On 30 and 31 October 2017, the State Hermitage held the latest Readings dedicated to the memory of Vladimir Frantsevich Levinson-Lessing (1893–1972).
This year the theme of the traditional Hermitage conference was “Leonardo, Raphael and the Art of the Renaissance”. This choice was connected with the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci in 2019 and the exhibition “Raphael’s Line” being prepared in the Hermitage for 2020, the year of the 500th anniversary of Raphael’s death.
The papers presented at the conference were devoted to the attribution of works, to the history of their collection and study, and to restoration. The speakers focussed on painting, graphic art and architecture. The conference was attended by members of the Hermitage staff, researchers from museums and institutions in Saint Petersburg, Moscow and other Russian cities, and also specialists on the Renaissance from Italy.