28 September 2009 the first hundred days of Hermitage Amsterdam

On Monday 28 September it will be exactly one hundred days since the Hermitage Amsterdam opened its doors to everyone. Since the first weekend, in which the museum was open continuously for 31 hours, a little over 360,000 visitors and guests have been counted. Research shows that nearly 80% of the visitors came to Hermitage, Amsterdam especially for the Hermitage, and that already 1 out of 6 visitors comes 45,000 from abroad. The total of 360,000 includes 45,000 guests and 110,000 visitors through the BankGiro Loterij campaign.

Bustling with activity

As well as organising remarkable exhibitions such as At the Russian court (until 31 January 2010), the museum plays an active role in presenting performances, films, debates, concerts, dance and guest appearances and much more. In this first summer numerous events were organised in conjunction with the Film Museum, the Uitmarkt and the Canals Festival which attracted huge audiences. After only three months it is already clear that the building, with its superb museum rooms, authentic garden, atmospheric chapel and spacious auditorium, represents an important addition to culture in Amsterdam.

Gouden Greep

Thanks to a large-scale campaign by the BankGiro Loterij, the founder of the Hermitage Amsterdam, 110,000 visitors made use of the opportunity to visit the new museum. They exchanged the ‘gold’ coin sent to them by post for an entrance ticket at a special BankGiro Loterij desk. This campaign continues until 1 October.

A great many friends

In the first hundred days the number of friends grew from 700 to 3500. There are many good reasons for becoming a friend: free entrance always, no need to queue and special events to take part in. The Hermitage Amsterdam is delighted to have so many new ambassadors who cherish the museum.

Hermitage for Children

On 1 September the Hermitage for Children was opened in the presence of a great many Amsterdam children. Each year no less than 20,000 pupils will follow the lesson programme. The teaching team has been increased from 7 to 20, and in addition another 10 assistants have been appointed to supervise the pupils during the lessons in the workshops and the discovery quest through the museum.

The following exhibition: Pioneers of Modern Art 6 March 2010 – 17 September 2010

The second exhibition at the Hermitage Amsterdam presents one of the finest collections in the world of French painting from the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. This collection from the Hermitage in St Petersburg consists of outstanding paintings by Picasso, Matisse, Van Dongen, De Vlaminck and Derain and others. They are regarded as the pioneers of modern art. Two famous Russian collectors, Morozov and Shchukin, dared to buy these works, at the time considered revolutionary, with the paint still wet in some cases. The exhibition deals at length with their lives and collecting policy.

For more information:

HERMITAGE AMSTERDAM
Press office
Noepy Testa, Kim van Niftrik
T: +31 (0)20 - 530 87 55
F: +31 (0)20 - 530 87 50
E: pressoffice@hermitage.nl
W: www.hermitage.nl/press