The State Hermitage buys the painting “Island of the Dead” by the Swiss symbolist artist Arnold Böcklin. The painting dates from 1901. The amount of the transaction is 39.7 million rubles. Kommersant writes about this, based on the data from the procurement documentation.
The “Island of the Dead” is one of Becklin’s most famous paintings. There are six canvas options. One of them was owned by Adolf Hitler, who appreciated the artist’s work and considered it “his own.” Another version of the “Island of the Dead” had previously been exhibited in the Hermitage, then it was in a private collection. It is believed that it is his museum that he is acquiring now.
According to one version, the plot of the painting is based on the ancient Greek myth of the nymph Calypso. Odysseus ends up on the island of Ogygia, where he lives.
The work was reflected in later culture. In particular, in the work of Salvador Dalí, Vladimir Nabokov and Arseny Tarkovsky.
Earlier it became known that an inclusive center of creativity will open in the State Tretyakov Gallery. It will work on Maly Tolmachevsky Lane. The visit will be free. It is not yet known which programs will be implemented in the studios. They will receive groups daily, but it is also not revealed from which point.
