ZAGREB, April 10, 2018 – An exhibition – “Catherine the Great, Empress of all Russia” – opens on Thursday, April 12, in Klovićevi Dvori Gallery in Zagreb and will showcase more than a thousand artefacts including the empress’s personal items and artworks that she collected, and presents the rule of one of the most powerful women in history, who was an ardent collector and who put together a valuable collection which later served as the basis for the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.
The exhibition was organised in cooperation with this prestigious world museum on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of friendship between Saint Petersburg and Zagreb and focuses on the Russian empress, considering that it was rare that any museum institution was connected to any ruler to such a great extent.
Russian Ambassador to Croatia Anvar Azimov referred to the exhibition as a great event for Croatian culture. “An exhibition of that nature is being organised for the first time in Croatia and the Balkans, and that is our gift to Croatia and the people in Croatia and is a great event for the development of our cultural cooperation,” he underscored.
A journey through time unfolds through several topics portrayed by 1077 exhibits – sculptures, graphic sketches, paintings by European artists, the empress’s items of clothing and of other court dwellers, items made of glass, ceramics, metal, silver and gold – dinner sets, utensils, glasses, bowls, tobacco cases, candelabras, chess boards, jewelry, hair pins, furniture.
“The exhibition’s concept has been completely adapted to our premises and the entire first floor is dedicated to Catherine coming to the throne and the most important elements of her rule which finally led to the establishment of the Hermitage,” curator Danijela Marković told reporters on Tuesday.
Hermitage curator Natalia Bakhareva said that the museum often exhibited special exhibitions dedicated to Catherine II because she was the greatest political figure in the 18th century. “Her rule is referred to as the Russian Empire’s golden century and it is particularly important for the Hermitage because she created it and its collection which is full of masterpieces that she personally bought,” Bakhareva said.
Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić said that the exhibition had a friendly, political and cultural dimension and that he was proud that it would bring the two cultures and two peoples closer that are “tied not only culturally, but by a warm Slavic spirit.” “I am proud because of its significance for tourism too and the city, and for political reasons because there is always time for better understanding,” he added.
