Committed to preserving the State Hermitage Museum
The historical ties between Israel and Russia date to the latter 19th and early 20th centuries, when many Russian Jews involved in the cultural and political spheres, were influential in laying the foundation for the future State of Israel. There is a close link between the people of both countries, one that has manifested itself in the arrival of more than one million Russian Jews during the past thirty years.
The State Hermitage Museum Director, Prof. Mikhail B. Piotrovsky, welcomed the initiative to create an Israel-based foundation to support the museum and expressed the hope that The Hermitage Museum Foundation Israel would rapidly be able to facilitate the exchange of exhibitions between the State Hermitage Museum and leading museums in Israel.
Through the Hermitage Museum Foundation Israel, we see the long-term possibility of building bridges between our countries beyond state political initiatives by establishing programs with strong potential for an ongoing cultural exchange in the various fields of the arts. The main objective of the Hermitage Museum Foundation Israel will be to introduce the Israeli public to a greater understanding of Russian culture, the Hermitage State Museum, and to stress the important role played by it’s rich and unique collections in international cultural life.
The Hermitage Museum Foundation Israel and it’s Board will act as an affiliate of the Hermitage’s international outreach effort committed to preserving and promoting the Hermitage Museum’s collections. It will sponsor loan exhibitions, special events, educational programs and conferences between the Hermitage and Israel’s leading art museums.
Amir G. Kabiri
President
Hermitage Museum Foundation Israel
