Margy Kinmonth at the National Gallery, London

Chris Riopelle, National gallery paintings curator, and Margy Kinmonth at screening

Charles and Romilly Saumerez Smith and Margy Kinmonth

Q and A

Q and A with Christopher Riopelle, Curator of post 1800s painting at National Gallery

George Beaumont Group Patrons screening

What the audience said:

…a wonderful and intimate insight into The Hermitage…

…It made the Hermitage seem an independent state within a state, miraculously surviving war and changes of regime, fire and tempest….

…I was full of admiration for Kinmonth’s filmmaking – from having the wandering perspective of the little boy, the emotion created by the way the camera moved and swirled, to the clear rapport she had with all the interviewees…

…I was knocked out by the access, the people, the story, just the whole thing…

…must have walked miles making it…the marching band was fab…

…the great hero of the film was Larissa Haskell, Hermitage curator of Venetian art, who describes with great vividness how her family had to eat, first, her father’s belt, and then, the family cat during the privations of the second world war…

There will be a special screening at the National Gallery, London of Hermitage Revealed, a feature length documentary exploring the histories and human stories behind the State Hermitage Museum. The documentary will be introduced by Margy Kinmonth, the film’s Director, and there will be a chance to ask Margy questions following the screening.

The film offers a wonderful insight into one of the most extensive collection of objects in the world. Entry will be via the Sainsbury Wing Entrance and there will be an opportunity to browse and purchase Foxtrot Films’ titles from a cash-only pop-up shop outside the Lecture Theatre on the night.