death_place death_date birth_place other_names nationality birth_date article_title name
yerevan , armenian ssr , soviet union 07 january 1963 smolensk , russian empire lydia to cover up her aristocratic roots -rrb- durnova -lrb- used until 1952 as a pseudonym russian , soviet 13 may 1885 1 may lydia durnovo
 lydia durnovo
lydia durnovo

lydia aleksandrovna durnovo -lrb- ; 1885 -- 1963 -rrb- was a soviet russian art historian and art restorer .
she specialized in medieval art , especially in early russian painting and armenian illuminated manuscripts -lrb- miniatures -rrb- and frescoes .
born in the russian city of smolensk , durnovo first attended a local gymnasium and a painting school before moving to saint petersburg where she attended the school of technical drawing of baron alexander von stieglitz beginning in 1903 .
she subsequently completed her postgraduate studies at the state institute of art history -lrb- Государственный институт истории искусств -rrb- and the archaeology institute -lrb- ru -rrb- between 1920 and 1923 .
durnovo worked as a research fellow at the archaeology institute , specializing in early russian art .
she was also the assistant curator of the russian museum .
in october 1933 she was arrested for allegedly being an `` active member of a counterrevolutionary fascist organization . ''
she was deported to siberia and eventually freed three years later , in november 1936 .
durnovo moved to the armenian capital of yerevan and became a member of the staff of the national gallery of armenia .
until 1951 she was devoted to the study of medieval armenian frescoes and illuminated manuscripts .
she specialized in medieval armenian art , and by the mid-1950s durnovo earned the reputation of an authoritative expert in the field .
she supervised the restoration of the etchmiadzin cathedral 's frescoes .
she was rehabilitated by the soviet government in 1956 .
