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Hermitage Amsterdam opens Peter the Great, an Inspired Tsar

Hermitage Amsterdam presents Peter the Great, an Inspired Tsar an exhibition devoted to Peter the Great (1672–1725), the modernizer of Russia, on view 9 March – 13 September 2013.

Pieter van der Werff
Pieter van der Werff (1665-1722), Peter I, 1697-1700, Oil on canvas, 56 х 49,5 © State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

The exhibition will paint a picture of this unconventional, inspired and inquisitive Russian tsar, who by the time he took power at the age of 17 was determined to transform his country. His achievements include reforming the military and the church, expanding trade and industry, and improving education and public health. He turned Russia into a great European power with a brand-new capital city: St Petersburg, his “window on the West.” With historical artefacts, paintings, gold jewellery from the ancient world, weapons and unique documents, the exhibition will sketch the life of this peerless ruler. From his youth Peter collected art, including a Rembrandt, planting the seed for St Petersburg’s later Hermitage collection. An enthusiastic traveller, he went two visits to Western Europe, including the Dutch Republic. It was the city of Amsterdam, in particular, that inspired him to found his new capital.

The exhibition will be based on the collection of the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, with additional pieces from the collections of museums and institutions in the Netherlands and elsewhere. www.hermitage.nl

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