Abramovich Finances Kabakov Show

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

Billionaire Roman Abramovich, owner of London’s Chelsea Football Club, will finance Russia’s first retrospective by postwar artists Ilya and Emilia Kabakov.

The Moscow show opens September 15, and features more than 150 paintings, drawings, and objects. It will run until October 15 simultaneously at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, the Winzavod contemporary art center, and the Garage center for contemporary art, founded by Daria Zhukova, Mr. Abramovich’s girlfriend.

The New York-based Mr. Kabakov, 74, is a founder of the Moscow conceptualist art movement that developed in the Soviet Union despite state repression of non-official art. In 1989, Mr. Kabakov began collaborating with his wife, Emilia.

“Mr. Abramovich’s support makes things much easier, and now we can concentrate on our work instead of fund-raising problems,” Ms. Kabakov said in an e-mail.

Forbes estimates the fortune of Mr. Abramovich, 41, at $23.5 billion, making him Russia’s second-richest person and 15th in the world.

On April 30, the Norilsk-based Mikhail Prokhorov Foundation, controlled by billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, said it would give $2 million to be the Kabakov retrospective’s main sponsor. On June 5, the foundation rescinded that pledge.

At the end of February, Mr. Kabakov became Russia’s most expensive postwar artist when Phillips de Pury & Co. in London sold his 1982 painting “Beetle” for $5.8 million.


The New York Sun

© 2025 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  Create a free account

or
By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use