Evgenia Nikolaevna Petrova, an art critic who for many years served as deputy director of the Russian Museum and curator of many exhibitions of Russian art in Russia and abroad, has passed away. About this reported in the organization's Telegram channel.
Among the most outstanding curatorial projects of Evgenia Nikolaevna in recent years are the exhibition in Moscow in Zaryadye “Pavel Filonov. Artist of the World Prime Minister” in the winter of 2023-2024 and the recently opened exhibition at the Pushkin Museum. EQUAL. Pushkin “Marc Chagall. The Joy of Gravity.”
The Russian Museum provided key works by the artist for the project. The Chagall exhibition at the Pushkin Museum was Evgenia Petrova's last major exhibition project.
Among other projects of Evgenia Petrova, we can highlight important exhibitions that give the viewer the pleasure of discovery, such as “Symbolism in Russia”, “World of Art”, “Music of colors. Rhythm and space. Kandinsky and his contemporaries. 1900-1920s”, “Russian Futurism and David Burliuk”, “Red in Russian Art”, “K. Malevich in Russian Museum”, “In Malevich's circle”, “Games and passions”, “Agitating for happiness” (Soviet art of the 1930s-1950s), “Russian Paris”, “Jack of Diamonds”, “Religious Petersburg”, “Big picture”, “Roads in Russian art”, “Fairy tales in Russia”…
The range of her scientific interests is as wide as the range of exhibition projects she creates. Evgeniya Petrova is particularly interested in Russian painting of the first half of the 19th century, the history of which is the subject of her doctoral thesis. About the masters of the early 19th century, including her two books, published in 2005: “Drawing and watercolor in Russian culture. First half of the 19th century” and “Orest Kiprenskij and Italy (Orest Kiprenskij e lItalia).” A book about Orestes by Kiprensky was published in Rome. But among Petrova's more than 200 scientific articles there are works devoted to both Russian folk and avant-garde art.
A graduate of Leningrad University (she graduated in 1971, becoming a certified art critic), Evgenia Petrova came to work at the Russian Museum as a student in 1966. 20 years later, she became deputy director of research, leaving this position in 2023. Since 2023, she has been the Russian Museum's chief expert on scientific publishing work.
The Russian Museum for her became not only another university, but also a place where her soul lived. She oversaw the preparation of the organization's general catalog of paintings.
The weight of her perspective and position in the museum environment is significant. She is a member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM). She is a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Arts (department of art history and art criticism), a member of the St. Petersburg of the Union of Artists of Russia.
Evgenia Petrova was awarded the “Order of Friendship” (2001), the medal “In memory of the 300th anniversary of the founding of St. Petersburg” (2004). Her title of “Honored Artist of the Russian Federation” became a statement of fact rather than a promotion.
The Russian Museum's major international works are also associated with the name of Evgenia Petrova. Her contribution to international cultural cooperation was recognized by the French “Order of Merit” (2005) and the Italian “Order of the Italian Republic” (2006).
