European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 21, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg is in poor physical condition but it still houses some of the soviet Union s greatest Art treasures. A amps files soviet Union collapses its Art goes up for Grabby Leslie Shepherd the associated press one of the most contentious of Many debates that rage while the soviet Union crumbles is Over who owns or should control its countless Art treasures. At stake Are gilded icons Faberge eggs some of the world s finest collections of Western european Art mountains of Lenin Memorabilia galleries full of socialist realism and russian Avant Garde paintings. Some items ire priceless and no one has attempted \ to put a value on the rest. Many were confiscated from private owners when the bolsheviks seized Power in i i 7. Vladimir Gusev director of the russian museum in St. Petersburg recently made the Radical suggestion that compensation be paid to descendants of those Noble and merchant families whose artworks were1 seized. I Lis Lellow curators were pained and the nobility league was bemused. Quot this is news to us a said Prince Andrei Kir Illovich Gol Tsyn the league s grand marshal. Since the failed coup in August the Kremlin the russian Republic and even cities a notably Moscow and St. Petersburg a claim the authority to own and manage the nation s most famous Heaters and museums. The vast trove1 of Art is housed in the pastel Palace s of St. Petersburg the red Brick Kremlin former cathedrals and pre revolutionary mansions that arc among the nation s potentially most lucrative tourist attractions. Yuri Solomin the russian culture minister says the Republic have a right to control such treasures As the Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg the Moscow Art theater and the Tretyakov picture gallery in Moscow. If the artworks in Russia Quot remain a preserve belonging to the Central ministry a he was quoted by the newspaper trud As saying Quot it Means Russia must if Russia gets control of the Hermitage officials from other republics will demand the return of artefacts that Camen from their territories. A soviet culture officer give up More than others because of its riches and the historical significance of its  Nikolai Gubenko the soviet culture minister wants to keep Central control Over repositories of the nation s heritage and is backed by some major museums. I he Hermitage which h has t million objects d Art Quot is a National museum like the1 louvre and the British museum a said Vitaly Suslov its director. If Russia gets control of the Hermitage said his Deputy Mikhail Piotrowsky optic gals from other republics will demand the return of artefacts and other items that came from their territory. Quot certainly Well never give anything Back because it s our legacy a Piotrowsky declared. St. Petersburg wants itself to gain some control Over its most famous building. The City Council is offering Hermitage directors another Palace or two in which to display the overflow and open a new applied arts Wing. Prince Andrei Gol Tsyn said nobility league members have no plans to try to recover any seized property. He added however that when the league opens an of tace in Moscow it Hopes to have a Small museum and borrow some of the Art for display. Gusev s suggestion of compensation was Quot a Hasty statement a said Lydia Loveva scientific director of the Tretyakov gallery. She said Quot solid judicial grounds were necessary to do such a thing and Quot so far there Are no such  Piotrowsky of the Hermitage said the National government must decide on compensation not individual museums. Central authorities were slashing museum subsidies Long before the coup. Many institutions had already realized they will now have to look elsewhere for their operating budgets and repair funds. The Hermitage estimates $20 million will be needed just to renovate its Small Hermitage Catherine the groats private Retreat. The russian museum which houses the world s largest collection of russian Avant Garde Art says restoring its main building the 10th-Century Mikhailovsky a Alace will Cost $18 million. Both museums have formed joint ventures with Loreign companies to Market such things As souvenirs Cottee table picture books and postcards and the Hermitage is seeking foreign sponsors