The Agreement of Cooperation was signed by Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, Olga Lyubimova, Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, and Alla Manilova, Director of the State Russian Museum.
Preserving the cultural legacy
The Russian Museum will be the coordination center for the projects aimed at the development of the national school of restoration. The key projects include the creation of a single inter-museum scientific & research restoration center and the development of restoration workshops across Russia. The workshops are planned to subsequently become the basis for developing a regional network of specialized research & restoration centers. It is also planned to establish a single digital information resource designed for its users to exchange their professional experience, as well as to disseminate unique restoration methods.
New generation of restoration specialists
Another important focus of cooperation between the parties is to lay the foundations for cultivating a new generation of restoration specialists and transferring to them the precious knowledge from the country’s best professionals. To that end, the experience gained by Gazprom under the Friends of St. Petersburg project will be widely employed. The project, inter alia, aims to engage talented young people in the profession of a museum restoration specialist.
The Agreement provides for the creation of an internship system for senior students of universities and colleges to gain experience under the supervision of qualified mentors. Regular research and restoration activities will also be provided for young specialists. The geography of the activities will include, inter alia, the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics and the Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions of the Russian Federation. Young restoration specialists will also be able to share their achievements and experience with each other during the annual national festival.
The parties to the Agreement will promote a volunteer movement and ensure that everyone interested can engage in the restoration art.
Alexey Miller:
“For many years, Gazprom has been systematically supporting large-scale projects for the preservation of the cultural heritage and historical memory of the country. In collaboration with the State Russian Museum, we consistently implement programs designed to develop and promote the traditions of the Leningrad school of restoration, whose work remains a benchmark for quality and due care as regards the restoration of items of cultural and historical significance. Experts all across the globe use the experience accumulated by the Leningrad restoration professionals. Our goal is not just to preserve it, but to add to it and expand it.
Under the Friends of St. Petersburg project run by Gazprom, training programs in restoration are already being provided to students of universities specializing in the relevant fields. The tripartite agreement will make it possible to expand this work to cover the entire country and engage new talented young specialists in these activities. And let them always be united by the adherence to traditions and the creative labor that are the glory and the pride of the Leningrad school of restoration.”
Olga Lyubimova:
“Development of the national school of restoration is a mission of importance for preserving the national cultural legacy.
Since 2019, the State Russian Museum and Gazprom have been effectively cooperating in the field of comprehensive scientific restoration of museum items. The tripartite agreement involving the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation will strengthen this cooperation and help achieve a true synergy.
With our combined expertise and knowledge, we will be able to bring restoration works to a new level. It is important that the best methods and practices will be available for their study and use throughout the whole country. Under the careful guidance of mentors, gifted young people will get an opportunity to master the necessary skills and preserve the national heritage for future generations.”
Alla Manilova:
“The world-famous restoration school of the Russian Museum is notable for its outstanding craftsmanship and the high professionalism of its specialists, as well as for the careful handling of priceless artworks and time-honored traditions: the Russian Museum restoration workshops were founded more than 100 years ago. The Russian Museum addresses the challenges of the time and is always ready to help colleagues restore damaged artworks.
The agreement on the development of the national school of restoration will make it possible to bring up a whole plethora of young professionals who, basing on the multi-year experience of their mentors, will be able to work with the use of the latest high-tech achievements of Russian science.”
Background
Gazprom supports large restoration projects. For instance, the Catherine Palace’s Zubov Wing, the Lyons Hall and the Palace Chapel of the Resurrection were restored at the Tsarskoe Selo Museum; restoration works were completed in the Chinese Palace at the Peterhof State Museum Reserve in Oranienbaum. Joint exhibition and restoration projects are being implemented, for instance, with the State Hermitage Museum, the State Russian Museum and the Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (the Kunstkamera) of the RAS.
Gazprom is a partner of the State Russian Museum in restoration and educational projects. Such paintings as “Holy Rus” by Mikhail Nesterov, “Peter I at Krasnaya Gorka Lighting a Fire on the Shore to Signal to his Sinking Ships” by Ivan Aivazovsky, “Fête during Shrovetide on Admiralty Square in St. Petersburg” by Konstantin Makovsky, and “The Last Day of Pompeii” by Karl Bryullov were restored with support from the Company.
The Friends of St. Petersburg comprehensive social project of Gazprom has been implemented since 2020. The project is aimed at preserving the historical and cultural legacy of St. Petersburg and fostering the current development of the city. A number of educational and creative events have been developed and are being implemented at the sites of the Russian Museum under the project.