Russian Fabergé exhibition contains 'at least 20 fakes', expert says

Andre Ruzhnikov accuses director Mikhail Piotrovsky of ‘destroying the authority of the museum’

A Russian museum __________ to close a Fabergé exhibition that contains items loaned from the personal collection of a billionaire, after a prominent expert said it contained more than a dozen fakes.

In a letter, the art dealer Andre Ruzhnikov accused the Hermitage Museum’s director, Mikhail Piotrovsky, of “destroying the authority of the museum” by hosting the Fabergé: Jeweller to the Imperial Court show, which runs until 14 March.

Ruzhnikov told the Guardian that the exhibition included at least 20 fakes, and that he thought the exhibition, which is the first big Fabergé event at the St Petersburg institution since 1993, should close immediately. He said: “I want the shame to end. I want this show to be closed and forgotten, and that’s it. You cannot subject the Hermitage to such shame.”

The Hermitage and Alexander Ivanov have denied the claims and the billionaire produced documents that support the authenticity of the items that were loaned from the Fabergé Museum in Baden-Baden, which he established in 2009.

Piotrovsky and the Hermitage did not respond to a request for comment.

(Adapted from https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/feb/01/russian-faberge-exhibition-contains-fakes-expert-says

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