Record crowds brave Moscow cold for blockbuster show

Although little known in the West, Valentin Serov—a Russian fin-de-siècle artist famous for his portraits of artists, aristocrats and tsars—is beloved in Russia. The artist’s exhibition at Moscow’s State Tretyakov Gallery marking the 150th anniversary of his birth has been drawing crowds ever since it opened in October. But even the most die-hard Serov fans will have been surprised at the passion the show inspired in Moscow museum-goers who stood in line for hours