The memorial plaque for Yuri Tumanov was opened on 14 November 2014 at the area of the Dzhelepov Laboratory of Nuclear Problems. Yuri Tumanov was an outstanding Russian press photographer, master of scientific photography and, according to the figurative expression of one of the Russian Academicians, the world had seen Dubna through the lens of his camera for many decades.

Science and people of science have always been the main love of Yuri Alexandrovich Tumanov. He, an outstanding professional, fully mastered the art to convey with a snapshot the entire depth of the human personality, character, destiny, and epoch. His portraits of scientists, who were the founders of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, have become classics of the genre: Dmitri Blokhintsev, Nikolai Bogoliubov, Bruno Pontecorvo, Vladimir Veksler, Georgy Flerov, Ilya Frank, Mikhail Meshcheryakov, Venedikt Dzhelepov, many other great physicists, engineers, constructors and workers. And he was always the only one who, like ancient Pygmalion, was able to breathe a soul into a metal, to convey the "absolute artistic beauty" of sophisticated experimental equipment, employed by scientists and engineers. His photo exhibitions were held in many countries and capitals: Moscow, Warsaw, Geneva, Paris, Oslo – it is impossible to list all cities. For a long time he worked as a freelance correspondent of the TASS photo review and contributed greatly to promotion of achievements of Dubna in the country and the world.

The opening ceremony which was held at the JINR photolaboratory which was established and equipped at the initiative and active personal effort of Yu.A. Tumanov, was opened by JINR Press Secretary Boris Starchenko, who was the chief, a colleague and a friend of Yuri Alexandrovich. The right to open the memorial plaque was given to the scientific leader of the Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions JINR, RAS Academician Yuri Oganessian.

On behalf of the scientific community and all friends of Yu.A. Tumanov Academician Oganessian thanked the JINR Directorate and the initiative group who developed and installed the memorial plaque for the excellent work. He noted that this is the first step to eternize the memory of the outstanding master of photography; the next step is the organization of a photographic competition named after Yu.A. Tumanov.

– No one else did more for the world to see and remember the face of our Institute and our city than Yuri Alexandrovich, – emphasized in his speech JINR Director, RAS Academician Viktor Matveev. – He had an unusual, surprising feature: he could show a face of a scientist, a worker, a man who was encouraged to do something significant. This is the inspired face, the face of the person. And, of course, he did a lot to show the beauty of our city, the treasure we possess. It’s sad when a person passed away, but Yuri Alexandrovich will forever remain in the history of our Institute, our city, so it is very pleasant that his colleagues did their best to keep the memory of this remarkable man.

– Yuri was a man not only of Dubna but also of all JINR Member States, – added Head of a group of the JINR Polish national group Wladislaw Chmielowski. – He was travelling to Member States, photographing, and these photographs will remain forever. We see in his pictures our colleagues in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and other countries, and are very grateful to him for that.

"For over 40 years the world has seen scientific Dubna through the eyes of the bright professional" – was written on the plaque in the memory of the remarkable master.

In the photos:
1. The memorial plaque at the entrance to the JINR photolaboratory.
2. The right to open the memorial plaque was given to RAS Academician Yuri Oganessian.
3. The speech of JINR Director Academician Viktor Matveev.
4. Boris Starchenko – Yu.A. Tumanov’s chief, colleague and friend, who headed the initiative group for installation of the memorial plaque in honour of the master.

Vera Fedorova