Hermitage. Shortage and crisis

[SergeiSK]

Article today in the Interfax:

Hermitage. Shortage and crisis

Planned inventory at the Hermitage identified shortfall of several hundred items. On the other hand, found 50 subjects who were considered lost
Moscow. December 8. INTERFAX.RU - Planned inventory at the Hermitage identified shortfall of several hundred items. This does not mean that the items were stolen. Rather, they are in other museums or have been written off. On the other hand, some items can really divide. For example, crumble with age.

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The fact that the St. Petersburg Hermitage found to be missing, said today director Michael Piotrowski. According to him, during a routine inventory check was 1.2 million items. "Unfortunately, the audit found that there is a shortage of several hundred things", - said Piotrowski its size. According to him, "mainly exhibits, which were written off in the 40 th and 50 th years of the State. "There are things such as archaeological finds, which simply crumbled. On the other hand, the inventory found about 50 things before they number of missing and were found in other departments, he added the museum's director. He stressed that the Hermitage would not seek the things which were sold by the Soviet government in the early XX century. "Recently, the President of Russia set up a panel to investigate, legitimate Were these sales. But we will not return anything, it's too difficult. Items may be collected in museums and study them, "- he said.

Complication of bast

At present, Russia operates a government commission on the audit of museums. This is the first large-scale testing of museum collections of the country almost a hundred years. According to the Minister of Culture Alexander Avdeev, over time, accumulated problems: the 40-ies and the post-war 50's and 60's many museums were divided, some exhibits were transferred to the branches, then they were transferred to the branches of branches and so on. And they could be enrolled, or only one or simultaneously in all museums. In summer, the representative of the Criminal Investigation Department, Ministry of Internal Affairs Minister Ilya Ryasnii claimed that two thousand Russian museums government commission reviewed more than 80%, and identified a shortage of about 50 thousand copies. However, the Minister of Culture Alexander Avdeev at the same time urged not to rush to conclusions. "For example, in the museums of St. Petersburg found on 9 thousand items, which on the day of testing was considered lost. They were found in other funds. And this is - not an isolated case," - he said. Besides, part of the exhibits was not subject to theft, but was lost during moving, or transferred to other branches without proper accounting.


Commenting on the work of the commission, Avdeev also noted that "when we talk about any shortfall in museum collections, do not need to immediately submit that this painting by Velazquez or Aivazovsky. "The complication of bast shoes, pottery fragments, some wooden spoons - is also a museum items. For a hundred years, yet there was no check, they could collapse, but had not been written off. This is also necessary to remember" - he said. However, "negligence in the storage, in the accounting system, the lack of markings - these are the sore points that have already been identified," he added. "There are thousands of items, which are generally not considered. That is the museum of the Ministry of Interior, which moved into our system of federal museums, was altogether without the inventory and accounting. And there you have dozens, rather, hundreds of items that were missed, unnecessary. We now everything must be reconciled and to eliminate these inconsistencies, "- said the summer Avdeev.

The crisis in the museum

The financial situation in the world and the country will not affect the work of the museum, promised today Piotrowski. "In 2009, the budget of the museum will be the same as last year, he will not be reduced because of the financial crisis and will be about 2 billion rubles, - he said. - Even if suddenly there is some reduction, we took this quietly, so as able to live in conditions of crisis. First of all, you can reduce the financing of restoration work, in addition, in case of lack of funds we can raise fees for admission to other events. "

This year the budget of the Hermitage was also nearly 2 billion rubles, of which about 500 million rubles earned himself, in particular, selling tickets - the year the museum was visited by 2.5 million people, 500 thousand of whom are foreigners. As for spending, more than 1 billion spent on the construction of a new depository. "In 2009, the funds will be distributed the same way - said Piotrowski. - It is not we who decide, and the Ministry of Culture. It is funded by our construction and reconstruction, and about half of the total budget will go to the book depository building, now we have to reconstruct Chief of Staff.
/Interfax /

Quote :"... when we talk about any shortfall in museum collections, do not need to immediately submit that this painting by Velazquez or Ayvazovski ... "
But somehow I think that there is a long time copies of Velazquez and Aivazovsky hang ... And we all about bast and spoons tell.

[Евгений]

Сообщение от SergeiSK

Recently, the President of Russia set up a panel to investigate, legitimate Were these sales.

It is clear that the illegitimate, where the difference between the Nazis that obliged Jewish collectors selling their collections, and the Bolshevik government? No ...