On June 27, Andrey Erofeev, curator of the infamous 2007–08 “Sots Art: Political Art from Russia” exhibition in Paris, was fired from his position as head of the contemporary art division in the Tretyakov Gallery, Russia’s largest museum dedicated to Russian art. Erofeev had held the post for six years.

The firing came as little surprise to art world observers. Rumors of Erofeev’s troubles at the Tretyakov have been circulating ever since he was put under criminal investigation in 2007 for curating the “Forbidden Art 2006” exhibition at Moscow’s Sakharov Museum, which featured works that had been banned from museums for their strong language and ironic treatment of Christian symbols and themes. At the height of the controversy, groups of right-wing nationalists accused Erofeev and Sakharov Museum director Yuri Samodurov of “hurting religious feelings.” After learning of his dismissal last Friday, Erofeev conducted an unofficialmeeting with colleagues at the Tretyakov and suggested that theyall quit the museum in protest.

News of Erofeev’s firing leaked before the museum issued an official statement to the press and elicited a quick response. Several supporters of the ousted curator wrote a letter to the minister of culture, calling the decision “stupid” and accusing the museum administration of “backstabbing” a curator during a politically motivated investigation. On Saturday, one of the authors of the letter, artist Vikenti Nilin, collected signatures from prominent art-world figures during the opening of the “Meandr” art fair at a yacht club near Moscow.

On Sunday, prominent Moscow gallerist Marat Guelman issued his own letter of support on his Web site. And Erofeev, speaking to Moscow’s liberal radio station Ekho Moskvy (The Echo of Moscow), likened Tretyakov director Valentin Rodionov to a police officer.

In an interview with ARTINFO, Erofeev said, “The Tretyakov should be managed by an art historian or a good manager. Then the museum would face the challenges of the present.”

When asked if he risked severing all ties to the institution by insulting his enemies, he responded: “The situation is subject to change. Do you think that Rodionov will be there forever?”

Although the firing seems political, the Tretyakov cited Erofeev’s weak administration skills as the cause for the decision. But this is old news for the Russian art world (in fact, the letter to the minister conceded that Erofeev’s curatorial talents are stronger than his management skills). In 2007, the Russian art magazine Art Chronika cited the Tretyakov as the easiest Russian museum from which to steal an artwork, thanks to the museum's storage practices. As the Tretyakov's contemporary collection developed quickly under Erofeev's leadership, artists sometimes gave his department works that did not end up in the Tretyakov’s collection, but rather were stored in the museum for years without being either processed or returned to the artists.

Sources in the Tretyakov have told ARTINFO that given this situation, Erofeev’s colleagues are more likely to stay at the institution than follow him. If they were to quit, the Tretyakov could sue them for mismanagement of funds and raise questions about the division’s storage practices. Documents concerning the movements of individual works between the departments are not always up to date, and members of the department would have to answer for the disorder before they left.

Erofeev is currently preparing a new version of “Sots Art” to open in Budapest in August. Beyond that, he is unsure of his future plans.