(ANSA) - ROME, MARCH 14 - "The Hermitage has reached an agreement with the Russian Ministry of Culture according to which the request for an immediate withdrawal of the works loaned by us is mitigated. The paintings by Titian and Picasso continue to hang on the walls of the museums for several weeks. The same also applies to the works of the Hermitage which are part of the 'Grand Tour' exhibition which, upon agreement with the organizers, will be withdrawn immediately at the official closing ".
This was declared by Michail Piotrovsky, general director of the Hermitage Museum, in a note released by Maurizio Cecconi, general secretary of Ermitage Italia.
"We are very sorry that the cultural relations between our countries have collapsed into such a 'darkness'. We can only get out of it if we maintain the atmosphere of goodwill and benevolence.
We always say that the bridges of culture are blown up last.
Now the time has come to protect them.
And we will try to show how it is done "adds Piotrovsky." We must clearly agree - it continues - on when and above all how the works will return to the Hermitage.
We keep the Centro Ermitage Italia informed, even though its operational activities have been suspended, and our Italian partners.
I hope that Italy can contribute to creating a new mechanism of interaction between cultural institutions, a long national tradition of love and respect for culture, art and museums "." Today's museum situation must show a way of solving serious problems in a very complicated world so as not to become an instrument of political struggle.
We need new approaches and agreements without a return to the rhetoric of the Cold War "concludes Piotrovsky. Cecconi for his part explains:" For many days we have been dealing with the curators and the protagonists of the cultural life of the Hermitage Museum of the loans made by the Russian Museum to Bodies and Institutions of our country.
Today, after several contacts and discussions - he concludes - we can say that we have obtained an initial and significant result ". (ANSA).