Catherine the Great

EXHIBITION OVERVIEW

Arts for the Empire - Masterpieces from The State Hermitage Museum, Russia

This fall, the Art Gallery of Ontario will welcome some of The State Hermitage Museum’s spectacular holdings. Come experience more than 200 magnificent works collected and commissioned by the Empress from some of the most illustrious European and Russian artists of the 18th century. Most of these works have never been shown in North America.

Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia (1729-–1796), was one of history’s greatest art patrons – and one of its shrewdest political leaders. For her, art and politics were inseparable. By her acquisition of important works of art from the past, and her patronage of the foremost artists of her time, she not only formed one of the finest collections in the world, but spectacularly transformed St. Petersburg into one of the cultural capitals of Europe.

Experience the magnificence of Imperial Russia with this exhibition of paintings, sculpture, furniture, gems, and decorative arts, including the dazzling 18th century Coronation Coach. Never before seen together in North America, these treasures will speak volumes about the power of culture and the culture of power.