New York and Moscow to exchange "America" and "Russia" exhibitions

Large-scale exhibitions "Russia" and "America" will take place in 2006, in New York and Moscow and also, perhaps, in St. Petersburg. Mikhail Shvydkoy, Russian Minister of culture and Thomas Krentz, Guggenheim Museum and Foundation Director, have reached an agreement about that on Thursday in New York.

As the Minister told RIA Novosti in his interview, the purpose of that project is to "represent the image of each country, its history, its roots and traditions." According to Shvydkoy, both exhibitions would be devoted to the spirit of the nation, its input into history, its hopes and aspirations. In both exhibitions the art will be juxtaposed with artifacts of material history of civilization. In the Minister's opinion, "this would be extremely interesting both for the Russian as well as American public." An agreement has been reached with Guggenheim Museum about a mutual exhibition called "Islam" to take place in 2005 in New York, Cairo, Qatar, Moscow and, possibly, in St. Petersburg. Next year, five mutual exhibitions of Guggenheim Museum and the Hermitage, Russia's biggest art museum, are scheduled for Las Vegas, said Russian Culture Minister.

Guggenheim Museum is a combination of a number of large museums and exhibition halls in America and Europe, run by the Solomon Guggenheim Foundation. Since 2001, combined expositions of Guggenheim Museum and the Hermitage are exhibited on a constant basis.