Irina Antonova: how young I was! "The Iron Lady" of the Pushkin Museum: biography of Irina Antonova

From 1961 to 2013, she was the permanent director of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts and still heads it, becoming the president of the museum on July 10, 2013.

MOSLENTA wishes Irina Alexandrovna good health and recalls the most remarkable facts from her biography.

Revolutionary's daughter

Irina Antonova’s father, Alexander Alexandrovich Antonov, took an active part in 1917 October revolution(then he was a ship electrician), and in the 1930s he headed the Institute of Experimental Glass, becoming its director.

Irina Aleksandrovna remained a supporter of the ideas of socialism all her life, believing that this only true system “unfortunately, in practice has never justified itself.” Interestingly, as a child, Antonova lived with her parents in Germany for several years.

During the war she worked as a nurse

At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War Irina Anatolyevna graduated from nursing courses and from the spring of 1942, with the rank of junior sergeant in the medical service, she worked in the hospital on Krasnaya Presnya.

Headed the museum at the behest of the previous museum director

After graduating from Moscow State University in 1945 and receiving a diploma in art history, Antonova came to work at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, where her scientific specialization was the art of Renaissance Italy. In 1961, she was a senior researcher when retiring museum director Alexander Zamoshkin invited her to head the Pushkin Museum. And four years ago, Antonova herself chose her successor from the candidates proposed to her.

Half a century at the head of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts

For 52 years, Irina Anatolyevna served as director of the museum, and since 2013 she became President of the Pushkin Museum. “...I told the Ministry of Culture that I must complete administrative work. I’ve already delayed it so much, I’m scolding myself for it. I’m grateful that I was given the opportunity to stay in a different capacity.”

Antonov full member Russian Academy arts, academician of the Russian Academy of Education, corresponding member of the Academy of San Fernando in Madrid, doctor of the Russian State humanitarian university.

Initiator of the reorganization of the Pushkin Museum exhibition in the 1970s

In the seventies, under the leadership of Irina Anatolyevna, a radical reorganization of the museum’s exhibition was carried out. The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts became the first Soviet museum that “began to compare domestic art with foreign."

“Back in 1972, they held an exhibition of portraits, where Serov hung next to Renoir, and a portrait of Parasha Zhemchugova hung next to an English portrait of the 18th century,” she recalled.

In 1974, Antonova even came into conflict with the leadership of the Ministry of Culture, deciding to vacate the halls of the second floor of the Pushkin Museum for parts of the collections of Western paintings from the collections of philanthropists Sergei Shchukin and Ivan Morozov, whose paintings were in the museum’s storerooms. for a long time were inaccessible to viewers, since “the work of wonderful masters, such as Renoir, Gauguin, was recognized as bourgeois, formalistic, and harmful.”

During this conflict, Antonova was ready to submit her resignation if she was refused. According to her, at that time “there were first-class things in the basements - almost the entire Museum of Western Art!”, and this “had to be shown”, otherwise she “was simply not interested in working further.”

Invented and organized “December Evenings”

Since 1981, the museum began to host “December Evenings,” which the press called one of the most significant acts of the head of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts. It was noted that the idea of ​​combining music and fine arts was embodied by Antonova together with pianist Svyatoslav Richter.

The museum began to host chamber concerts of the most outstanding musicians in the world: Richter himself performed here, as well as Yuri Bashmet, Natalia Gutman, Oleg Kagan, Galina Pisarenko, Andreas Steyer and many others. And now “December Evenings” is one of the main events in cultural life capital Cities.

Believes that "Dictatorship - highest form responsibility"

All the years that Antonova was at the head of the museum, she delved into all the smallest details, controlled all aspects of the work, and personally signed all documents. She admired even her ill-wishers with her efficiency and sincere dedication to her work.

Showed "The Gold of Troy" for the first time

In April 1996, the opening of the exhibition “Treasures of Troy from the excavations of Heinrich Schliemann” (“Gold of Troy”) took place, which many called the most difficult public test in Antonova’s life as director of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts.

The exhibition became a real sensation, since almost half a century before, “Moscow convinced the whole world that it knew nothing about where the captured “Schliemann’s gold” was located,” exported in 1945 by decision of the Soviet military administration in Germany. It turned out that all this time it was in the museum, which was headed by Antonova.

By the way, Irina Anatolyevna herself does not hide the fact that the presence of these things in Russia is quite logical and fair: “... any country that damages another’s culture will, in the end, pay with its own property.” “Our country doesn’t owe anyone anything in this area,” Antonova is sure.

Full Knight of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland

Irina Anatolyevna was awarded the Order of the October Revolution, “Friendship of Peoples”, Red Banner of Labor, “For Services to the Fatherland” I, II and III degrees. In 1995, Antonova was awarded the State Prize Russian Federation, and in 2007 she became a laureate of the Triumph Prize in the Humanities category.

Antonova also has foreign awards, including the Order of the Commander of Letters and Arts of France and the Legion of Honor, and in October 2009 she received the Freedom Prize established by the American University in Moscow.

Hereditary centenarian

Irina Antonova's mother, Ida Mikhailovna Rosenblum, lived 100 years and 5 months. Irina Alexandrovna herself is sure that she lives so long because she never thinks about death, has always been sincere and “never kept a fig in her pocket.”

As we know, it is not appropriate to discuss the age of ladies, but there are cases when it is simply not permissible to remain silent about it, especially when we're talking about about such an amazing woman as Irina Antonova.

More recently, Irina Alexandrovna celebrated her 90th birthday, and in the spring of this year the President of the Pushkin Museum named after. A. S. Pushkin turned 95 years old. Relatives and friends speak about her life with admiration and at the same time with sadness in their eyes, because Boris Rotenberg, Irina Antonova's son is ill. And in our article we will tell you everything about this brave woman.

Brief biography of Irina Antonova

It is simply impossible to tell about the life of Irina Antonova in a nutshell, but we will try. Irina Alexandrovna was born in 1922, in Moscow. She inherited a love of music from her mother, and a love of theater from her father.

From 1929 to 1933, her family lived in Germany, but after the Nazis came to power, they had to return to Soviet Union. After school, Irina Aleksandrovna entered the Moscow Institute of Philosophy, History and Literature, but received higher education she was able only after the end of the war.

Work at the museum. A. S. Pushkina Irina Antonovna began during her studies at the institute. In 1961, she was appointed director of the museum, a position she held for more than 40 years. Irina Antonovna devoted all her time to work in the museum, even in the most Hard times for art. So in the 60s, when the law of censorship was in force in the country, she held such bold exhibitions as showing works by Matisse and Tyshler, organized musical evenings at which Rachmaninov and Stravinsky performed, and, as you know, the Soviet government did not favor them.

In the 70s, under her leadership, the museum underwent a complete reorganization of exhibitions and exhibition halls. Irina Alexandrovna insisted that the paintings Western European artists, which had lain in the museum's storerooms for decades, were restored and put on display. Only thanks to Irina Antonovna, Soviet viewers were able to see the works of great artists from different countries.

During the period of perestroika, Irina Alexandrovna brought the museum to new level: exhibitions began to take place on a large scale global significance. In 1998, the museum celebrated its 100th anniversary and Irina Antonovna’s merits in bringing the museum on a par with such centers of culture as the Hermitage, Louvre, and the British Museum.

Today the museum named after. A. S. Pushkin has 600,000 works of art; new museums of private artists and impressionists have opened on its territory. But, according to Irina Antonova, for full-fledged work the construction of an entire museum town is required.

Irina Antonova, Evsey Iosifovich and their son Boris Rotenberg

IN Lately They say that family is something outdated, but there are couples who were able to go through all the trials and maintain their love. Irina Antonova and Evsei Rotenberg can be called just such an ideal couple.

Irina Antonova never liked to talk about her personal life, but for us it is enough to know how many years she and her husband lived together, and what trials they had to go through. And this couple had the most ordeal: Boris Rotenberg, son of Irina Antonova and Yevsey Iosifovich is ill.

Irina Alexandrovna was asked the question more than once: What is Boris Rotenberg sick with?, Which diagnosis, how long he has been sick and how she lives with such pain in her heart. In one of the interviews, Irina Aleksandrovna said that she and her husband had been trying to create a full-fledged family for a long time, they were really looking forward to this child, and when the last hope, Boris was born. Until the age of 6, their son grew up as a gifted, musical boy; he can still recite “Eugene Onegin” by heart, but at the age of 7 he fell ill. After Irina Antonova and her husband heard terrible diagnosis, all other problems began to seem small to them and insignificant. He could not defeat the disease, even the best doctors could not help him, and today Boris Evseevich Rotenberg is confined to a wheelchair.

She lived with her husband Evsei Iosifovich, an art critic, Doctor of Science, for 64 years; in 2011, Evsei Rotenberg passed away.

Today Irina Antonova is the President of the Museum. A.S. Pushkin, she continues to actively participate in the life of the museum, going to theaters, concerts and the circus. Despite her age, she looks great, as evidenced by Irina Antonova’s photo. But the main thing in her life is her son Boris Evseevich Rotenberg, she hopes that there will be a person who will take care of him when she is gone.

What are you sick with? Boris Rotenberg, son of Irina Antonova, is still not known. Irina Aleksandrovna did not name a diagnosis in any of the interviews; everything personal was closed from prying eyes. Once Channel One tried to find out what was wrong with Boris Rotenberg, in response, the museum’s press service released an official memorandum, similar to that, which Buckingham Palace advocates when the Queen's personality is involved: no one should get too close and no one should know anything.

“I think I'm a 30s man. The Museum of World Art gives every person,
who has been working in the museum for a long time, there is a special internal dimension..."

Irina Aleksandrovna Antonova.

The legendary director, now curator, of the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Irina Aleksandrovna Antonova, has been accepting congratulations on her anniversary since March 20, 2017. And this is one of the rare cases when one can speak about a lady’s age with admiration. She turned 95 years old! However, it is almost impossible to believe this.

Most She dedicated her life to the Museum of Fine Arts, in response, he wrote her name in the history of world culture. Antonova is a legendary curator. It was she who revealed to the Soviet public whole layers of foreign art, she initiated a dialogue of cultures, like no one else contributed to the destruction of the Iron Curtain. You can list the titles, positions and awards of Irina Antonova endlessly, but this is not required, just mentioning the name is enough.

The tireless Irina Alexandrovna, like the last half century, stands at the helm of Pushkinsky,
she is still active and energetic, and it is difficult even for young people to keep up with her. Irina Aleksandrovna rarely talks about herself, more and more about the museum.

In the program from the Life Line series - the legend of the museum. Pushkin Antonov,
spoke not only about the museum’s exhibitions, what is now “fashionable” in art and much more, but also about herself. Here are some excerpts from the program Life Line by Irina Antonova, kindly presented by the Culture channel on the pages of its website.

“I suddenly thought that the line of my life might seem to you too straight and therefore boring and not very interesting. It so happened that I was born in Moscow, graduated from school, and entered IFLI - there was such a wonderful Institute of Philosophy, Literature and History, which was soon merged with the University. Then I went to work at the Museum, as it turned out, for life.

I got married - and it turned out, too, for life. I have never dyed my hair, that is, I have never tried to change my external image. Perhaps this indicates a lack of any imagination. And I would say more than that: somewhere at the turn of childhood and adolescence, some principles of life arose, which, as I now understand, remained with me for the rest of my life.

People sometimes say about themselves: “I am a sixties person,” “I am a seventies person.”
I think I'm a 30s man. This is a very difficult difficult time, but it is a time of fears and a time of ideals, as they do not contradict one another. Moreover, I am probably a person who even comes from the 20s. And in this sense, I’ll tell you right away, I understand very well and share the ideals with which the October Revolution was carried out.

I think these are eternal ideals: equality, brotherhood - for people who make revolutions - bourgeois French revolution, and the October Revolution, which is incorrectly called a “coup” because it was a revolution - and I am convinced of this primarily by the art and culture of that time.

Therefore, for me, among those high figures of the 20th century who created the 20th century not only in our country, but also in the world, there remains Blok, and Gorky, and Mayakovsky, and Kandinsky, and Rodchenko, and Malevich, and, of course, Meyerhold, and Eisenstein in cinema.

My whole life has been connected with the Museum, and I don’t regret it. I think that a museum is a fantastic creation, it is an amazing organism, especially the kind of museum where I work - a museum of world art, where everything takes place in front of you. world history art, starting with Ancient Egypt and ending with today. This gives every person who works in a museum for a long time, as it seems to me, a special internal dimension: he relates himself to the whole world.

By upbringing, I am, of course, an internationalist and always have been.
And if I had not been so young in the 30s, I probably would have gone to fight in Spain. The fact that I ended up in this museum turned out to be quite organic for me, based on how I was formed in childhood, which is probably why I stayed in the museum for the rest of my life.”

From an interview with Irina Alexandrovna:

- Who did you dream of being as a child?

I really wanted to be a ballerina, if not in the theater, then at least on a horse in the circus. I loved and still love the circus. I believe that the most amazing people work in the circus. For those who cannot imitate work or anything else, they must do everything, otherwise they will die. For some time I wanted to be a physicist, and was even going to enroll in physics and mathematics, but that also went away.

- Where does such a fragile, intelligent, intellectual woman have so much strength? Is it congenital or acquired?

To be honest, I’m not so fragile, this is the eternal subject of my concerns. I don’t know what’s going on, but there were very serious blows of fate - tragic both on a personal level and in terms of the life of the country. Because those who did not live through the periods between 1946-1947 and 1954 simply do not know much about our country. But, probably, the peculiarity of my generation lies in some kind of exaggerated, but very organic, genetic optimism that is inherent in us .

And maybe such genetic optimism led to this...
I have one absolutely unintelligent quality - I am not susceptible to depression. I haven’t experienced it, I don’t know what it is. Just like I have no cynicism. There are many shortcomings - there is no cynicism. By the way, cynicism is not necessarily a disadvantage.

- There is a lot of talk in the government about the need to revive culture and art, but is anything actually being done?

No. Little is being done today. I don’t see any large-scale program yet.
Something is being done, but very selectively and it is not always clear for what reason. Well, let's say, huge amounts of money from the ministry go to St. Petersburg. We are happy for our colleagues, but they are not the only ones who exist, and we understand why this happens. This is not a program, this is the situation of today.

Although St. Petersburg is great city, my father was born there, I feel half a resident of this city. But I must frankly say that when I hear conversations about spirituality and so on from high stands, it rather irritates me. I understand that these are purely external curtsies, which are in no way supported by actions and true understanding affairs.

At the same time, if Russia needs anything more now, it needs to strengthen this sector. This is how it should be from the beginning for our fatherland.

-You have a very aristocratic appearance, you can be compared to Queen Elizabeth of England. What is your relationship with everyday life?

thanks for good words and an unexpected comparison. With everyday life... When I came to the museum, young employees were busy collecting water, and working with a bucket and rag was the main scientific work.

With everyday life... I have been driving a car for a long time since 1964, on Saturday I go to the market,
I go to the store, buy food, bring it home and cook it myself. My methods are fast, developed by life, which allow me to do all this quickly. I lived with my mother all my life, she lived 100 years and five months.

And I must tell you that she not only lived, she was active until she was 98 years old,
when she fell and broke her leg. And before that she was my left and right hand, this was my rear, the most precious thing I had in my life. And she helped me live in different ways, not only in everyday life. And now - well, everything needs to be done.”

Irina Aleksandrovna has been counting anniversaries for a long time natural disaster.
And this year, the 95th, I decided to spend, of course, in a museum.

“It’s a little hard to bear. I thought, I would like as an artist: on his birthday he goes on stage, so I initiated an academic council on the topic of the museum town, about our plans,” admits Irina Antonova.

Single complex, a whole town around the museum, which Tsvetaev spoke about, is her dream.
Irina Antonova has been systematically pursuing realization all her life.

On the day of the glorious anniversary, I suggest you watch documentary
“Witnesses. Irina Antonova. Telememoirs", where Irina Alexandrovna talks about her life, full dramatic events, losses and gains.

Happy anniversary, dear Irina Alexandrovna!

Long summers.

Born on March 20, 1922 in Moscow. Father - Antonov Alexander Alexandrovich. Mother - Antonova Ida Mikhailovna. Spouse - Rotenberg Evsey Iosifovich (born 1920), art historian, Doctor of Science, works at the Institute of Art History as the head of the sector. Son - Boris (born 1954).

Irina grew up in a family where everyone loved art, music, literature, and theater. Mom graduated from the Kharkov Conservatory in piano, but was unable to realize herself professionally - she got in the way Civil War. Father is from St. Petersburg, was active participant revolution, a party member with pre-revolutionary experience, worked as an electrician on a ship. His life turned out in such a way that he found himself in another business: he became a glass specialist, and later - director of the Institute of Experimental Glass. At the same time, he loved the theater very much and in his youth he even played in the play “At the Lower Depths” by M. Gorky in the very theater in whose troupe the later became famous actor Skorobogatov. He really loved going to theaters, operas, and ballets with his daughter.

In 1929, my father was sent to work in Germany. Irina and her parents lived there until 1933. During this time she mastered German. Having studied it, I read Goethe, Heine, and Schiller in the original. Immediately after the Nazis came to power, the Antonov family left for the Union.

Irina studied well at school. She wanted to enter the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Moscow State University, but her love for art turned out to be stronger, and I. Antonova became a student at IFLI. This university existed for only seven years, but many outstanding people of art came out of its walls. With the beginning of the war, the university was closed, and the faculties were annexed to Moscow State University. So, after studying at IFLI for about a year, Irina became a university student. During the war, she took nursing courses and worked in a hospital. In 1945, she graduated from the university and was invited to work at the A.S. Pushkin Museum. Then he had a graduate school in which Irina studied. her area scientific research was the art of Renaissance Italy.

In 1961, she was a senior research fellow when she was offered the post of museum director. From February 1961 to the present I.A. Antonova - director State Museum of Fine Arts named after Pushkin, one of the largest and most authoritative museums in Russia and the world.

Behind long years there is an established opinion that the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg and Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow they specialize only in works by Russian artists, while the Hermitage and the Pushkin Museum are Western-style museums. The new director needed courage and bravery to go against the ideological principles of those years and organize “brave” exhibitions.

I. Antonova considers the “golden” years of the museum to be the second half of the 60s, right up to perestroika. In terms of its innovative ideas, the museum's work can be compared to the Taganka Theater of those years. So, in 1966, despite the objections of the then Minister of Culture E. Furtseva, the museum hosted an exhibition of Tyshler. Later, an exhibition of works by A. Matisse was held. Within the walls of the museum they performed musical works, the appearance of which is difficult to imagine in those years even at the conservatory: Stravinsky, Schnittke, Rachmaninov’s “Vespers”. Since 1967, on her initiative, the museum has annually held Vipper readings - conferences in memory of the former scientific director of the museum, Professor B.R. Vipper.

In 1974, under the leadership of I.A. Antonova, a radical reorganization of the museum’s exhibition was carried out. Since then, the museum has been organizing “mixed” exhibitions. For example, an exhibition of portraits, where works by (for example) Renoir and Serov were side by side, or portraits of the same person, made by Russian and foreign artist. This allowed visitors to compare how domestic masters look in the context of the world artistic culture. These exhibitions made a huge impression on the public.

In 1981, the museum hosted a large exhibition "Moscow - Paris". First it was held at the Pompidou Center in Paris, then at the Pushkin Museum. She was one of the most avant-garde art exhibitions XX century. Works by Malevich, Kandinsky, Filonov were shown... Thousands of people visited it. In the 90s, a unique exhibition was held - "Moscow - Berlin. Totalitarian Art" - Russian and German, which even presented what the Germans were afraid to show. The exhibition was a breakthrough from isolationism...

In the late 80s, on the initiative and with the direct participation of Irina Antonova, a state program for the development of the museum was developed. As part of the program, a museum of personal collections was opened at the Pushkin Museum in 1995. To date, more than forty collections have been collected.

In 1996, I.A. Antonova initiated the opening of the Educational art museum named after I.V. Tsvetaev, which is deployed in the building of the Russian State University for the Humanities. This department of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts was created on the basis of museum collections of sculpture casts ancient world, Middle Ages and Renaissance.

In 1998, the main building of the museum was opened new hall- Hall of the history of the museum, the exhibition of which introduces major milestones creation of museum collections. The exhibition shows how the educational museum of casts gradually turned into a real treasury of world art. In the same year, I.A. Antonova created another department of the museum - the Memorial Apartment of Svyatoslav Richter. Currently preparing to open a children's center aesthetic education children.

In 1998, the museum celebrated its 100th anniversary. Until now, the opening date of the museum was considered to be 1912. However, it was decided to make the museum’s birthday the date of its foundation, which took place in 1898 in the presence of Nicholas II. The centenary of the founding of the museum was celebrated indoors Bolshoi Theater. It became a cultural event modern Russia. M. Plisetskaya, Yu. Bashmet, and many outstanding cultural and artistic figures took part in it.

A notable achievement in the work of the museum is the organization of the December Evenings festivals. A whole series interesting programs was conceived together with S.T. Richter. The great maestro repeatedly took part in them, as did I. Arkhipova, E. Nesterenko, E. Kisin. Constant participants in the “evenings” were G. Kremer, M. Pletnev, O. Kogan, V. Tretyakov, N. Gutman, Yu. Bashmet, E. Virsaladze. In 2000, "December Evenings" will be held for the twentieth time.

Since the first half of the 60s, I. Antonova has been participating in the International Council of Museums at UNESCO (for 12 years - vice-president, and since 1992 - honorary member). For 6 years she has headed the International Committee on educational work. For more than 30 years she has been involved in the work of the Soviet National Council of Museums.

I.A. Antonova is the author of more than 100 publications (catalogues, articles, albums, television programs, scripts for popular science films). For a number of years, she taught at the art history department of Moscow State University, at the Institute of Cinematography, in the auditorium of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, and at the Institute of Oriental Languages ​​in Paris.

I.A. Antonova is a full member of the Russian Academy of Arts, academician of the Russian Academy of Education, corresponding member of the Academy of San Fernando in Madrid (Spain), doctor of the Russian State Humanitarian University, has an honorary degree of Honoris Causa, the title “Honored Artist of Russia.” He is a member of the Presidential Council for Awarding State Prizes. Along with O. Tabakov, A. Voznesensky, Z. Boguslavskaya, A. Bitov, V. Vasiliev, V. Abdrashitov, V. Aksenov, E. Neizvestny, Yu. Bashmet, she - permanent member jury national award"Triumph", member of the Bolshoi Theater board.

In 1995 she was awarded the State Prize of the Russian Federation.

She was awarded the Order of the October Revolution, the Red Banner of Labor, "For Services to the Fatherland" III degree, as well as the Order of the Commander of Literature and Art of France.

Irina Antonova is fluent in German, French and Italian, as well as some English. She loves theater, ballet, and music. He especially singles out Chopin, Wagner, and Mahler; among the vocalists he prefers Montserrat Caballe. Favorite hobby Since childhood - reading books (classical and modern). He loves both poetry and prose, especially appreciates Astafiev, Solzhenitsyn, Akhmadulina, Bitov.

Among her passions is driving a car, which she has been driving since 1964. As Irina Aleksandrovna herself says, “not my house, but my car is my fortress,” meaning that a car is a closed space in which you can relax alone with yourself, think, dream while on the road, which is very important for a person, whose work involves constant communication with big amount of people. Enjoys swimming.

President of the State Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin, full member of the Russian Academy of Arts Irina Aleksandrovna Antonova was born on March 20, 1922 in Moscow.

From 1929 to 1933 she lived with her parents in Germany.

In 1940 she entered the Institute of Philosophy, Literature and Art (IFLI). During the war, IFLI was connected to Moscow State University, so in 1945 she graduated from the art history department of the Faculty of History of Moscow State University.

During the Great Patriotic War, she took nursing courses and worked in Moscow hospitals.

In 1945, Irina Antonova was invited to work at the A.S. Museum. Pushkin, studied in graduate school at the museum. Her area of ​​research was the art of Renaissance Italy.

Until February 1961 - senior researcher at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts. A.S. Pushkin.

Since February 1961 - director of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, one of largest museums Russia and the world.

The high reputation of Irina Antonova in the museum community allowed the museum to present unique masterpieces world painting from the largest art collections, which are extremely rarely issued abroad. This is "Anthea" by Parmigianino (Capodimonte Museum, Naples, 2007), " Holy family"Mantegna ( State Assemblies Dresden, 2009), "Portrait of an unknown man from gray eyes"Titian (Gallery Palatina, Florence, 2008).

With the participation of Irina Antonova, the Board of Trustees of the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts was created. A.S. Pushkin.

In April 2013, Antonova was appointed.

On July 1, 2013, it became known that Irina Antonova would continue to work as its president.

Irina Antonova is the author of more than 100 publications (catalogs, articles, albums, television programs, scripts for popular science films). For a number of years, she taught at the art history department at Moscow State University, at the Institute of Cinematography, and in the auditorium of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin, at the Institute of Oriental Languages ​​in Paris.

Being not only a museum, but also public figure, since 1992 Antonova has been an honorary member International Council museums (in 1971-1977 and 1986-1992 she was vice-president of the International Council of Museums), academician of the Russian Academy of Education, Russian Academy of Arts, honorary doctor of the State Humanitarian University.

Irina Antonova - Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1979). Laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation (1996) for organization of the museum music festival"December Evenings"

She was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, the October Revolution, Friendship of Peoples, and "For Services to the Fatherland" IV, III, II and I degrees.

She was also awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor of the French Republic (commander), the Order of the Commander of Letters and Arts of France and the Italian Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (commander).

Irina Antonova’s husband - Evsey Iosifovich Rotenberg (1920-2011), art critic, Doctor of Science, was the head of the sector classical art Institute of Art History; in 1954 their son Boris was born.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources