On the Hermitage Museum

A favorite. Not to be touched, hopefully, by the current interest in crowding-pleasing, or crowd-controlling expansions. The Hermitage does not need more space, so by default it may be saved from this potential defacing. Koolhaa's recent planning strategies with a group of local architects for the Hermitage, barely conceals the rhetorical strategies that are part of his expansionist practice. This is a bizarre mismatch of architect and museum, not unlike the unhappy marriage of Libeskin with Toronto, or Coop Himmel(b)au in Akron. We must expect that a self-declared ego-architect, offered to re-look at the mindbogglingly complexity and disorientation of the Hermitage, will not put ironic interventions to waste here.
So, we think of the Hermitage with melancholic nostalgia, as one can only assume the virus of museum architecture - minus the museography we like to champioin - will unfortunately infiltrate those palatial spaces. What the Hermitage does need, is more and better lighting - natural and artificial - upgraded conservation and visitable storage to rotate works, and a new vision on how media content is supplied so all types of visitors can find their way - and their own choices - in the viewing the works of art.