MOSCOW — A significant trove of modern Russian art, preserved not least by its obscure location, was engulfed in controversy on Wednesday after its longstanding director was summarily dismissed on accusations of forgery and theft.

Marinika M. Babanazarova, the director of the Savitsky Collection in Nukus, Karakalpakstan, an autonomous republic within the Central Asian nation of Uzbekistan, said she learned Monday that she was being forced out after running the museum since 1984.

“I have been sacked,” she said by telephone, refusing to comment further except to deny the claim that she had commissioned copies of some artworks and then sold off the originals.

Patrons and employees of the museum — also known as the Karakalpak State Museum of Art — vociferously protested her dismissal. They defended Ms. Babanazarova, the granddaughter of a former ruler of the region, as the collection’s stalwart protector.