Museums abroad: “Staging Power” exhibition opens in Stockholm

The exhibition “Staging Power. Napoleon. Karl Johan. Alexander” was unveiled on September 30 2010 at the National Museum of Sweden. The National Museum of Sweden joined its forces with the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg to present this new exhibition which is dedicated to rulers of three countries, united by one epoch: Emperor of France Napoleon Bonaparte, King of Sweden Karl Johan Bernadotte and the Russian Tsar Alexander I.

The exhibition puts on show 450 artifacts – a selection of portraits, costumes, jewelry, and articles of applied art. It gives a nice chance to see the famous cocked hat which belonged to Napoleon and his death mask, the cabinet and the mantle of Alexander I, who was the holder of the Order of Holy Spirit, the bedroom of Karl Johan Bernadotte and his wife’s train embroidered with gold.

An important part of exposition’s preparation was cooperation between two museums – the National Museum of Sweden and the Russian State Hermitage Museum. “It was launched in late 1990s when preparing two other major exhibitions - "Catherine the Great and Gustav III" and "Peter I and Charles XII". The joint work gives us an inestimable contribution. The State Hermitage Museum is our closest partner, and there would be no such exhibition without its efforts”, - Magnus Olausson, exhibition’s curator, highlighted.

Next spring a part of the exhibition will travel to St. Petersburg, and then to France. In Russia the key theme of the exposition will become Russian-Swedish relations and Karl Johan Bernadotte, the founder of the current royal dynasty in Sweden, which marks 200th anniversary this year. For the first time people of Russia will see many of exhibits, including those from the royal collections of this Scandinavian country.