Activity

“The Exhibition of Japan-Russia International Art & Culture Exchange”
The 150th Anniversary of Japan-Russia Diplomatic Relations

From April 14th to 17th, 2006, we held a speciall exhibition in St. Petersburg, Russia, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the “Japan and Russia Diplomatic Relations.”

Support organizations included the Gorbachev Foundation, the State Hermitage Museum and the City of St. Petersburg.
The exhibition, held at the famous Anichkov Palace, featured 282 works by both Russian and Japanese artists.

Over 100 people attended the opening ceremony including 15 Japanese artists and on the 15th we held a special workshop with artists from both countries and Russian children.

Special Exhibition in Russia
“The Exhibition of Japan-Russia International Art & Culture Exchange”
Date: 14th-17th April 2006
Place:　Anichiov Palace、St. Petersburg
Works: 282 art works
Sponsoring organizations: Gorbachev Foundation, the State Hermitage Museum and the City of St.
Petersburg.
Theme: “Let’s enjoy “

About the Hermitage Museum

The Hermitage occupies six magnificent buildings situated along the embankment of the River Neva, right in the heart of St Petersburg. The leading role in this unique architectural ensemble is played by the Winter Palace, the residence of the Russian Tsars that was built to the design of Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli in 1754-62. This ensemble, formed during the 18th and 19th centuries, is extended by the eastern wing of the General Staff building, the Menshikov Palace and the recently constructed Repository.

Put together throughout two centuries and a half, the Hermitage art collections (over 3,000,000 items) present the development of the world culture and art from the Stone Age to the 20th century.

12th April 2006

On 12th April 2006, our delegation left from Narita to arrive in St. Petersburg around 20:00.

13th April 2006

Our stay in Russia opened with a courtesy visit to the Hermitage Museum.
The military marching band welcomed our delegation in front of the Museum. We were able to visit the Museum before the Museum was opened to the public.
The curator of the Museum gave us a warm welcome and explained in detail the prestigious collections, allowing us to enjoy in a very special and relaxed way.
After that, we visited the Museum’s “Children Studio”, a place for children to come in touch with international art, learn about it while getting inspired.

 

 

 

 

14th April 2006

At 17:00 Opening ceremony at Anichiov

The place where the exhibition was held, “Anichiov“,　was originally one of the residencies of Aleksander the Third, from the Romanov family.
The palace, with a total extension of 1000 square meters, is divided into several rooms by walls which are finely decorated with sculptures and frescos. 6 rooms were allocated for our exhibition for a total of 282 works.

-Opening Ceremony-
Over 100 participants were invited to the ceremony and the special dinner for over 3 hours. Many honorable names participated in the opening ceremony. Among them:

( Constituency )

Japan consulate
City of St. Petersburg City
Anichekov Palace
National Academy of St. Petersburg Kunitachi Academy
Hermitage Museum
Association of International Collaboration

 

15:00 Special workshop1315th April 2006

AM Sightseeing
After breakfast we visited the “Petrodvotes (Petergof)”.
The place is located in a stunning natural setting in the suburbs of the City. The orchestra played famous Japanese pieces such as “Furusato” and “Kimigayo”, which deeply moved our delegation.

Artists from Japan and Russia and over 30 Russian children gathered from various places at the Hermitage Museum to participate in a very special workshop. All participants joined a collective art session to draw “Let’s enjoy” on a large piece of paper.

16th April 2006

In the early morning, our delegation reached the capital of Lithuania, Tallinn. Upon our arrival, we made a first sightseeing tour of the city, which included a visit to the Narva Castle.

17th April 2006

Sight seeing of Tallinn
We visited the old town of Tallinn, a world heritage site.

18th April 2006

Transfer to the capital of Finland, Helsinki
Sightseeing of Helsinki.
After the sightseeing, the delegation took a flight to back to Japan

 

 

Period: 21th-23th September 2003
Venue: St. Petersburg