The Hermitage, The Hammer Collection: Films & Conversation
Event Details
The
Hermitage (29 min)
The Hermitage was originally the winter palace of Empress Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great. Elizabeth’s son, Peter III, was mentally deficient. When Elizabeth died, Peter became a very short-lived czar. A coup brought his wife, Catherine, to the throne. It was Catherine (the Great) who started collecting the art which would become the basis for the future museum that the Hermitage became. The program deals more with history and architecture of the Hermitage than the paintings within.
The Hammer Collection (33 min)
Armand Hammer (1898 – 1990) was an indefatigable business man and art collector. His father was of Ukrainian descent, and Armand kept close ties with the Soviet Union. He aided the Soviets with commodities such as food and medicine, and often took Czarist art in payment. The Soviets had little love of anything Czarist, and had no idea of the international value of the art. He loved and collected art for the public to enjoy. A portion of his total collection traveled worldwide. The most unlikely venue was Holyoke, MA in 1987. Holyoke was interested in revitalizing its downtown, in particular the Victory Theater. Senator Ted Kennedy prevailed upon Hammer to include Holyoke before this very impressive collection found its permanent home in Los Angeles. This program is generous with the actual art, and it includes both Kennedy and Hammer.
Join art and music enthusiast Jack Brin for this series of presentations on art and artists at Prosser Public Library in on selected Tuesdays at 1:00 PM. Each film screening will be followed by conversation about the particular artist or time period. Registration is appreciated.
