Art & antique news

"Trophy Art" On Calendar Again

A business meeting of federal assignee of culture Julian Nidy-Ryumelin and minister of culture of Russian Federation Mikhail Shvydkoy will take place in Moscow this Monday. A variety of current questions of collaboration between the two countries in the cultural sphere will be discussed, including the details of Germany's planned participation in celebration of tricentenary of Saint-Petersburg. Ministers will continue negotiations about painful problems of Russian-German relationship, so-called "trophy art". Constructive approach to the old problem brings hope, that Germany will receive at an early date the stained-glass windows from the church of the Virgin Maria in Frankfurt-on-Oder, which are currently stored in Hermitage. Before the negotiations Berlin authorities decided to refresh once again their claims concerning displaced values, which are aplenty in the inventory lists of Berlin museums and archives – about two and a half million objects. Many of them are currently stored in famous museums and libraries of Russia, including Hermitage and Pushkin museum. At the moment Russia works on compilation of the complete list of all displaced cultural values, situated on the territory of the country.