Once Detained By Finnish Customs, State Hermitage Museum Artworks Return To Russia

Hermitage Museum, Rusia. (Creative Commons/Sasha Petite)

JAKARTA - The State Hermitage Museum's artwork, which was detained by Finnish Customs, has finally arrived back in Russia after returning from an exhibition in Italy.

According to a TASS correspondent, after unsealing the back of the truck in the presence of Federal Customs Service officers, museum specialists began to unpack the box with art objects.

According to Hermitage experts, among the artworks are those of Antonio Canova, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun, Giulio Carlini, and others.

"This is the third time the Hermitage has returned in recent times. First of all I would like to express my sincere thanks to the staff of the Russian Embassy in Finland, our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Culture, Customs Service, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland and partners we are in Italy and France," said Hermitage Director General Mikhail Piotrovsky as quoted by TASS April 13.

"Our consolidation efforts have proven one thing: cultural exchanges enjoy a special status under current international law and do not fall, at least today, under sanctions," he explained.

"This is very important. We have more works of art. So, we will refrain from commenting due to security considerations. Everything is going its own way and the art is getting ready to come back."

Artworks from the State Hermitage and other museums in the Leningrad Region, were confiscated at the Finnish border Vaalimaa on April 3, when they were on their way back to Russia after the exhibition in Milan, which closed on March 27, 2022.

Finnish customs officials asked the European Commission for clarification. Then, the European Commission said, art objects loaned from Russian museums to institutions in European countries, were exempted from sanctions imposed by the European Union on Russia.

In addition, artworks from the State Tretyakov Gallery and the State Museum of Oriental Art returning from Udine were detained at the border.

As with other works of art, Finnish customs officials sought clarification from the European Commission, which later said that art objects loaned from Russian museums to institutions in European countries were exempt from sanctions imposed by the European Union on Russia.

To note, on Saturday last week, the Russian museum's artwork finally crossed the border into Russia.