During Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin’s life, the estate on Novinsky Boulevard has become a notable place of Moscow’s art scene. Its doors were wide open for people of creative professions: writers, musicians, artists and performers. Many artists played a significant role in Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin’s biography. Among them was Valentin Alexandrovich Serov, who dedicated many works to the great Russian bass.

The artist’s daughter, Irina Feodorovna Chaliapina, in “Memories of my Father” writes: “After Alexei Maximovich Gorky, Feodor’s most beloved friend was Serov, whom he appreciated for his integrity and dignity.” Everybody in Chaliapin’s household loved Valentin Serov very much. Often, while sitting in Chaliapin’s dining room, the artist took out his pencil and began sketching, striking Chaliapin with the accuracy and precision of his drawings. Despite his gloomy and reserved appearance, Serov was in fact a very cheerful and witty person, who, just like in his art, was able to bring to life whole images with just a few swift gestures and changes in tone when telling stories.

In the White Hall, Valentin Serov painted a full-length portrait of Feodor Chaliapin. The singer eagerly posed for Valentin Serov, and during breaks, when they rested, the artist’s wife Iola Chaliapina treated them to tea. Now in the estate on Novinsky Boulevard there is a pencil portrait he made, depicting Iola Chaliapina.