On 28 September 2016, at the future Hermitage–Vladivostok Centre, the agreement on the creation of a Hermitage centre in Vladivostok was prolonged.
Mikhail Borisovich Piotrovsky, General Director of the State Hermitage, and Vladimir Vladimirovich Miklushevsky, Governor of the Maritime Territory, signed the supplementary agreement and unveiled an information board on the façade of the building that will house the centre. This event took place as part of the first Hermitage Days to be held in Vladivostok.
The signing was followed by a discussion of the plan for the extensive reconstruction with elements of restoration of the historical and cultural monument that is the Kunst & Albers building, entailing its adaptation to modern standards for use as an exhibition facility of the State Hermitage.
“I am very glad that here today we are able to discuss in detail and visualize the course of work on the project for the centre that for us is part of the ‘Greater Hermitage’ concept. Each satellite centre is unique and different from the others. Each satellite is a one-off project. That is why it requires more time than straightforward projects,” Mikhail Piotrovsky noted. Alexei Bogdanov, Deputy General Director of the State Hermitage, stressed that “The centre will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology. This is a hackneyed phrase, perhaps, but otherwise we will not be able to bring out exhibitions here.
In July 2013, a working group from the Hermitage headed by the late Vladimir Matveyev, Deputy General Director for Exhibitions and Development, viewed the building at 38/40 Svetlanskaya Street that is intended for the future satellite centre in Vladivostok. It is one of the most attractive in the historical centre of the city, built in the “Romantic art nouveau” style in the early 20th century. On 19 June 2015, in the Council Hall of the State Hermitage, an agreement on the intention to create a Hermitage–Vladivostok Centre was signed and work began on drawing up the project documentation that is at present undergoing state appraisal. The deadline for the agreement and final approval of the project is December 2016. The opening of the centre is planned for March 2018.
