In the name of Pushkin

Irina Antonova, who headed it for more than fifty years, was dismissed from the post of director of the State Museum of Fine Arts. This was announced by the Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky, not forgetting to thank Antonova and call her a legend.

Antonova’s place was taken by curator and gallerist Marina Loshak, co-founder, co-owner and art director of the Proun gallery at Winzavod, as well as art director of the Moscow museum and exhibition association Stolitsa.

Antonova, meanwhile, as usual, remained at the museum as president.

Not long ago, Antonova found herself at the center of a scandal due to the fact that during a “direct line” with Putin she demanded that a collection of works by European artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, located in the Hermitage, be returned to Moscow. Putin didn’t seem to mind, but gave the opportunity to decide the issue to the expert council at the Ministry of Culture. Most of the participants opposed the idea of ​​​​creating a Museum of New Western Art in Moscow, which Antonova promoted.