What is the importance of the art gallery in the novel, Madonna in a Fur Coat?

The art gallery is an unusual setting in the novel, as it is the only location featured in the diary that is described for the reader from the perspective of anyone other than Raif. The art gallery initially functions almost as a place of religious worship for Raif when he returns there day after day to look at the Madonna in a Fur Coat painting. Later, the reader revisits these events from Maria’s perspective, showing the gallery in a new light as a professional space that has been visited by an unexpectedly sincere and intriguing member of the public.