On Tuesday, January 21, it became known that Vladimir Medinsky would not remain as Minister of Culture in the government of Mikhail Mishustin. Instead, this post will be taken by the head of the department of cinematography of the department Olga Lyubimova.

Olga Borisovna Lyubimova was born in the family of Boris Schepkin, the acting rector of the Shchepkin Theater School, a professor and a candidate for art history. She studied at the Orthodox historical and philological gymnasium, then graduated from high school, and then - the faculty of journalism of Moscow State University and the faculty of theater studies of GITIS.

For a long time, she worked on television, where she was involved in religious projects (including the Orthodox, Orthodox Calendar, and Russian Look). In addition, Lyubimova worked on the creation of dozens of documentaries for the TV channels “Culture” and “Russia 1”.

In 2015, she was invited to the Department of Cinematography of the Ministry of Culture as an adviser, and a year later she took the position of Deputy Director of the Directorate of Social and Journalistic Programs of Channel One. In January 2018, Olga Lyubimova headed the cinematography department of the Ministry of Culture. According to Lyubimova, in the new post, she first had to deal with production support and get used to the specifics of working with documents.

“It turned out to be even more difficult, because in addition to vocabulary, I also had to understand semantics. It’s like Church Slavonic or Serbian, when you know all the words, and the meaning in your head develops slowly, ”she said in an interview with the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company.

In the year when Lyubimova became the head of the department, box office grossing of Russian films increased to 13.8 billion rubles. Such indicators, in particular, were provided by the upcoming sports drama, released in December 2017 and to this day, which is the highest grossing Russian film in the history of domestic hire. At the international box office in 2018, Russian films raised more than $ 40 million.

In 2019, the total box office of Russian films amounted to 12.3 billion rubles. Currently, the top 3 commercially successful releases include the paintings “Serf” and “T-34”.

Boris Lyubimov told RT that he had not yet had time to congratulate his daughter on his appointment.

“She did not talk about the appointment. We saw her on Sunday. And the only phrase that could have been guessed was "rather this week would have passed." But she did not say any words that she was appointed to the post of minister, ”said the head of Schepkinsky.

Lyubimov wished his daughter strength, patience and "hold the blow, which will be many ahead."

“But she already has some kind of life experience in this sense. I think that some genes are affecting here, because her great-great-great-grandfather was under the tsar, under Alexander II, the Ryazan governor, and under Alexander III - the Vologda governor. I think that these genes should somehow affect, ”he said.

  • Olga Lyubimova
  • AGN "Moscow"
  • © Sofya Sandurskaya

Ministerial Heritage

Olga Lyubimova became the eighth minister of culture since the establishment of the Russian Federation.

Yevgeny Sidorov served as Minister of Culture of the country (from March to September 1992 - the head of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism) for five years, from 1992 to 1997.

Before heading the department, he was rector of the Gorky Literary Institute, and after the resignation of the minister, he worked as the Permanent Representative of Russia to UNESCO. Sidorov is also known as an essayist and literary critic who has studied the work of Osip Mandelstam, Mikhail Bulgakov, Joseph Brodsky, Chingiz Aitmatov, Bella Akhmadullina, Boris Pasternak and many others.

The priority in the activities of the Ministry of Culture, he called the desire to preserve the provincial architectural monuments, museums and theaters, which were endangered in the 1990s.

After Evgeny Sidorov, the post of Minister of Culture of Russia for a year - from 1997 to 1998 - was held by Natalia Dementieva . In October 1998, after the resignation of the government of Sergei Kiriyenko, she became the first deputy minister of culture.

The main focus of the Ministry of Culture Dementieva saw the preservation of cultural and historical heritage. She considers the assignment of the status of a reserve to the Peter and Paul Fortress a great achievement as minister.

Vladimir Egorov served as Minister of Culture from September 30, 1998 to February 8, 2000.

He graduated from Kazan State University. He headed the culture department of the Central Committee of the CPSU, was also an assistant to Mikhail Gorbachev, and later - director of the Russian State Library (formerly Leninsky). Under Yegorov, the transfer of religious objects to the balance of the Russian Orthodox Church began. The issue of restitution of cultural property was also widely discussed.

Mikhail Shvydkoi was Minister of Culture from February 8, 2000 to March 9, 2004. Previously, he worked in journalism, led the TV channel "Culture", was the chairman of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company.

As Minister of Culture, Shvydkoi also led the Cultural Revolution program. He advocated the restitution (return) of cultural property exported during the Great Patriotic War as trophies.

  • Mikhail Shvydkoi
  • RIA News
  • © Ekaterina Chesnokova

Alexander Sokolov served as Minister of Culture and Mass Communications from March 9, 2004 to May 12, 2008. Before taking up this position, he was rector of the Moscow State Conservatory. Tchaikovsky. Sokolov also received his education at the Moscow Conservatory and has a doctorate in art history.

Alexander Avdeev was the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation from May 12, 2008 to May 21, 2012. Prior to that, he was educated at MGIMO, carried the diplomatic service. He was ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Luxembourg, Bulgaria, France and Monaco.

Alexander Avdeev achieved an increase in state support for culture. Years of culture were spent on Russian ties with countries such as France, Italy and Germany. At the initiative of Alexander Avdeev, scholarships for students of creative specialties were preserved.

Under Avdeev, the Rosokhrankultura federal service ceased to exist, and its functions were transferred directly to the ministry. In addition, the completion of the reconstruction of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow and some other architectural monuments dates back to that period. In 2011, a law was passed providing for the transfer of religious property of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Until the last resignation of the government, Vladimir Medinsky held the post of Minister of Culture. Graduated from MGIMO, doctor of sciences, professor. From 1998 to 2012, he worked in government bodies, including the State Duma, and worked in the president’s commission on countering the falsification of history.

At Medinsky, more than 500 architectural monuments were restored. One of the priority tasks of the department was also to increase the availability of cultural property: virtual cultural centers were opened in the regions. In addition, the department has developed a new program to work with a domestic manufacturer.