Last month, the Hermitage Amsterdam of the Netherlands announced its intention to rename itself as the H’ART Museum as part of an ongoing effort to sever ties with the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. But the new name and the designs unveiled alongside it have not been embraced by all.
The Belgian contemporary art magazine DEER claimed that the museum etched its brand identity. He is now considering legal action.
In a press release, DEER pointed out similarities between the Hermitage’s new logo and his own. Both appear to use the same font and are similarly styled in all capital letters, although the museum logo has an apostrophe after the ‘H’.
The magazine, which covers the art scenes of Belgium and the Netherlands, trademarked its name in 2006 and adopted its current design in 2019. Its release highlighted that the Hermitage Amsterdam had filed an emergency request for the H’ART brand after the magazine raised concerns.
“Given the modest size of the Dutch-speaking part of the art world, it is somewhat incomprehensible that little or no research seems to have been done on the brand name DEERa name museum staff should have known, given the magazine’s presence in the Netherlands,” the publication wrote in its statement.
DEER explained that members of his staff met with museum administrators three times in early July to discuss the issue, but no resolution was found.
“DEER gave the Hermitage Amsterdam ample opportunity to present an adequate response, but it failed to do so,” the press release read. “Under these circumstances, the magazine has no choice but to further explore the legal options.”
Representatives for the Hermitage Amsterdam did not immediately respond to Artnet News’ request for comment.
Hermitage Amsterdam will be renamed H’ART Museum on September 1st. Photo: Janiek Dam. Courtesy of Hermitage Amsterdam.
The museum was founded in 2009 as an independent, non-profit association with “unlimited rights” to borrow works from the Hermitage Historical Museum in St. Petersburg. But in March 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine, the location of Amsterdam cut ties with its parent institution.
Doubling down on the gesture, the Hermitage Amsterdam announced last month that it would change its name and join a list of new international institutions – the Center Pompidou in Paris, the British Museum in London, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC—instead. THE Amsterdam Hermitage the updated identity will come into effect on its physical and digital media from 1 September.
“This is an exciting next step for us, a contemporary and evolving model,” said museum director Annabelle Birnie when the new name was announced. “We are capitalizing on our experience in the international field and are now spreading our wings. Our programming will be multi-voiced reflecting the times in which we live. We will show major art exhibitions as well as intimate presentations.
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