How to mount the art in the Hermitage

• How to assemble the art in the Hermitage

I must admit that the first time the Hermitage visited recently. I came here for a reason, and on the occasion of the opening of a large exhibition of contemporary Flemish artist Jan Fabre, who brought to Russia a lot of his work, and even specially created a number of new ones. His works scattered Winter Palace, occupying part of the constant exposure partly in the New Hermitage and Main staff.

The exhibition itself will be opened a few days ago - on October 22, and they showed me how the process works installation is underway. Work is important and laborious, it is not sand bags to carry, but calmly and carefully hang the paintings, without damaging the adjacent, hang large canvas and even collect the house.

All the works in the Hermitage come in wooden boxes, in which the content is pasted picture and description. Boxes are first placed in the store, and then to the assembly are supplied to the back door with special equipment.

Severe Hermitage porters hauling a box of the truck on a platform with wheels and is rolled into the building. These little boxes were in the door with the Atlanteans, had neatly wheel in diagonal.

Inside the Hermitage boxes raised to the desired level using the freight elevator, and rolled down into the hall, where there will be the installation works, hidden inside a container.

The installation itself goes pretty chaotic works as a convenient and practical work of the Hermitage, in fact they are actually run by hanging. It is better to trust the professionals, many of whom work in the museum for a long time.

A in the photo above is not an employee of the Hermitage, and the artist Jan Fabre drags a heavy box with its own work. Fabre personally present at the installation, controlling the process and making some adjustments, but also shabby gravity is not lazy.

Dialogues between Fabre and workers periodically occurred:

- Turn left! Left!

- Yes, yes, right now. Vasya, rolled a cart!

- ...

Jan Fabre's father was a famous entomologist, so the artist makes extensive use of the animal world aesthetics. He works with the shells of beetles, skeletons, horns, stuffed animals and pictures of animals in a variety of materials.

In the installation works are closed to visitors only concrete halls of the Hermitage, and the rest are in the normal mode. Moreover, there is a schedule of open sessions hanging halls, workers try to stick to it strictly.

As pointed out by the artist himself, and this is acknowledged by scholars and critics, his art is rooted in the classical tradition of Flemish painting, which he admires.

The bright and spacious rooms of the General Staff is another part of the exhibition Jan Fabre. There is quite, for me personally, abstract things. For example, you see a huge blue canvas? You think about how it was created?

This is a normal ballpoint pen. The huge canvas inscribed with a ballpoint pen. I wonder how long it has been spent? And how many ballpoint pens?

Next to the web guys are going to a house with stairs inside, too, painted in blue ballpoint pens.

In the assembly of the house the most responsible, it is right to find the necessary items and put them together, otherwise the overall pattern does not work out. there are specially trained people for this process.

I was not allowed just to touch the art, and literally stand inside.

The exhibition is a great educational program including film screenings, lectures, workshops and a series of public discussions.

Fabre says that "through his works he tries to loud and tangible to talk about life and death, physical and social metamorphosis of the nature of the cruelty inherent in both the animal and human world."

Knight is also part of the exhibition, in the other rooms were already fully assembled different knights, armor, jousting helmets. They are all created with insect themed, and some directly from the insects. Come and see for yourself.

The exhibition "Jan Fabre: Knight despair - Beauty Warrior" by the Department of Contemporary Art at the State Hermitage Museum in the framework of the project "Hermitage 20/21". And in the office of Contemporary Art Fabre I found a sketch that the artist specifically sent to the Hermitage. Please taking off on the beetles.