The most influential woman in the world of art Irina Antonova
MOSCOW, 20 Mar — news, Anna kocharov. Irina Antonova today marks 95 years. She is President of the Pushkin Museum. Pushkin, before that, its Director for half a century, even earlier — just a Museum employee.
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All this is only the official line in its track record. But for several generations of art lovers actually put an equal sign between her name and the Museum itself.
About yourself at the Museum to talk to Irina does not like, flatly refuses.
“What am I? Tell me about the paintings” is her standard answer.
But today’s Pushkin Museum. Pushkin is one of the largest museums in the world — would not be the way it is, not whether it Antonova.
Small in stature, always immaculately dressed, short hair and hard pace. Invariably — the string of pearls on the neck. I remember a few years ago, I literally ran after her through the corridors of the Museum — we had scheduled an interview with a mobile Studio, which was waiting on the street, and we walked to the car.
Approved in advance half an hour Irina Alexandrovna, in modern parlance “worked”, despite the summer heat and stuffiness. And this, I think, all of it. Work — first and foremost.
Antonova came to work at the Garage in 1945. 1961 — appointed head of the Museum. Thanks to her efforts and authority in Pushkin the exhibition took place, which seemed impossible was behind the “iron curtain”: in the 1950s this shows Pablo Picasso in 1966 disgraced artist Tischler.
In 1974 in Moscow in a specially made bullet-proof box brought the Mona Lisa from the Louvre. The exhibition of one picture took and huge insurance, which amounted to several million. Outside the Museum was a huge queue wishing to see the masterpiece, almost spent the night near the Pushkin Museum.
1981 was marked by a sensational exhibition “Moscow-Paris”, when a Museum has exhibited the work of avant-garde. As he said then she Antonov, the audience was then not only French, but also Russian art, which until then no one showed.
What today has become an integral part of Museum life in principle — classes for children, musical evenings, lectures, meetings — all this appeared in the Pushkin long before the current Museum boom.
It Antonova together with the greatest pianist of the twentieth century by Sviatoslav Richter came up with the festival “December nights”, which takes place annually. By the way, birthdays Antonova and Richter have one day. And today, the day of the 95th anniversary of Irina marks 102 years since the birth of Svyatoslav Considered.
With Antonova has always worked high-level professionals, but it is obvious that the deciding factor has always been its weight and credibility in the Museum community. Since 2013 she is President of the Pushkin Museum. Pushkin. It still works, makes exhibitions, gives lectures. One of the recent cycles is a special meeting for people who are over 60.
Source: RIA “Novosti”