Europe



An exhibition from an iconic Russian artist caused a large crowd to gather at the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, but long lines left eager art lovers waiting out in the cold.

Line-up at Tretyakov Gallery.

Line-up at Tretyakov Gallery. Image by @eugenevermore

The exhibit features a rare selection of paintings by Valentin Serov, a Russian painter who lived from 1864 to 1911 and was known as one of the best portraitists of his time. The Tretyakov Gallery is the home of a vast collection of Russian fine art.

On 21 January, as a queue of people waited outside the gallery, some eventually got so anxious that a crowd broke through a door to the exhibition hall. The weather was about -14 degree Celsius, according to local media.

While the exhibit opened back in October, it will close at the end of this week, reports the Moscow Times, and many people are eager to see it before it closes.

Gallery-goers were waiting in two queues to enter the gallery, one for online ticket holders and the others who were waiting to purchase regular tickets, reports the Moscow Times, with some concern that there were too many online tickets sold. The gallery since temporarily suspended online ticket sales after the incident, reports Russia Today, but will honour those sold until the end of the exhibit.

Watch the video here.