Redistribution of the Russian Museum: Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova stood up for the resigned Evgenia Petrova

The deputy director for scientific work wrote a letter of resignation due to the lack of professionalism of Alla Manilova

The new director of the Russian Museum, Alla Manilova, is trying to take power into her own hands and eliminate people from the previous leadership. This is what at first glance looks like a conflict that has been smoldering for months in one of the country’s main museums, and has now broken out into a fire. But everything is somewhat more complicated. Deputy Director for Scientific Work Evgenia Petrova, who in fact in recent years has been almost the first person in the Russian Museum, threw her resignation letter on Manilova’s desk not only in an emotional outburst. The problem is the new director’s approach to exhibition work, which is chaotic, ambitious and unprofessional.

Alla Manilova wants to make blockbusters that people will flock to, while saving on everything, including painting the exhibition halls (which is always done when changing the exhibition). Right now the Russian Museum is preparing an exhibition for the 175th anniversary of Vasily Surikov. Neither the head of the painting department of the second half of the 19th – early 21st centuries of the Russian Museum, Pavel Klimov, nor the exhibitors, nor the designers were even invited to the meeting on it. And so with every project.

From sources who know the situation from the inside, we were able to find out that Malinova brought two figures closer to her: Deputy Director for Accounting, Storage and Restoration of Museum Values ​​Olga Babina and Deputy Director for Economic Development Natalya Andrikova. Both ladies know little about exhibition work, but deal with purely administrative and economic issues. But now the “three graces,” as they were dubbed at the Russian Museum, want to rule everything, which causes misunderstanding and protest among art historians and specialists. What specific blockbusters they want to create and how is not clear. But, for example, the figure of Alexei Venetsianov, a subtle Russian painter of the early 19th century, who is called the master of light and silence, does not suit them. “They’ll go see him,” says Manilova, apparently not knowing that Venetsianov’s exhibition was a success two years ago at the Tretyakov Gallery.

Manilova communicated with Evgenia Petrova for six months only by correspondence, answering long letters with a go-ahead in a short message. The first more or less detailed face-to-face conversation took place on Friday. There was no constructive dialogue. As a result, the intensity of passions resulted in a statement about the resignation of Evgenia Petrova, on which she did not set a date. After which, not only employees, but even Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova stood up for the art critic, who has been working at the museum for 60 years.

“I know that some people from the Government and Olga Lyubimova called Petrova with words of support. The Minister of Culture will not allow her to leave. Perhaps a special scientific position will be created for Petrova; in extreme cases, she will go to the graphics department where she started. She devoted her whole life to the museum. Losing such a specialist would be a big mistake,” our source at the museum told MK.

If Petrova leaves, then other employees, primarily art critics, will probably follow her. Who will replace him if the leadership knows nothing about the history of art, does not know the names of the artists, and has no idea of ​​history? What can you expect? Exhibitions about birds and gingerbread? A competent manager must organize the process, attract the best specialists, and find a budget for the implementation of interesting exhibition solutions. No matter what topic you choose, no one can make an art blockbuster.

Now the museum is ruled by the ambitions of individuals, which will obviously affect the quality of exhibitions and ultimately the viewer will suffer. The situation, obviously, will have to be resolved by the Ministry of Culture so that the museum remains a museum whose main goal is to preserve, show and popularize culture and art, and not turn into a principality where someone shares the throne.