The exhibition “Peter the Great. Collector, Scholar, Artist” offers to take a view on the Emperor of Russia as a cultural innovator. He realized the historical importance of an archive and established the first public museum. Emperor’s attitude towards science and art is surprisingly close to the modern interdisciplinary method. Peter became for us somewhat of an apologist for the idea of science art. His revolutionary approach inspired us to create the exhibition. It also defined its design: strict, monochrome and technological.
The exhibition consists of two parts: The Grand Embassy and The Treasure of Peter. The Assumption Belfry hall documents the Emperor’s worldview development and his travels. Creeping lines contain quotations of Peter’s letters and diaries.
The Patriarch’s Palace hall exhibits items from “Chinese”, “Siberian” and other emperor’s collections. These artifacts became the foundation of the Kunstkamera. Collections are divided into several cylindrical zones, are marked by different colors. These zones represent various Peter’s «worlds» and create the route for the audience. We placed each item in an individual niche to highlight its unique history.