Latest news with #StateHermitageMuseum
Muscat Daily
6 days ago
- Politics
- Muscat Daily
Neo-Russian art exhibition opens at National Museum
Muscat – The National Museum on Saturday inaugurated the Neo-Russian Style exhibition, presented in collaboration with the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, under the patronage of H E Qais bin Mohammed al Yousef, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion. The exhibition is part of the wider cultural initiative 'The Russian Seasons' and will run until November 2, 2025. Showcasing a collection of artworks and historical pieces, the exhibition highlights the Neo-Russian style that developed during the reigns of Tsars Alexander III and Nicholas II in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Visitors can explore applied arts, portraits, court costumes and imperial gifts that reflect the grandeur of Imperial Russia. Among the highlights are a silver presentation dish given to Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna by oilmen of the Absheron Peninsula in 1888, and a silver saltcellar presented to Emperor Nicholas II after his Eastern journey in 1890–1891. Also on display are a lace fan once owned by Empress Maria Feodorovna, a portrait by Sofya Yunker-Kramskaya, and elaborate masquerade costumes worn by members of the Russian aristocracy, including a grand costume worn by Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna at the 1903 Winter Palace masquerade. Jamal Hassan al Moosawi, Secretary-General of the National Museum, described the exhibition as a cornerstone of Oman-Russia cultural cooperation and part of ongoing efforts to strengthen ties with Russian institutions. He said the museum plans further collaborations, including musical seasons at Bayt Al Greiza, an exhibition on Omani fine art with the State Tretyakov Gallery, and Imperial Russia and the East in partnership with the Moscow Kremlin Museums. H E Oleg Vladimirovich Levin, Ambassador of Russia to Oman, called the exhibition a strong example of cultural diplomacy and a bridge between two nations that share an appreciation for heritage. Professor Dr Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage Museum and member of the National Museum's Board of Trustees, noted the historical importance of the pieces on display in a video address, adding that future joint initiatives include a new exhibition at the Oman Hall in St Petersburg. The Neo-Russian Style exhibition follows other successful joint projects under the Russian Seasons banner. Earlier this year, the National Museum hosted Gifts of the Emirs of Bukhara and Central Asia to the Russian Imperial Court. Meanwhile, the Oman Hall at the Hermitage has attracted strong interest, with its second major exhibition, 'The Omani Empire Between Asia and Africa', drawing more than 414,000 visitors between December 2023 and January 2025.
Observer
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Observer
'Neo-Russian Style' exhibition opens at National Museum
MUSCAT: Within the frameworks of 'The Russian Seasons,' the National Museum inaugurated the 'Neo-Russian Style' exhibition hosted in collaboration with the State Hermitage Museum, under the auspices of Qais bin Mohammed al Yousef, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion. The exhibition, which will run until November 2, is dedicated to the bright period in the history of artistic life of the Russian Empire in the 1880s-1910s, when 'the Russian style' in art formed several decades earlier was experiencing its new rise. The features of the Neo-Russian style during the rule of the last emperors Alexander III and Nicholas II manifested themselves in the architecture of St Petersburg, Moscow, large and small provincial towns of Russia, in works of painting, sculpture, decorative and applied art. Jamal bin Hassan al Mousawi, Secretary-General of the National Museum, stated in his opening speech that the inauguration of this exhibition comes as part of a series of cultural events under the Russian Cultural Seasons, reflecting the ongoing interaction with cultural and museological institutions in the Russian Federation to strengthen the bonds of cultural and museological cooperation — the most recent of which was the launch of the National Museum's website in the Russian language. He added: "As part of cultural diplomacy, work is underway on a number of joint projects and events with the Russian Ministry of Culture, including the hosting of musical seasons at Bayt Greiza this coming October, as well as cooperation with the State Tretyakov Gallery to organise an exhibition on the pioneers of Omani fine art. Oleg Vladimirovich Levin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Sultanate of Oman, in his speech said that the exhibition sheds light on a period of Russian culture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, known as the peak of the 'Russian style', which reflects the diversity of traditions of the Russian Empire as manifested in art, architecture and daily life. He added that this exhibition represents an important step in strengthening the cultural dialogue between the Russian Federation and the Sultanate of Oman, as it demonstrates how art and tradition can serve as a bridge between nations in the pursuit of preserving the world's cultural heritage. The exhibition showcases remarkable examples of applied arts and historical masquerade costumes that were worn at court balls in Imperial Russia. He also referred to the opening of the second exhibition under the Hermitage Museum Corner initiative, entitled 'Gifts of the Emirs of Bukhara and Central Asia to the Russian Imperial Court' and expressed his enthusiasm for the forthcoming exhibition in the 'Oman Hall' at the State Hermitage Museum. The exhibits include gifts to the Russian monarchs: tray dishes, saltcellars and fans. These items, like a mirror, reflected the idea of the unity of the people, the Church and the Tsar, formulated in the Russian Empire back in the first third of the 19th century as the official ideological triad. Among the exhibits is a silver presentation dish presented to Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna by oilmen from the Absheron Peninsula during their visit to the Caucasus in 1888 CE. The dish was crafted in the Russian style at the renowned jewelry factory of Ivan Khlebnikov. The exhibition also features a silver presentation salt cellar with Lid presented to Emperor Nicholas Il upon his return from his Eastern journey between 1890 and 1891. It was produced at the famous Pavel Ovchinnikov factory in Moscow and gifted to the emperor by artisans from the Southern Ural region. Additionally, the exhibits include a lace fan made from Vologda bobbin lace, featuring the letter 'M' engraved on a yellow Stain Pad in Wooden Case. The fan belonged to Empress Maria Feodorovna and it dated 1883 CE. Also, on display is a Portrait of a young woman wearing a traditional Russian outfit, including the kokoshnik headdress, painted by artist Sofya Yunker-Kramskaya, dating back to the early 20th century. Of particular interest are the character costumes designed for the popular Russian-style costume parties of the time and made in the capital's shops by the best tailors for representatives of the imperial family and the highest aristocracy. The Yusupov princes whose costumes will be on display at the exhibition were said to be incomparable organisers of masquerades and 'historical balls' in St Petersburg. — ONA
Daily Tribune
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Tribune
Blades from Bahrain Captivate the World
TDT| Manama Bahrain's centuries-old tradition of sword and dagger craftsmanship took centre stage at one of the world's most iconic museums this week, as the Kingdom unveiled a cultural exhibition at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, spotlighting its rich artisanal heritage before a global audience. Hosted on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) 2025, the exhibition titled 'From Bahrain's Heritage: The Art of Sword and Dagger Making' presented intricately handcrafted Bahraini blades by Depaj Factory, a showcase of heritage deeply rooted in symbolism, strength, and identity.
Times of Oman
20-06-2025
- Business
- Times of Oman
National Museum hosts 'Neo-Russian Style' exhibition
Muscat — Within the frameworks of "The Russian Seasons,' the National Museum inaugurated today the "Neo-Russian Style" exhibition hosted in collaboration with the State Hermitage Museum, under the patronage of Qais Mohammed Al Yousef, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion. The exhibition, which will run until 2 November 2025, is dedicated to the bright period in the history of artistic life of the Russian Empire in the 1880s - 1910s, when "the Russian style" in art formed several decades earlier was experiencing its new rise. The features of the Neo-Russian style during the rule of the last emperors Alexander III and Nicholas II manifested themselves in the architecture of St. Petersburg, Moscow, large and small provincial towns of Russia, in works of painting, sculpture, decorative and applied art. Jamal Hassan Al Moosawi, Secretary General of the National Museum, stated in his opening speech that the inauguration of this exhibition comes as part of a series of cultural events under the Russian Cultural Seasons, reflecting the ongoing interaction with cultural and museological institutions in the Russian Federation to strengthen the bonds of cultural and museological cooperation — the most recent of which was the launch of the National Museum's website in the Russian language. He added: "As part of cultural diplomacy, work is underway on a number of joint projects and events with the Russian Ministry of Culture, including the hosting of musical seasons at Bayt al-Greiza this coming October, as well as cooperation with the State Tretyakov Gallery to organize an exhibition on the pioneers of Omani fine art. In the same context, there is also collaboration with the Moscow Kremlin Museums to present the exhibition 'Imperial Russia and the East,' in addition to the launch of a dedicated Omani publications corner at both Chechen State University and the National Library of Russia, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Sultanate of Oman and the Russian Federation." On his turn, Oleg Vladimirovich Levin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Sultanate of Oman, stated in his speech that the exhibition sheds light on a period of Russian culture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, known as the peak of the "Russian style", which reflects the diversity of traditions of the Russian Empire as manifested in art, architecture, and daily life. He added that this exhibition represents an important step in strengthening the cultural dialogue between the Russian Federation and the Sultanate of Oman, as it demonstrates how art and tradition can serve as a bridge between nations in the pursuit of preserving the world's cultural heritage. During the ceremony, a video message from Professor Dr. Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage Museum and member of the Board of Trustees of the National Museum, was presented. In his address, he expressed his delight at the opening of the exhibition "Neo-Russian Style", which illustrates the development of Russian culture from the 1880s to the 1910s. The exhibition showcases remarkable examples of applied arts and historical masquerade costumes that were worn at court balls in Imperial Russia. He also referred to the opening of the second exhibition under the Hermitage Museum Corner initiative, entitled "Gifts of the Emirs of Bukhara and Central Asia to the Russian Imperial Court", and expressed his enthusiasm for the forthcoming exhibition in the "Oman Hall" at the State Hermitage Museum. The exhibits include gifts to the Russian monarchs: tray dishes, saltcellars and fans. These items, like a mirror, reflected the idea of the unity of the people, the Church and the Tsar, formulated in the Russian Empire back in the first third of the 19th century as the official ideological triad. Among the exhibits is a silver presentation dish presented to Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna by oilmen from the Absheron Peninsula during their visit to the Caucasus in 1888 CE. The dish was crafted in the Russian style at the renowned jewelry factory of Ivan Khlebnikov. The exhibition also features a silver presentation salt cellar with Lid presented to Emperor Nicholas Il upon his return from his Eastern journey between 1890 and 1891. It was produced at the famous Pavel Ovchinnikov factory in Moscow and gifted to the emperor by artisans from the Southern Ural region. Additionally, the exhibits include a lace fan made from Vologda bobbin lace, featuring the letter "M" engraved on a yellow Stain Pad in Wooden Case. The fan belonged to Empress Maria Feodorovna and it dated 1883 CE. Also, on display is a Portrait of a young woman wearing a traditional Russian outfit, including the kokoshnik headdress, painted by artist Sofya Yunker-Kramskaya, dating back to the early 20th century. Of particular interest are the character costumes designed for the popular Russian-style costume parties of the time and made in the capital's shops by the best tailors for representatives of the imperial family and the highest aristocracy. Such parties were held both in the modest homes of ordinary townspeople and in the luxurious mansions of the Russian nobility, in halls rented for one evening by all sorts of charitable organizations, as well as in the glittering grand ducal and tsarist residences. It was during balls and masquerades, when costumes were the main component of the festivities, that the luxury and splendor of the Russian imperial court were manifested to the full extent. The Yusupov princes whose costumes will be on display at the exhibition were said to be incomparable organizers of masquerades and "historical balls" in St Petersburg. The most famous court masquerade in the Russian style was the grand ball of 1903 in the Winter Palace which specifically symbolized the greatness of the Romanov dynasty and received a wide public response. The luxurious costume of Grand Duchess Ksenia Aleksandrovna, a sister of Emperor Nicholas II, demonstrates the best the specific features of "the Russian style" in the costume of the early 20th century. It is worth noting that the National Museum inaugurated, at the beginning of February this year, the second exhibition within the "State Hermitage Museum Corner" initiative, titled "Gifts of Bukharan and Central Asia Emirs to the Russian Imperial Court." The exhibition marks the first event of the "Russian Seasons" in the Sultanate of Oman. It focuses on the deep and longstanding ties between Russia and the peoples of the East, highlighting the unique gifts presented by Eastern rulers to the Russian Imperial Court. The second exhibition under the "Oman Hall" initiative, organized by the National Museum at the State Hermitage Museum and titled "The Omani Empire Between Asia and Africa," attracted a total of 414,481 visitors between December 2023 and January 2025, reflecting strong interest among visitors in the rich cultural heritage of Oman. The State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg is one of the largest museums in the world, housing a collection of over three million artefacts. Established in 1764, it is also one of the oldest museums globally and one of the most important tourist landmarks in Russia. The museum is renowned for its vast complex, including the Winter Palace, a historical landmark in its own right. The museum's collection spans diverse cultures, featuring artworks from Eastern Europe, Russia, Ancient Greece and Rome, the Near and Far East, and Central Asia. It also houses an extensive numismatic collection covering antiquity to modern times, as well as weapons from Western Europe, the Middle East, and Russia, alongside numerous archaeological discoveries. Each year, the museum welcomes approximately (4) million visitors. Its (500) exhibition galleries display over seventeen thousand paintings, (12.000) thousand sculptures, more than 1 million coins and medals, (800.000) archaeological artefacts, and over (360.000) applied arts objects. Additionally, the museum holds more than (600.000) graphic art pieces, making it one of the world's most significant cultural institutions.
Boston Globe
17-06-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Leonard A. Lauder, philanthropist and cosmetics heir, dies at 92
In 2013, he pledged the most significant gift in the history of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a trove of nearly 80 cubist paintings, drawings, and sculptures by Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Fernand Léger, and Juan Gris. Scholars put the value of the gift at $1 billion and said its quality rivaled or surpassed that of the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the Pompidou Center in Paris. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up After the gift was announced, he added another dozen major cubist works, The New York Times reported in a profile of Mr. Lauder last year. Advertisement Estée Lauder founded the company that bears her name in 1946 and would become the flamboyant public face of her empire, pitching its lipsticks, bath oils, face powders, and antiwrinkle creams with almost messianic zeal. Leonard Lauder, her eldest son, was the marketing expert and corporate strategist working in her shadow. Advertisement In a business reliant on imagery and mythmaking, his mother, the daughter of a Queens merchant, had created a genteel Hungarian aristocratic past for herself and a name to go with it. Josephine Esther Lauter, the wife of a luncheonette owner, thus became the glamorous Estée Lauder. Leonard Lauder joined his family's enterprise in 1958 after a formative hitch in the Navy and, colleagues said, was instrumental in devising its profitable strategies: developing multiple brands that effectively competed with one another; concentrating sales in high-end department stores as competitors focused on discount chains and drugstores; and driving expansion to untapped markets in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. 'My dream,' he wrote in his memoir, 'The Company I Keep: My Life in Beauty,' published in 2020, 'was to make Estée Lauder the General Motors of the beauty business, with multiple brands, multiple product lines and multinational distribution.' Estée Lauder's sales, which hovered around $800,000 a year when Mr. Lauder joined the company, soared to more than $16 billion for fiscal 2021, despite the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as he continued as senior member of the board. The company markets products under some 30 brand names in 150 countries around the world. Shares were publicly sold starting in 1995, but by January 2025 about 85 percent of the voting stock was still owned by members of the Lauder family, along with about 38 percent of the total common stock. Mr. Lauder became the company's president in 1972, was CEO from 1982 to 1999, and was named chair in 1995 and chair emeritus in 2009, when he retired. Along the way, he launched brands including Clinique, Aramis, Lab Series, and Origins. He also amassed a personal fortune of about $10.1 billion, according to Forbes, making him one of the 100 richest Americans. Advertisement He began a lifelong pursuit of art at the age of 6, when he spent his nickel allowance on a postcard of the Empire State Building. 'I can see that postcard today,' he told The New Yorker in 2012, adding that it turned him into a collector for life. He eventually acquired 125,000 postcards -- not the kind tourists buy, but artistic cards with lithographs and vintage photos depicting celebrities from the worlds of sports and fashion as well as images of war and historical events. 'I'm interested in popular culture and that's where postcards come in,' he told the Times in the 2024 profile. 'I love that they're the predecessor for so many things: email, Instagram, social media.' In 2002, Mr. Lauder gave the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston a collection of some 20,000 Japanese postcards to complement the museum's collection of Japanese woodblock prints, considered the most important outside of Japan. Eight years later, Mr. Lauder gave the MFA more than 100,000 postcards from the 1870s through just after World War II. When considering whether to bid on a work of art, he told the Times last year, he heard his mother's voice saying, 'You only regret what you do not buy.' Mr. Lauder for years quietly assembled a world-class collection with a focus on cubism, the movement that revolutionized modern art early in the 20th century. He bought many pieces from the collections of writer Gertrude Stein, Swiss banker Raoul La Roche, and British art historian Douglas Cooper. His collection, given without restrictions, filled an artistic gap for the Met and placed Mr. Lauder in a class with cornerstone contributors such as the Rockefellers and Annenbergs. Advertisement A trustee and later president and chair of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, he gave millions in money and art to the museum, including nearly 50 works by Jasper Johns. In 2008 he gave $131 million, the largest gift in the Whitney's history. That gift transformed the Whitney 'from a provincial New York institution to a world-class museum known for its extraordinary holdings of American art,' Carol Vogel wrote in the recent Times profile of Mr. Lauder. When the Whitney moved from its Madison Avenue location to its current home in the meatpacking district, it named its new building after him. Mr. Lauder, in New York in 1996. He would say of his relationship with his mother: 'It was so love-hate. I was her competitor, her senior partner, her manager." CHESTER HIGGINS JR./NYT Leonard Alan Lauter was born March 19, 1933, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, the older of two sons of Joseph and Josephine Esther (Mentzer) Lauter. (The family name was changed not long after his birth.) His younger brother, Ronald, would serve as ambassador to Austria and run unsuccessfully for mayor of New York. In the Depression years, his father owned a small chain of luncheonettes and a silk business. During World War II, he and a partner sold military-style post-exchange supplies. His mother also worked, helping to sell an uncle's homemade face creams and fragrances in the 1930s. His parents, who were divorced in 1939 but remarried in 1942, founded their company after the war and for years struggled to make it profitable. After graduating from the Bronx High School of Science in 1950, Leonard Lauder attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and received a bachelor's degree in 1954. He joined the Navy, served on two warships and became a lieutenant junior grade. Advertisement After his discharge, he joined his mother's company. Although publicly deferential to her, he shared decision-making with her. She retired in 1995 and died in 2004 at 97. 'It was so love-hate,' he said of their relationship. 'I was her competitor, her senior partner, her manager. . . . I was able to identify what she did that was really good and build on her early success.' Mr. Lauder married Evelyn Hausner in 1959, and they had two children: William, who is chair of the board of Estée Lauder Cos., and Gary, managing director of Lauder Partners, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm. Mr. Lauder, in 2024. JINGYU LIN/NYT Mr. Lauder's first wife died in 2011. In 2015, he married photographer Judith Glickman. She survives him, as do his sons, his brother, five grandchildren, two great-grandsons, and many stepchildren and stepgrandchildren. In addition to his home in New York, he had homes in Palm Beach, Fla., and Portland, Maine. He was a co-founder and chair of the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation and, with his first wife, a founder of the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. For all his contributions to various causes, Mr. Lauder regarded himself as a frugal man with an eye on the bottom line. 'I use slivers of soap, I reuse paper clips, I use the backside of memos,' he told the Times in 2004. 'You can take the child out of the Depression, but you can't take the Depression out of the child.' Advertisement This article originally appeared in
