The new Hermitage Modern / Contemporary Museum (HMCM) in Moscow will be a new and important chapter in the long and remarkable history of the State Hermitage Museum based in Saint- Petersburg. Designed by architects Hani Rashid and Lise Anne Couture of Asymptote Architecture, the museum has been conceived from the outset as a significant venue and platform for the State Hermitage, conceived as a public room set within the urban fabric of Moscow. The HMCM will extend itself as a place of culture, respite, research and polemics, and spectacle.

The HMCM will consist of 15,000 square meters of space set within a 60-meter-tall structure, built as part of ZILART, on the former site of the ZIL automotive plant near the center of Moscow. The museum itself will be the centerpiece and key component of a new 1.5 million square meter project now under construction. HMCM will be constructed by LSR Group, the largest real-estate developer in Russia, under the leadership of former senator Andrey Molchanov. Under the impetus of Mr. Molchanov, along with Dr. Mikhail Piotrovsky, Director of the State Hermitage Museum, HMCM is designed to be an important cultural and urban focal point at the intersection of Russian culture and modernity within the realms of contemporary, modern and conceptual art.

A major aspect of the Hermitage Modern / Contemporary Museum is to showcase the relationship between the creation of art and the experience of viewing and participating in it. The museum will be a place for both continued and sustained cultural growth, focusing primarily on curation, education and furthering the relevancy of art as a protagonist within both Russian and international contexts. HMCM will accommodate both traveling and specially curated exhibitions including important works from the State Hermitage Museum’s impressive modern art collections (1860-1930). The museum will house a variety of galleries, including intimate spaces, dedicated to the viewing

of modern art; larger, expansive spaces showcasing contemporary works and site-specific art installations, as well as informal, connecting galleries that will host a broad range of new works. The top floors spaces are designed specifically for performance, technological and experimental art as well as yet-to-be-defined art forms.

The establishment of the Hermitage’s Moscow branch on the site of the former automotive plant is part of the Government’s ambitious plan to redevelop the entire site, contributing to an inspired urban life within the new cultural center. In addition to the HMCM, the ZILART development will also accommodate a new 4000 seat performing arts center, a Museum of Science and Technology and a sports and recreation center containing several venues. Presently the area is home to the ZIL Cultural Centre, Moscow’s largest ‘Palace of Culture’, and with HMCM and other culturally focused buildings, the entire site will place emphasis on Russia’s rich heritage.

Contributing to Asymptote’s design and strategy for HMCM is Dimitri Ozerkov, the Curator of Contemporary Art at The State Hermitage Museum. In 2007, Dr. Piotrovsky launched Hermitage 20/21 with Mr. Ozerkov. Hermitage 20/21 is an initiative that has already been responsible for numerous exhibitions of 20th and 21st century art, including the 2014 European biennial ‘Manifesta’ which was hosted in the General Staff building.

Construction of the Hermitage Modern / Contemporary has begun in 2018, with a projected completion date in Spring of 2021.