But it wouldn’t be the first time that a (very) rich man graduated from buying
yachts and houses to the infinitely cooler business of acquiring art. Who
knows, but given that the oligarchs’ rise wasn’t universally popular in
Russia, perhaps the thought of bequeathing a great art collection has some
appeal. After all, we remember Henry Clay Frick for his Collection, not for
how he made his money. And it wouldn’t be the first time, either, that a man
changed his interests along with his partner – Abramovich having divorced
his second wife Irina earlier this year.
Certainly Zhukova – born into money, sophisticated, educated and cosmopolitan –
represents a new kind of Russian woman, who loves Mexican food and “cheesy
romcoms” as well as contemporary art and feels at ease everywhere. As
Dasha puts it, “Now I’m in London and I’ve just been in Italy, and I’m here
and I’m there, but I’d say Moscow is my place of residence this year... With
the Garage opening I’m really living in Moscow.” As Abramovich’s first wife,
Olga, told a reporter earlier this year, Zhukova is “one of Russia’s new
golden kids who are unbelievably rich, have seen the world and travelled all
over the place... Irina and I were brought up at a time when people said,
‘There’s no sex in the Soviet Union.’ Dasha knows there is sex – and she
knows how to present herself. I’m not surprised Romka [Roman] has lost himself
to her.”
Contrary to some reports, Abramovich – who as well as making the two biggest
art purchases of the year, also swept through the Art Basel fair on a
shopping trip with Zhukova – looks completely comfortable in an art-world
setting, if the Moscow party is anything to go by. But on this, as on all
matters Abramovich, Zhukova isn’t to be drawn, saying simply, “I think
that’s one of your questions for his interview.”
She does, however, have words of reassurance – “Not a threat, in my opinion,
not a threat” – when I tell her that some Chelsea fans are concerned that
buying up all this major art might make Abramovich less interested in the
beautiful game, and less inclined to drop major dough on buying key players.
Zhukova is equally unforthcoming on the subject of politics, as I discover
when I ask how, as a Russian who grew up in America, it must be upsetting to
see the growing froideur between two countries she might both call home (not
to mention the UK, where until recently she spent most of her time). “I try
not to think too much about politics,” she says, which given the accent,
sounds pretty Valley Girl, but come to think of it, is probably a sensible
course for a Russian in her position, given that the success of the Garage,
and possibly that of her relationship, is predicated on not putting Vladimir
Putin’s nose out of joint.
“I know what I’m not,” she tells me, “and I’m not a politician. I’m sorry, I
don’t care to elaborate on my point of view.” Which brings to mind a moment
at the Garage party when a Russian told me a story critical of a member of
the Russian Government, but worryingly, looked around first to check no one
else was listening before doing so and warned me not to tell anyone. Russia
might not be the totalitarian state it was back when the Garage was first
built, but it’s not Liberty Hall either.
There’s something disturbing in the ease with which the contemporary art scene
– which surely prides itself on its wild, free-form creativity –
settles down to doing business in countries like Russia and China. For the
art world, there are profits to be made and new opportunities, while for a
modern, outward-looking woman like Zhukova, introducing Russians to contemporary
art via the Garage and the educational programmes she plans must seem
exciting, progressive – and also politically neutral. Perhaps Russians
might now almost be hard-wired to tread carefully when it comes to politics
– and while Zhukova seems likeable, smart and funny and remarkably
down-to-earth, like many of her generation of Russians she seems no more
given to questioning the status quo than a Romanov princess might have been.
But does all that It-girl coverage do her head in, I wonder. “Well, I don’t
necessarily see myself in that way,” she answers, then laughs. “But maybe I
don’t think deeply about it enough to decide whether it’s annoying
or not,” which probably isn’t a bad approach for an It girl with
a good brain on her. “I don’t set out to be spotlighted and I don’t really
go out much to places where there’s high interest. But you know sometimes,
people say things that are really hurtful or unfair or untrue a lot of the
time. But it is what it is. Everyone is just doing their job and they need
to sell papers so they make stuff up. I understand the chain.”
Clearly, among the hurtful might be the suggestion that she is just a
dilettante, that as one reporter suggested, some of her vocabulary seems
straight out of Clueless, or that she’s not as clued up on art as she could
be. “I think that people should judge actions, instead of making assumptions
based on a stereotype,” she says.
“I think it is too early for anyone to call me anything. We haven’t even
opened the Garage yet. How can anyone have an opinion?” As Mollie
Dent-Brocklehurst sees it, “I don’t think anyone who knows her would call
her this. She’s hugely energetic and focused. Although she is not an art
expert, which she would be the first to admit, she is extremely intelligent
and has a naturally good eye and inherent understanding of art.”
Nonetheless, I suggest that a bit of buzz can be useful when it comes to
promoting her project. “I think that of course there is a heightened amount
of interest,” she agrees, “because of the social aspects of my life. But I
try not to use that. I try to promote the project itself.” The kind of
hullabaloo the party generates can, she feels, “be a double-edged sword. I
think on the one hand people can get excited, and on the other hand they’re
thinking, ‘They got Amy, do they really need our sponsorship?’” Or perhaps
more to the point, she’s got Roman Abramovich, who presumably could just
write one big cheque. But that’s not what Zhukova wants at all. Maybe, like
those garage sales back in California, it’s just more fun this way.
The Garage, Center for Contemporary Culture (GCCC), opens in Moscow on
Wednesday
