State Museum and Exhibition Centre ROSPHOTO founded in 2002 by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and this year celebrates its tenth anniversary. ROSPHOTO operates in all areas of topical issues related to photography and image: exhibition, research and educational programs in the field of visual culture.
In its activities, the Centre actively collaborates c authoritative international museum and archive organizations and cultural institutions, with Russian museums and archives. ROSPHOTO consists of the International Union of Museums ICOM.
Exhibition activity
ROSPHOTO holds exhibitions in their showrooms in the heart of St. Petersburg and other cities and regions of Russia and abroad (about 30 exhibitions annually). As museum organization ROSPHOTO basically shows exhibitions, significant for study and history of visual culture, including their own research projects of the photo in the context of historical events and artistic studies.
In the halls ROSPHOTO presented works of famous artists and young talented artists. For other regions of Russia ROSPHOTO prepares and organizes traveling exhibitions.
Scholarly activity
In December 2008, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation on ROSPHOTO were entrusted with the scientific – methodical center on implementation of conservation programs photographic documents included in the composition of public funds of the Russian Federation.
The program aims to address issues related to ensuring the safety of the national fund of photographic documents and materials. The Program was implemented in cooperation with Russian and foreign professional organizations in the collection as a part of the museum, librarian, archival fund.
The Program monitors ROSPHOTO photo collections and field consultations in museums and archives across Russia, performs technical and technological research of photographic documents, the development of systems of storage stabilization of photographic documents and providing user access to the images, special techniques of biological and biochemical protection and processing.
The development of techniques and technologies of conservation and restoration that will optimally solve the problem of preservation of any Russian museum collection, archive or private collection of photographs and negatives. ROSPHOTO develop and publish in the form of collections and in electronic form on its Web portal guidance materials for professionals working in the field of preservation of photographic collections, conducts educational activities.
Cataloging of photographic monuments national scale is one of the stages of the formation of the Register of valuable photographic objects that make up the public funds of the Russian Federation.
Conferences, seminars, consultations ROSPHOTO designed to improve the professional level of specialists working with photography – curators, conservators, restorers.
Annual International Conference “Photography at the Museum” – a program that gathers representatives of various professions in the culture and the museum community to determine the relationship to the photographic image in contemporary museum practice, formation and discuss a range of topical issues and latest technologies and information exchange.
ROSPHOTO designed and carried out a cycle of practical advice, combining art history knowledge with knowledge of the chemistry and technology of photographs, as well as in working with museum collections and collections. Practical consultations are equipped with modern equipment Laboratory for Scientific Restoration ROSPHOTO, under the leadership of highly qualified specialists with modern technological materials.
Participants in the consultations have access to an extensive library of the Centre.
In the laboratory, scientific expertise ROSPHOTO equipped in accordance with modern standards, carried electro-optical, physical, chemical, historical bond examination of documents and materials.
The collection
ROSPHOTO constantly adds his unique collection of photographic materials (it has about 10,000 units), illustrating the evolution of the world and Russian photography, technology, art styles, photographic equipment. A significant part of the collection ROSPHOTO constitute integral assembly of photographic documents, in particular, the collection of Russian historical and regional studies photographs of the end XIX – early XX century, a collection of portrait photographs of the same era. An important direction of forming Collections ROSPHOTO is picking up images made in the ancient and rare techniques.
In the collection of the late XIX – early XX century include the major names that are relevant to the history of photography. The collection of photos of the second half of the twentieth century, the works of the most famous photographers of Leningrad and Moscow. ROSPHOTO regularly updated collection of works by contemporary Russian and foreign authors.
