Irina Antonova, Longtime Pushkin Museum Director, Dies at 98 from COVID-19
Irina Antonova, who led Moscow's Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts for more than five decades, passed away at the age of 98 due to complications from COVID-19, as reported by the museum's press service. Born in 1922 in Moscow, she served as a nurse during World War II while pursuing her studies in art history, graduating in 1945. After being appointed by Nikita Khrushchev in 1961, Antonova guided the museum through its 'golden age,' organizing significant exhibitions such as 'Treasures of Tutankhamun's Tomb' in 1973 and bringing the 'Mona Lisa' to Moscow in 1974. She also taught at Moscow State University and, in 2012, urged President Vladimir Putin to restore the Museum of International Art, which Stalin had closed in 1948. Antonova held the title of president until her passing.
Key facts
- Irina Antonova died at age 98 from COVID-19 complications
- She served as director of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts from 1961 to 2013
- Antonova was born in Moscow in 1922 and spent part of her childhood in Berlin
- She worked as a nurse during World War II while studying art history at Moscow State University
- She organized the 1955 presentation of the Dresden Gallery collection before its return to Germany
- Antonova brought the 'Mona Lisa' to Moscow in 1974
- She organized major exhibitions including 'Treasures of Tutankhamun's Tomb' (1973) and retrospectives for artists like Picasso and Warhol
- In 2012, she appealed to Vladimir Putin to revive the Museum of International Art disbanded in 1948
Entities
Artists
- Irina Antonova
- Marc Chagall
- Modigliani
- Turner
- Picasso
- Andy Warhol
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Monet
- Renoir
- Cézanne
Institutions
- Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts
- Moscow State University
- Dresden Gallery
- Institute of Cinematography
- Institute of Oriental Languages
- Museum of International Art
- Hermitage
Locations
- Moscow
- Russia
- Berlin
- Germany
- Paris
- France