The exhibition «Russia and Japan: From the Past Into the Future»

April 2003
М.Е. Shvydkoi
Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation

The exhibition «Russia and Japan: From the Past Into the Future» in the Metropolitan Art Museum will open at the very eve of celebrating the 300 Anniversary of Saint-Petersburg, which is a really significant date not only for Russia.

Our country, viewing itself as a link between the East and the West, has always been and still is a unique bridge between the cultures, facilitating the dialogue of the two great civilisations. This exhibition is a bright evidence of that.

The best samples of Russian art of the past centuries, presented over the rich historical background of the Russian-Japanese relations, allow to see the co-operation between the two nations within the broad cultural context, to sense the deep alliance of the two cultures despite all their seeming dissimilarities.

The cultural connections between Russia and Japan during the most recent years are marked by exclusive intensity. This is also true for interaction between the museums of the two countries. Dozens of various exhibitions from museums of Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Khabarovsk and many other Russian cities are organised each year in major museums of the Country of the Rising Sun. We are starting to understand each other?s history deeper, we are finding more topics for the dialogue. The exhibition «Russia and Japan: From the Past Into the Future» will definitely become an important stage of this process.

Another bright feature of this project is that it was organised by the two leading media-companies of our countries: «ITAR-TASS» and «Sankei Shimbun», the ones belonging to the greatest information companies in the world. They will definitely succeed in attracting the public attention in both countries to this unique event.