Doyenne of Russia’s art world replaced as museum head

Irina Antonova, 91, was on Monday relieved from her post as director of the Pushkin Museum in Moscow.

Nonagenarian Irina Antonova had, before her ouster, sought support from Russian president to revive museum destroyed by Stalin in 1948.

IRINA Antonova came to work at Moscow’s renowned Pushkin Museum the year WWII ended. She built herself up to director, brought the Mona Lisa to the Soviet Union and outlasted every leader from Stalin to Yeltsin to become the doyenne of Russia’s art world.