CHELSEA PATRON HAS DISCOVERED A PASSION FOR ART COLLECTIONS THANKS TO NEW FIANCÉ

translated by Giorgina Arcuri

Roman Abramovich, the forty-year old businessman of Russian origins, seems to be tired of dealing only in real-estate properties, yachts and football teams (for Chelsea he has so far spent a billion dollars). As for many Russian oligarchs, Abramovich’s new “toy” is art. Indeed, on 12th June 2008 the super-billionaire inaugurated in Moscow a new gallery centre, event that attracted to the Russian capital great names of worldwide art, such as the famous art gallery owner Larry Gagosian, director of the Tate Modern and of the Hermitage, but also many VIPs of the International Jet Set.
The gallery centre, which will be directed by Abramovich’s new partner, has been created in an ex bus station built in 1927 in typical constructivist style. It is a very particular building, without internal support pillars, with a free space of about 8 thousand square metres. In occasion of the inauguration, the centre exhibited projects by architect Shukhov, one of the founders of Russian constructivism, photographed by Aleksandr Rodchenko. Probably, further on, it will also put on display pieces from Mr. Abramovich’s collection, which he has recently collected. According to English tabloids, Chelsea’s patron would have acquired only in the last month artworks of great artistic and economic value, gifts for his twenty-six-year-old fiancé Darja Zhukova, student of medicine but also exponent of the star system and passionate of art. With the wealth and assets that he owns (about 18.7 billion dollars, equal to 15 billion euros), we can really say that Roman Abramovich can satisfy all the fancies he wants and wishes. Among these, we should mention that recently the oil magnate was the undiscussed protagonist of the New York auctions in May, buying two extraordinary canvases that set extremely important records in the world of art: “Triptych, 1976” by Francis Bacon (sold by Sotheby’s for 86,281,000 dollars), which established the record for contemporary art and “Benefits supervisor sleeping” realized by Lucian Freud in 1955 (sold by Christie’s for 33,641,000 dollars), which has become the masterpiece with the highest price ever achieved for any living artist.
Even at the recently concluded 39th edition of Art Basel, Roman Abramovich managed to be the only true celebrity in purchases. In Basel he bought a statue by Alberto Giacometti entitled “La Veneziana” for 14 million dollars. But this is not the only gift he has granted himself. According to indiscrete rumours, Acquavella gallery would have sold a work by Lucian Freud, “Girl in Attic Doorway” for almost the requested price, equal to 12 million dollars. It is believed that the recent purchase was made by Abramovich. The news has not been confirmed, as the gallery only stated that the work was sold to a European collector.