The head of the Hermitage allowed cultural appropriation in the design of the residence trump

Director of the State Hermitage Museum Mikhail Piotrovsky commented on reports about the similarity of the project of a new ballroom in the White House with the St. George Hall of the St. Petersburg Museum. He shared his opinion at the United Cultures Forum.

According to Piotrovsky, it is too early to draw unequivocal conclusions, but the topic has already caused a heated discussion in the press. He noted that the special envoy of US President Donald Trump, Steve Whitkoff, had previously mentioned the American leader’s interest in the interior of the Hermitage. According to the director of the museum, Trump, having visited St. Petersburg, ordered to create something similar in his residence Mar-a-Lago.

Piotrovsky linked this situation with the question of cultural appropriation – the admissibility of borrowing elements of a foreign culture. The head of the museum said that such a process is acceptable. As an argument, he cited the history of the creation of the St. George Hall, the author of which is the Italian architect Giacomo Quarenghi.

“This is a great example of international cultural cooperation,” Piotrovsky said. He called the possible visual similarity of the halls a good illustration of how culture transcends state borders.