Antony Gormley at the New Hermitage, St Petersburg

Antony Gormley’s solo exhibition ‘Still Standing: A Contemporary Intervention in the Classical Collection’ has opened at the Hermitage Museum in St Peterburg. The exhibition comprises seventeen new works and accompanies Gormley’s major rehang of the Dionysus Hall - the first time that a living artist has intervened in the classical galleries of the Hermitage. Gormley’s solid iron blockworks will be displayed in the small classical courtyard or Antichny dvorik, one of the museum’s most famous interiors. The works’ oxidised surfaces and severe volumes will contrast with the ornate neoclassical surroundings of the museum.

Still Standing provides a unique opportunity to experience the Hermitage’s display through the lens of one of the world’s most important contemporary artists. Dr. Mikhail Piotrovksy, Director of the State Hermitage Museum, says: "Antony Gormley is a great sculptor with whom it is inspiring to work. He understands by sense and emotions the main principles of museum life in the Hermitage. He has created a vivid dialogue of cultures which demonstrates that differences are exciting. His exhibition is built in the Antiquity Galleries of the Hermitage Museum, where Contemporary and Classical sculpture speak in a new way. We will see how this new language will be appreciated by the visitor."

A fully-illustrated catalogue accompanies the exhibition. The commission forms part of the Hermitage 20/21 project, an ambitious program aimed at showcasing the best of contemporary art in the Hermitage.