27/09/1999
A special Aboriginal art exhibition will spend time from February until April in the year 2000 in the Great Hall at The State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, Russia.
Of particular significance is the fact that along the top of one of the walls of the Great Hall is a series of arched windows which, for the past 50 years, have been boarded up. On the other side of the windows is the Museum's numismatic gallery.
As a great gesture of friendship and goodwill, The Hermitage has offered to reopen these windows for the first time in 50 years especially for the Aboriginal Art Exhibition, so that visitors can clearly see through the window to the Exhibition below.
In return for this gesture, and the suggestion of the National Gallery of Australia, a donation of twentieth century Australian coins is being made by the Royal Australian Mint and The Perth Mint, to add to the impressive Hermitage numismatic collection.
The Honorable Joe Hockey, Minister for Financial Services and Regulation said 'the collection includes 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990 $200 Gold Proof Coins,....a 1999 Masterpieces in Silver - Coins of the 20th Century: Memories, a 1999 6 coin Proof Set entitled "International Year of Older Persons". and The Perth Mint 1999 Proof Centenary Sovereign, ....as well as the first ten coins from the Sydney 2000 Olympic Coin Silver Collection. A further six coins, to complete the silver collection, will be sent directly to the Hermitage upon their release.'
The Hermitage collections - some 3 million pieces in all - have been put together over a period of two and a half centuries. The collection represents world culture and art from the Stone Ages to the 20 century.
The Honorable Joe Hockey, Minister for Financial Services and Regulation will present the Australian Coin Collection to His Excellency Rashit Khamidulin, Russian Ambassador, who will accept them on behalf of the State Hermitage Museum.
THE PRESENTATION DETAILS
Where: Precious Metal Coin Vault The Royal Australian Mint, Denison Street, Deakin (Enter via Staff entrance where you will be escorted by security to the Precious Metal Coin Vault)
Time: 10.30am
Date: Monday 27 September 1999