ART OF MEMORIES CURATING AT THE HERMITAGE, By Ayse Dietrich^*, Published by: Columbia University Press, USA. Written by Vinvent Antonin Lépinay, Year of Publishing: 2019. Subject Area: Art Museums. Book Type: Art History. Total Number of Pages: 288. ISBN: 9780231191890, $30.00, Paperback.

The Hermitage, is one of the oldest, most prestigious and most active museums in the world, and was founded during the reign of Catherine II the Great in 1764. Over the centuries it has accumulated a permanent collection of more than three million objects. The Hermitage’s vast collection is a microcosm of human history and cultural diversity that includes artifacts from archaeological excavations, art from Classical Antiquity, oriental art, Russian art, Western European art, arms and armor, and coins.

Following the October Revolution of 1917, all Russian private art collections were nationalized. In the effort to industrialize the country as quickly as possible between 1930 and 1934, the Soviet government sold some works to finance the purchase of western industrial equipment. However, in the years immediately after the Second World War the Hermitage’s holdings of late 19^th and early 20^th century European artworks increased noticeably.

The dramatic changes in Russia’s economy, politics and society that took place in last years of the 20^th century also affected the Hermitage. The loss of much of its state funding following the collapse of the Soviet Union meant that the museum had to rapidly find alternative sources of funding. While many other institutions were unable to survive these political and economic transitions, the Hermitage survived and established links to the West that helped it expand.

Art of Memories Curating at the Hermitage is a history of the State Hermitage Museum of Saint Petersburg in Russia. Through his own experience, Lépinay sheds light on the little-known history of the museum and opens the door to the reader to reveal the organizational structure of the museum as a cultural laboratory.

In the first chapter of the book, Lépinay discusses the museum’s transformation of items, storage site, mobility of the artifacts, how the authorities determine the selection of items, how they orchestrate new arrivals, how the employees create a balance between selecting what is offered and search for what is needed, and what risks that arise after the new arrivals. The author states that until the recent past, the people who had been bringing objects to the museum had unconsciously set the museums’ scope, and he names this period “spontaneous” accumulation when decisions could be made singlehandedly.

In the second chapter, Lépinay talks about the history of the documentation of the collections along the lines of classification, description, recording, and describes both the professional and territorial conflicts that resulted from process of classification

In the third chapter, the author discusses the confinement and isolation of the museum following the Revolution of 1917 and talks about the transitions of generations in expertise, doctoral program, functions of keepers, books published by Hermitagers, and the restrictions and censorship imposed during the Soviet Union.

In the fourth chapter, he talks about the specific position and the responsibilities of the restorers, how restorers are trained and educated, and the process of restoration in both the Soviet Union and at present.

In the fifth chapter, he talks about the training of the guides, their competition, methods in managing the crowds, and their organizational problems in tour guiding.

In the sixth chapter, Lépinay talks about the spacial organizations of the museum to manage the Hermitage’s large-scale collections.

In his conclusion, Lépinay talks about the issues related to the organization, documenting, protection of museum’s collections and maintaining the museum by the Hermitagers and protection of their community.

It is a well-written work for researchers who are interested in the history of art museums, and particularly the Hermitage. It introduces the details of maintaining an art institution and the social mechanisms that orchestrate activities within the whole system.