate setting of the Hermitage Rooms. The collection, which now belongs to the Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery, includes outstanding works by Thomas Gainsborough, Paul Sandby, Thomas Girtin, John Constable and J.M.W. Turner. more about the exhibition
		Circling the Square: Avant-garde Porcelain from Revolutionary Russia Extended to 30 September 2005 This absorbing exhibition celebrates an extraordinary period in the history of 20th century art and design and presents, for the first time in this country, a comprehensive survey of the porcelain produced at the world-renowned State Porcelain Factory in St Petersburg (formerly Imperial now the Lomonosov Porcelain Factory), during the years following the Russian Revolution of 1917. more about the exhibition
		Heaven on Earth: Art from Islamic Lands Islamic Art from The State Hermitage Museum and The Khalili Collection 25th March - 3rd October 2004 This dazzling exhibition of art from Islamic lands will be the most significant exhibition of its kind to be held in London since the Festival of Islam at the Hayward Gallery in 1976. Heaven on Earth: Art from Islamic Lands will draw on the collections of The State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg and the Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, London, both of which will be lending more than 60 works. more about the exhibition
		Peter Paul Rubens: A Touch of Brilliance Oil Sketches and Related Works from The State Hermitage Museum and The Courtauld Institute Gallery 20th September 2003 - 8th February 2004 This Rubens exhibition is the first project to result from the alliance between the Courtauld Institute of Art and The State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. The exhibition draws on the two celebrated and complementary collections of the sketches that have long been regarded as one of the most compelling and remarkable aspects of Rubens’ work. With the addition of loans from British collections, the exhibition will comprise some 40 oil sketches supplemented by ten related drawings and a small number of finished paintings. more about the exhibition
		St Petersburg: A 300th Birthday Tribute People and Palaces in Photographs around 1900 14th June - 10th August 2003 To mark the 300th anniversary of St Petersburg, home of The State Hermitage Museum, the Hermitage Rooms at Somerset House is offering free admission to an exhibition of some 200 photographs from the Hermitage collection, presenting a profile of this rich and thriving city when it was still the capital of Russia. more about the exhibition
		Painting, Passion and Politics: Masterpieces from the Walpole Collection 28th September 2002 - 30th March 2003 Generously supported by the Open Russia Foundation The exhibition presents 34 masterpieces from the Walpole collection, most returning to England for the first time in over 200 years. Among these are works by Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Dyck, and Poussin. more about the exhibition
		The Genius of Caspar David Friedrich: German Romantic Art for Russian Imperial Palaces 20th April - 18th August 2002 Generously supported by Donald and Jeanne Kahn This exhibition will bring twelve masterpieces by Caspar David Friedrich from the State Hermitage Museum's collection in St Petersburg, together with work by his German contemporaries. more about the exhibition
		French Drawings and Paintings from the Hermitage: Poussin to Picasso 3rd November 2001 - 10th March 2002 This magnificent exhibition offers visitors the opportunity to view a selection from one of the world's least known collections of master drawings. more about the exhibition
		Treasures of Catherine the Great 25th November 2000 - 23rd September 2001 This dazzling exhibition of jewels, decorative art and paintings inaugurates the Hermitage Rooms at Somerset House. More than 500 works of art from the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg recreate the imperial splendour of the Winter Palace and offer visitors a unique window on Russian art and history. more about the exhibition

Events Listing

For details of the extensive programme of performances, workshops and family events taking palce elsewhere within Somerset House see the main Somerset House events listing.

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Exhibitions 2000-2007

France in Russia: Empress Josephine's Malmaison Collection

The Triumph of Eros: Art and Seduction in 18th Century France

The Road to Byzantium: Luxury Arts of Antiquity

Gainsborough to Turner: British Watercolours from the Spooner Collection

Circling the Square: Avant-garde Porcelain from Revolutionary Russia

Heaven on Earth: Art from Islamic Lands

Peter Paul Rubens: A Touch of Brilliance

St Petersburg: A 300th Birthday Tribute

Painting, Passion and Politics: Masterpieces from the Walpole Collection

The Genius of Caspar David Friedrich: German Romantic Art for Russian Imperial Palaces

French Drawings and Paintings from the Hermitage: Poussin to Picasso

Treasures of Catherine the Great

Events Listing

Painting, Passion and Politics:
Masterpieces from the Walpole Collection

The Genius of Caspar David Friedrich:
German Romantic Art for Russian Imperial Palaces