Irina Antonova facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Irina Antonova
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| Born | 20 March 1922 |
| Died | 30 November 2020 (aged 98) |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Occupation | Art historian |
Irina Aleksandrovna Antonova (born March 20, 1922 – died November 30, 2020) was a very important Russian art historian. She was the director of the Pushkin Museum in Moscow for a very long time. She led the museum for 52 years, from 1961 to 2013. This made her the oldest and longest-serving director of a major art museum anywhere in the world. She received many special awards, like the State Prize of the Russian Federation. Later, she became the President of the Pushkin Museum, which was an honorary role.
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Early Life and Education
Irina Antonova was born in Moscow. Her father, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Antonov, first worked as a ship electrician. He later became the director of an institute that studied glass. Her mother was Ida Mikhailovna Heifitz.
From 1929 to 1933, Irina lived in Germany with her parents. In 1940, she began studying art history. She attended the Institute of Philosophy, Literature and History. In 1941, this institute joined with Moscow State University. So, she continued her studies there.
She learned from a famous art expert named Boris Vipper. Irina graduated from Moscow State University in 1945.
Leading the Pushkin Museum
Right after graduating in 1945, Irina Antonova started working at the Pushkin Museum. In February 1961, she was put in charge of the museum. This decision was made by Nikita Khrushchev, who was a leader at the time.
As director, Antonova helped organize many big international art shows. These shows brought famous artworks to Moscow. Some of the exhibitions included Moscow-Paris, Moscow-Berlin, and Russia-Italy. She also brought shows featuring artists like Modigliani, Turner, and Picasso.
Irina Antonova wrote more than 100 publications. These included art catalogs, articles, and books. She also helped create TV shows and science films about art. For many years, she taught art history. She taught at Moscow State University and other places, like the Institute of Cinematography.
Art Collections and History
Antonova was in charge of art collections that the Soviet Union took from Germany. This happened after World War II. At first, she said these collections did not exist. But when it became clear they did, she stated they were taken legally. She believed they should not be returned to Germany.
She saw the entire collection of the Dresden Gallery arrive at the museum in 1945. She also saw it leave ten years later when it was returned. She believed keeping these artworks was fair. She felt it made up for the damage Germany caused to Russia's cultural heritage during the war. The museum still has Priam's Treasure. This ancient gold collection was taken by the Red Army after the Battle of Berlin.
Irina Antonova was very interested in Impressionist and Modern art. In 1948, the Pushkin Museum received many of these artworks. They came from the collections of Sergei Shchukin and Ivan Morozov. These collections had been taken over by the government.
Antonova strongly supported bringing back the State Museum of New Western Art. This museum was originally made from the Shchukin and Morozov collections. But it was closed by Stalin in 1948. Its artworks were then split between the Pushkin Museum and the Hermitage Museum. The Hermitage Museum did not want to give up its part of the collection. This led to public disagreements between Antonova and the Hermitage director, Mikhail Piotrovsky.
Later Years and Legacy
Antonova also helped start an international music festival. It is called Svyatoslav Richter's December Nights. This festival has been held at the Pushkin Museum every year since 1981.
The Russian government suggested creating an online "virtual museum" for some art. But Antonova did not agree with this idea. A spokesperson for President Vladimir Putin said that the chances of creating such a museum were low. This was because of the disagreement from museum directors. Antonova later said that people who were against bringing back the museum were "following a decree of Stalin."
Soon after this discussion, on July 10, 2013, Antonova left her role as director. She was replaced by Marina Loshak. Antonova said she chose her successor. However, she later explained that the Ministry rejected her choices. Loshak was the most acceptable candidate from the Ministry's list.
Irina Antonova passed away on November 30, 2020. She was 98 years old. Her death was due to complications from COVID-19.
Political Views
Irina Antonova was a member of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation from 2011 to 2020. In 2012, she was listed as a supporter of presidential candidate Vladimir Putin. In 2014, she signed a public letter. This letter was from cultural workers. It supported the government's policies related to culture.
Personal Life
Irina Antonova was married to Evsey Rotenberg. He was also a Russian art historian. He passed away in 2011. They had one son, Boris Rotenberg, who was born in 1954.
Irina Antonova was very good at languages. She spoke German, French, and Italian fluently. She died at the age of 98.
Awards and Recognition
Irina Antonova received many important awards for her work:
- Order of Merit for the Fatherland: She received different classes of this award. These were for her great contributions to museums. They also recognized her work in preserving national and world heritage.
- 1st class (2007)
- 2nd class (2002)
- 3rd class (1997)
- 4th class (2012)
- Order of the October Revolution
- Order of the Red Banner of Labour
- Honored Artist of Russian Federation
- State Prize of the Russian Federation (1995)
- Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters (France)
- Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (2000)
- Public Prize "Treasury of the Motherland"
See also
In Spanish: Irina Antónova para niños
