The name of the great Russian artist, famous portrait painter and one of the greatest masters of European painting of the 19th century, Valentin Aleksandrovich Serov, is known to everyone, without exaggeration. His famous “Girl with Peaches” and “Girl Illuminated by the Sun” are among the most significant works in the Tretyakov Gallery collection. It was with these paintings that the history of impressionism began in Russian art. It is difficult to name another artist whose creative achievements would have such great significance and influence on all subsequent Russian art. In the book “Valentin Serov,” Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar, an artist, art critic and art theorist who personally knew the artist and began work on the book during Valentin Alexandrovich’s lifetime and with his direct participation, shares his memories of this outstanding Russian painter.