Art is cool, museum tells sweltering Muscovites

A woman takes a picture of a painting during the 'Impressionists Instead Of Heat' campaign, which offers free admission to the Pushkin Museum in the hottest daytime hours, in Moscow. Photo: Reuters

Art lovers drift slowly through the exhibition halls of the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, pausing to peer at vibrant works by Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh.

The Muscovites are happy to see the art, but they also came for a more pressing, physical reason: to cool off.