The Palazzo Madama: Irina Antonova's Imaginary Museum

Irina Antonova (1922–2020), the legendary director of Moscow's Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, shaped the institution in her own image. Uncompromising, formidable, and utterly devoted to her vision, she transformed the museum into one of Russia's leading cultural institutions and left an enduring mark on the country's artistic life.
Rather than offering a conventional biography, Lev Danilkin constructs an "imaginary museum" whose exhibits are works of art, objects, and stories associated with Antonova's life. Each chapter explores a different piece in this symbolic collection, revealing how her personal passions, intellectual convictions, and relentless determination influenced both the museum she led and the broader cultural landscape.
As readers move through Antonova's "treasury," they encounter not only the history of an extraordinary museum professional but also the portrait of a woman whose lifelong dedication to art ultimately turned her into a cultural icon in her own right. Blending biography, art history, and literary imagination, The Palazzo Madama offers an original meditation on the relationship between a remarkable individual and the museum she helped define.

Lev Danilkin. The Palazzo Madama: Irina Antonova's Imaginary Museum. — Moscow: Alpina Non-Fiction, 2025.
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