On March 18, 2025, the second “Hermitage Evening” took place on the virtual platform of the Russian House in Brussels. The theme of the event was “OTMA and Alexei. The Children of the Last Russian Emperor.” Guests were able to take a virtual tour of the exhibition of the same name, which was held at the State Hermitage Museum in 2023.
The Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia were born two years apart and were very close. In their letters, they signed using the initials of their names, which led to the creation of the acronym OTMA. Their younger brother, Tsarevich Alexei, was the darling of the family.
As noted by Mikhail Borisovich Piotrovsky, General Director of the State Hermitage Museum, “The well-known tragic fate of this happy family makes every household item emotionally charged, and the entire exhibition a dreadful omen.” During the virtual tour, viewers saw the grand duchesses’ childhood toys, the regimental uniforms of Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Alexei, elegant dresses worn by the emperor’s daughters, and learned many interesting facts about the everyday life of Nicholas II’s family.
The tour was conducted by Yulia Valeryevna Plotnikova, a senior research fellow in the Department of Russian Cultural History at the Hermitage and curator of the exhibition. After the tour, she answered numerous questions from the audience.
Additionally, event participants had the opportunity to explore archival documents and photographs dedicated to the children of the last Russian emperor at the following links:
VK: The Last Romanovs – https://m.vk.com/lastromanovs
Flickr: Archival Photographs – https://www.flickr.com/photos/149552988@N02/
Telegram Channel “The Last Romanovs” – https://t.me/lastromanovs
The upcoming meetings in the “Hermitage Evenings” series will cover both the museum’s collection and temporary exhibitions of the State Hermitage—this truly encyclopedic museum.
Themes of future tours:
– Easter in Russia;
– A family tour of the Hermitage;
– Ars Vivendi: Frans Snyders and the Flemish Still Life;
– The Art of Dutch Masters;
– Italian Renaissance Painting;
– Christmas and New Year Traditions in Russia, and many more.
We hope that this project by the Russian House in Brussels will allow audiences worldwide to connect with the immense cultural heritage of humanity—the great Hermitage.
