Beautiful black and white framed numbered etching of the Hermitage museum with great architectural detail, numbered 28/350. The State Hermitage museum is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It was founded in 1764 when Empress Catherine the Great acquired a collection of paintings from the Berlin merchant Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky. The museum celebrates the anniversary of its founding each year on 7 December, Saint Catherine's Day. The neoclassical building was completed in 1787 and has been open to the public since 1852. It is one of the most visited art museums, with 2.8 million visitors a year.