Peter the Great, an Inspired Tsar: the exhibition in Amsterdam (9 March – 13 September 2013)

The Hermitage Amsterdam presents a major exhibition devoted to Peter the Great (1672–1725), the modernizer of Russia.

The exhibition paints a picture of this unconventional, inspired and inquisitive Russian tsar, who by the time he took power at the age of 17 was determined to transform his country. His achievements include reforming the military and the church, expanding trade and industry, and improving education and public health. He turned Russia into a great European power with a brand-new capital city: St.Petersburg, his “window on the West”.

With historical artefacts, paintings, gold jewellery from the ancient world, weapons and unique documents, the exhibition sketches the life of this peerless ruler. From his youth Peter collected art, including a Rembrandt, planting the seed for St.Petersburg’s later Hermitage collection. An enthusiastic traveller, he went two visits to Western Europe, including the Dutch Republic. It was the city of Amsterdam, in particular, that inspired him to found his new capital.

Peter befriended many leading figures in Dutch society, such as Nicolaas Witsen (mayor of Amsterdam), Christoffel van Brants (shipper, and grain and arms merchant), Albert Seba (apothecary and collector of natural curiosities) and Frederik Ruysch (physician, anatomist and botanist). Like a sponge, he absorbed what they taught him about shipbuilding, making instruments, carpentry, etching, dissection, pulling teeth, making paper, gardening, bookmaking, and much more. Find out how this knowledge bore fruit in Russia during your visit to Peter the Great, an Inspired Tsar. You will also find many of Peter’s personal effects, such as his suits and one of his coaches, which show how profoundly he was influenced by Western tastes.

The exhibition is based on the collection of the State Hermitage Museum in St.Petersburg, with additional pieces from the collections of museums and institutions in the Netherlands and elsewhere. The exhibition runs until 13 September 2013 at the Hermitage Amsterdam (Amstel 51) in Amsterdam.