Politicized. We lost all the time, not to the size that he would get in. Thats just because people are in need should not be punished by any, but its good extent. But unfortunately, but at this time they are using the phone computer. Well, most of the time to say the, because i did and those do me and also the sales for the past is this brooklyn has this situation. Some of those times remember when the business i best went to the land asking for im in the shop for the state of the state, the america to stop the funds, to the best deal for the good sense. Not only to or so the Americans Still bought that in the Financial Support for the better standing and people im to be seen in a little thing is always combined with the can agenda well, so for this is ive always is great to have your company here on, on the im on the western backers had high hopes be praying, celebrated counter offensive. But alas, they were just hopes and illusions. The cool reality on the ground demonstrates that nato and to live in a world of magical thinking. Pray is pay the price, the hi, im accepted and im here to plan with you whatever you do. Do not watch my new show. Seriously. Why watch something thats so different whitelisted opinions that he wont get anywhere else. Welcome to please or do you have the state department c, i a weapons makers, multi 1000000000 dollar corporations. Choose your fax for you. Go ahead, change and whatever you do. Dont want my show stay main street because im probably going to make you uncomfortable. My show is called stretching time. But again, its not. We dont want to watch it because it might just change the way inside the the, the, the museums are important for preserving our history so that it is lost to future generations. But our physical museums, places themselves a relic of the past. This is one of the best museums in the world are going to touch in st. Petersburg to help for us to use the director here, and i bet he has some answers. The student history is always biased, the energy its designed in the physical space. The energy that resides in paintings that energy cannot be fully conveyed through the technology. The restoration ends. What assumptions begins. Do you think i can try my hand today and fairly various do supervisor matar sort of 2 types of question, the disability. Why i, when i scuffle the time and watch my favorite painting, professor control ski nice to meet you. Thank you very much for hosting us here. Um basically this is the hematologist. Youve been the director here for 30 years. The world has changed a lot in this time. What is the hermitage, or how has the hermitage changed along with it . Of the lives in the, in the right now live in the winter palace. Its part of the how, my gosh. And the ammonium into russian statehood, but also a world famous up museum. I do hope the hermitage hasnt changed much and said he is on job is to preserve this wonderful 19th Century Museum and make sure it continues to tell stories. It takes a lot of the work to keep it from changing. And you know, thats why weve launched the great a home attached project as well. Its an entire complex of facilities, including the New Buildings on palace square. As a result, weve doubled our exhibition space where we think weve also opened a Storage Facility at home at our starting until you have now. So thats a whole village. Finally, weve established a number of satellite museums and government. Previously, we had time to, to our satellites and russia and all around the world. For now, who need the russian branches are active with us while the home authorities a Mountain High tech museum with a Global Presence . The worst of i believe its still manages to preserve the spirit of the 19th century. So history, it changes, people can manipulate history if you will, based on their own agendas. How do you keep a history, some being changed so that you can so that it is non biased and so that it is as impartial is fluid as it can. Then you believe history is always biased, whom was it . What a museum does is give people an opportunity to make their own interpretations based on authentic pieces of history and all the items here are authentic thoughts. We dont offer interpretations components, and every person learns different things. From different sources, but what makes our museum great is that while we have our own view point, which is the let everyone tell this to read the way they wants to tell it. Let me give you an example that you were about to enter the gallery dedicated to the poetry, alter the quote of 1812. So the painting was the which to pick the battle of, but i didnt know. So theres a need for russians. This was a great victory of the russian empire, but to the french, it was a great french victory. History is always biased that way. Here the weve also got paintings of the battle of ben is enough. For anybody they tell the story of napoleon honestly in russia for doing this, it would appear to show another great victory for russia, wouldnt it . But we also know that the commander of the russian army and that is enough, was not included in this series of pull tribes because he led napoleon zone go and get away with thoughts. So this shows that history can be interpreted in different ways. Which can sometimes contradict each other. So i know that a lot of museums have a Technology Advanced technologies like sweetie, exhibits v r, and the use augmented reality. Maybe. How is the hermitage adapting to this . Do you have exhibits that use new technology, logistical shipping, and typically, and now in the process of creating what we call to select steel hematologist, much of what we do involves Cloud Technology, new performance. Well, this is especially relevant today jessica, this russia finds itself in an intellectual and cultural blockade system. So everything we do ends up in the cloud. Now you dont have to physically come to the home to us to discover its treasures of the sudden all of our excavations are uploaded to this virtual hermitage. And we do exclusive digital exhibitions as well. We have a series of items that we exhibit in Virtual Reality and put on display physically in other museums as part of home attached days. Old method reality and Virtual Reality has been a huge success. You can put on a special headset and float all the way to the ceiling. Take a better look at the statue of c us and so on. That issue to let importantly, all these cutting Edge Technologies in the hematologist must be subordinate to the 19th century aesthetic culture and history. Technology comes and goes in waves, are a technological shift to every 5 years or so. We can no longer use disco made 5 years ago, let alone those from a decade ago. Some basic things must be preserved regardless of the change in technology. Well, im also because most of the Digital Technology takes away from the oscar. Its not something that everyone understands, but a digital picture is often less than its analog count about the same way. A vinyl record is better than a digital record disk. Stepping into a room like this, this hallway is just magnificent. You kind of feel the history here. Is it safe to say that there will always be a place in the world for physical Museum Spaces upside of the Business Loan . Absolutely. Could we physically, museums with always be around, you control goal . You want about cutting edge of technology and whats the energy that resides in the physical space . The energy that resides in paintings that energy cannot be fully conveyed through technology. Yes, technology is useful, but thats it. Yeah, we have simple traits of men who fault in the war against napoleon. This is the duke of wellington, but he served as a russian field marshal. So hes up to a lot of these, a wonderful portraits. The over the weve got equipment that provides detailed information about every welcome boss, because this is one of the Ways Technology can that help us with that. But it still comes down to people or a many poems within about the people you see here. And they certainly agree with the kind of energy that helps you invest yourself in the history with likewise, these photographs here help you understand what it was like in the us of the great patry arctic wall during the siege of leningrad when the weather no fault rates on display yeah, look only empty frames or 3 of nearby, even without the portraits. This place still had a way to speak to people. So lets say a new piece becomes available and information comes with a new day got, or a new renoir is discovered. What is the process . How does the museum go about acquiring that piece . And can you talk me through . How do you find out about it and how do you get it here to that havent touched the especially if we dont buy things like a new day. God, because we already have many of his lex. Secondly, we dont always have the funds to make such grand purchases. But when we do come across something that catches our interest to you, okay, that was a special committee that looks at the item. And that provides us a detailed description and delivers an opinion on whether or not we should buy it. And then with the committee, we have a discussion to answer to key questions. Do we really need it . And can we afford it . And i think if we, can, we start raising the money. Well, thats what you can feel. I can think of one famous painting, but totally self. Its on a monday by, you know, davinci into the end. These people went around trying to sell it to everyone, or what they brought it to us as well. Its not the original, of course, but once we looked at the painting, we knew right away. It wasnt what we needed to simplify this. We had best of paintings by differentiation, and we also have better paintings from the same school of painting. In fact, we even have a better salvage on monday painting by taishan. Occasionally there is a piece we really need to buy, in which case we get all worked out for reaching out to the sponsors and the patrons come up and get them to buy the piece for us. And typically the item is not some approve a height painting, but a specific look about the montage would benefit from whats not the number, the theme, and the number of massage levels. You mentioned what does the hematologist need or what does the hermitage that you really, really want to tell me as a director here . What would you really, really like to add to that havent touched collection . Honestly, icon name, many things i do want to youve simply come by we could use of the mirror, i guess its really difficult to get a decent that man whom every once that was a spend me a painting on the market. And they said, surely some russian tycoon will buy it and donate it to the home at ash we knew that was no tyco. And the painting wasnt that good. The best thats, youre just comp, get your hands on quality audrey and then when it comes to the 20th century, we kind of temporary off. We have old essentials, weve got done some music by my teeth. Theyve got the value of which is black square, a gift by the way, and weve got the red wagon but the bulk of bullshit with the nation. We have some wonderful paintings, but on some key for so id say we have the 20th century covered as for the 21st century, there arent any office that we could use. Its a kind of a related question, but um, a little more personal. What is your favorite piece, or maybe something that is closest to your heart here in the bush . Now, thats a big question. At the montage, there are 2 types of questions that are for bidding for. Why i, where am i scuffle the time . Depend. Whats my favorite painting . If i reveal my favorite painting, people will keep giving me reproductions of it all the time the director of the hermitage has a right to a private life. I mean, i have a book called directors choice and it lists all the pieces. I have personally chosen and those on my personal favorites, just the ones i suggest, everyone should see to better understand what the home attach has to offer. Now we know that the hermitage has large vaults, the huge collection and museums like to lose and the smithsonian, the United States, they have about 7 percent, only 7 percent of their collection on display for the public. Um, how much do you have available to the public percentage wise . Especially doug, thats not the right way to look at. It appeared it was for us, the museum is not a gallery because it exists to show only a small part of the collection. Every museum consists of collections. If you dont have collections, you will not consider the museum. The people in charge of this collection study, restore, and present of exhibits some of these exhibits auction to the public and museums when thats where youll figure comes from. Its usually due 10 percent in the laundry museums, and smola museums to figure out tends to be hot out. And then this doesnt apply to the hematologist tool. Over many years, we have built a large complex of open Storage Facilities cooled down and thought about dice. Donnelly, i dont have now. Thats old village. Any ship a couple of our exhibits are on display that dont like in here, where weve got a couple of paintings on each wall over there. Weve got hundreds and hundreds of them and people go and explore the Storage Facility is just like they go to restoration studios to see what else specialists do with these works of out of which was the of the we went to the started yet, did they have now restoration and Storage Center for ourselves to see where age warn masterpieces get a new life. Larry, what youre doing is incredibly interesting. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us. Um ive been looking around i see in your tool kit, you have cotton swabs. You have scalpels, it seems more like a surgeons tool kit. Are you an artist, or are you more like a, a doctor or a surgeon as low as the level 2 . And as you are right, there are lots of similarities between medicine and restoration. Young. We have similar instruments and do intricate work that requires focus. We care for paintings like doctors, medical professionals, treat people we treat canvas, is the ideal situation is when there is a balance between artistic and surgical work. Um and you must have both beach and book. Sometimes you have to perform complex, some technical things that dont require artistic skills, but then you get to colors and cleaning. In order to do that, you have to know and understand a lot about art. Like in medicine, good doctors will study for decades. Restoration requires that to you and we have various schools that teach the trade from the basics to the top level. It could take decades to become a qualified specialist in this field. The new much practical ocean with the city was i know so a time can do very bad things to paintings, to all of this. Actually, is it possible to restore any type of painting based on any type of damage . The certificate from the beginning of the one. Yes, there are various degrees of damage, but sometimes its very minor and doesnt require that much work. And other times we get a severely damaged and painted with when to continue with the medicine analogy. Extensive surgery or treatment is required out to her montage. We have exhibits that have had a troubled history. Theyve survived the wars and all sorts use the painting on restoring the right now is by john proves to be a belgian artist who lived and worked at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries. There was an amazing story behind this painting that was trapped inside a wall for a long time. In the 1650s, there were an i clinic campaigns, and many artworks were destroyed. This painting was hidden behind the church wall in brouge from the remains air for the 230 years. So was discovered by accident until the, from the french destroyed the cathedral for that sort of thing from us, from china. And that was, what is the if i may ask the most, a damaged painting that you personally ever had to restore . This painting is an example of how some artwork has been badly treated. It is also by young provost in the end. Initially it was the same size as this one. The painting was intended for an altar, and so it was over 2 meters now, only a fragment remains young, which was caught scouts of a large can was it of it was painted over to fit into the new format. This golden background, which was just covered in black paint. I dont understand the artistic value of that decision, which i guess they were guided by some popular trends of the time. But this is an example of the terrible damage that could be done to a painting. This is when its cut into pieces here, washed out of the painted over. When does that change drastically with in accordance with the trends or anything like that to a point . Our goal is to restore the original appearance intended by the author. In some parts history is based on our original works move, the colors and the college. In order to avoid the false attribution or other misconceptions, we need to uncover the truth. And that is what we try to do. If possible, we remove all other layers and cover the original painting a co presenting it to the viewer and the way it was 1st created to the customer level every ive been watching you work. So i think im ready. Are you ready to give me a try . I want to help. I mean, you have, i think you will have this opportunity after youve studied the trade for 10 years or so. We know of situations when people without any special training, try to do this work and end up ruining everything. So why wouldnt recommend it so . So not today. Andre, thank you very much for meeting with us today. Uh, the work you do is very important, in my opinion, youre incredibly brave to take your hands and put them to history like this. Talk to me about the process when the painting comes in until when it goes out. How do you do your work . Which is 1st, we evaluate the condition of the paintings and you know the extent of the damage and develop all restoration plan. After we make sure that the painting is being sufficiently consolidated, then it wont crumble. We figured out if we need to use varnish or reconstruct, last fragments, this stuff, this is from case to case, whole paying things are quite clearance work sofa the restoration. So consolidation is the most important step. And one thing that impresses me is the use of color. Sometimes colors can be found like they were originally. So what do you do . Do you just take a new paint, a new color and put it in there because a trained eye . You would notice, but i wouldnt notice the difference between the blue that i find in the store today in the blue that was used originally. I guess some colors are impossible to replicate, even though we have equivalence for some like synthetic old to maureen, some other like of a natural red pigments that were made from folks and smiles. Nobodys replicating those processes today. Weve replaced them with advance and facing materials. You know, with the same time the kids to have a good grasp of the Office Technique and methods, the pigments that we use and that helps you find the correct approach to the restoration flight imitating the office as closely as possible. Now, um, as we spoke a little bit about this off camera, but does you have to go down to the original layer to make sure that you restore a painting down to its original glory if you will. There have been famous examples of people who think that theyre doing the right thing and things that theyre doing a good job and have jobs done. Tremendous damage to the work. Um, how do you prevent that and does it break your heart when you see those sorts of things on my newest little and like i used to live cough sometimes im a chicken service. Oil paintings that often comes to life is the damage is usually obvious. Actually the rule is very simple here, focus on the loss and then try to become a total of a fine arts can sub as it can serve a 1st and foremost, we must suppress our creative done. We only restore once lost the mistake. We all, its on our work table here, were hoping to favor and should be reduced to a minimum. Oh, golden rule only do whats necessary. Whats the best path to our goal is the past of least impact of what i thought it was also a great quote from says i brandy history restoration ends. What assumption begins. Not everybody works by these words. Some a so self confident. They say they know what theyre doing and not doing it right. Yeah. But in fact, we propose as a 100 percent confident this profession is not for them. You should always have a grain of doubts. And i was looking for somebody with that havent been said, im a little bit of an artist myself. I, i have the uniform who address the same way. Do you think i can try my hand today and we can start . I can work here together with you. Very, very strict supervisor and all right, thank you again for taking the time. Appreciate it. Thank you. Now weve spoken with the restoration artist. They have a very important job, any credibly tense job. What happens if you get a piece that is as to damaged it to be restored . Do you keep it in the vaults, or do i do keep it for historical reasons or if it goes to that us. Uh, initially the decision is made by an ex both commission on a case by case basis. Uh, but most of each item has doesnt own conservation rule in the Venice Charter out of federal court that says we shouldnt rebuild. Once gone with michelle didnt mirror and syria were involved in the restoration process. We often hear and its still made, it gets destroyed. So let it be like that when, when not crazy vandals build acid, or the rembrandt done, they dont know that some parts of it will last forever, but them the windshield some suggested we shouldnt do in a single we so, so thatd be a monument. The vandalism of an issue was that, but in fact, its important to restore interest phone due to the extent of whats possible. But this book, its not about painting a new. Weve conserved what we code unless something pops out and damaged beyond repair. But still a movie, then a, as a mazda base with somebody, even though its appearance has changed. And every time we have to make this decision, one thing is certain. We must add another thing, because the intrusion must be reversible. For example, when we add von, it shows where a big hole is, zillow, we add the toner. So the whole doesnt interfere with the perception that was left to get these. But this kind of interference must be reversible. That allows should be removable felt like easy to stay in the hermitage. Our approach to restoration is very conservative. Its we never aim to restore a painting to a fresh condition that what that would be wrong. And then you set up the autism new. The painting would date and what it would look like in 20 years. Thats all take on the issue, but its really quite a conservative one. But we try to restore paintings to let the visitors enjoy them. If the piece is destroyed completely, however, substitute we have to wait, we have some of that piece of the grades outfits when we have a lot of them in our collection, and their exhibition is coming soon, go shopping with them. Some of them look, consider damaged beyond repair, with a ship, with new technology rolled in, and now they have restored sports, even though we didnt add anything to them. So just revived and re shapes the damaged thoughts. Nice if it is still, you know, um you have said that arts and exhibitions are an important cultural dialogue. Now that a dialogue between countries and has become complicated, lets say do you think that art can serve as a moderator to help you get people talking . You can get countries talking again, the other wish to go to the store and the children, in my opinion, International Dialogue will resume through museums and exhibitions. Weve been here before during the cold war. Normally, the dialogue between museums precedes the re establishment of diplomatic relationships with etiquette. The opposite is also true. Museum exchange between russia in the United States and discontinued 50 and years ago. It was the 1st signal that nobody knew back to them that it was to harold. A new page in our relations stood still. Dialog continues to get. We have telecommunications that let us check treasures across the board as adults and many other exhibition venue is also exist for most of the interactions when stump completely soft. And we always trying to negotiate any obstacles we encounter through this ticket. And they were a lot of them in the past. The whole montages history spans 3 revolutions. 3 was evacuations, exchanges, and everything in between the tech stuff. Weve been the, we know what to do was to put a, we know all way around the colonize ation. As well did, we have vast experience designed by keeping up a work and settles that we explore opportunities to build new bridges with our colleagues on the foundations of punch, ones like that. Most of them us now, museums are kind of like a living organism. They breathe, they need oxygen. Um, you need freedom, you need a movement so that the people in Different Countries can see your exhibitions and breathe life into the hermitage. What destinations would you like to take . The love of this place . The 2 next. On the scroll, as i said before, its Cloud Technology where youve even on youtube, virtual to us, have so many views you to be couldnt even dream of that number of young person visits as weve learned to independent academics. And thats great and less. We still have toughness that remain accessible to us. Like in the gulf states culture, twin museum, the lieu of a w, for example, is going to go to the loop these days. But in abu dhabi, the doors are open on this. We have collaboration projects in china, malaysia, and south east asia. So people who miss out on the opportunity to visit russia with that. But we love it much more when people come here or visit our online exhibitions. Lets say were reluctant to transport pieces elsewhere, just submitted perilous, too dangerous to take all collections to other countries exhibiting them here or on the internet is much safe. So the professor, thank you very much. It has been an incredibly interesting conversation in the fascinating place, of course. Thank you. My pleasure. Thank you. The sooner time soon. Welcome back to going under ground, broadcasting all around the world from dubai, in the u. A in 48 hours while the global south moines the 911 c, i a back to again, salvador i and the United States holds its own 911. Then you will ceremony. Tomorrow the 22nd anniversary of an atrocity that led to the 20 year war and then defeat in afghanistan. So is the president washington war on russia through ukraine 1000000 echo all of that us defeat in afghanistan . Joining me now for in Salt Lake City in