Genoese paintings of 16th-18th centuries exhibited at Hermitage

"Genoa in the Hermitage" exhibition opens at the State Hermitage (St. Petersburg) on Tuesday. The exhibition is sponsored by the museum, Genoa's City Hall and Palazzo Ducale under the patronage of the Italian Foreign Ministry and the Russian Embassy to Italy.

The exposition features paintings and graphic works by Genoese artists. The works will acquaint visitors with the original Genoese school of painting, which was formed for three centuries (from the 16th till 18th centuries).

It was the golden age of Genoese art. The founding father of the Genoese school Cambiaso and his disciples Fiasella, Piola and Strozzi worked there. Rubens and Van Dyke also lived and worked in Genoa in different times.

The exhibition at the Hermitage is a peculiar "response" exposition. In March-July 2002 Hermitage masterpieces were shown in Genoa.

"Genoa in the Hermitage" exhibition will last till January 20th, 2003.