Ukranian Billionaire Flys in Ducasse, Cirque du Soleil for $6 Million Birthday Bash

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed)
Dec 18th 2010 at 8:01PM

Ukrainian billionaire Viktor Pinchuk (above) is spending more than $6 million on an opulent 50th birthday bash for himself in the posh French ski resort of Courchevel tonight, flying in the Cirque de Soleil and superchef Alain Ducasse for the occasion. The steel magnate and contemporary art collector, whose has an estimated fortune of over $3 billion, is sparing no expense for the 300 guests invited to the event, the London Telegraph reports. It has taken 50 workmen two weeks "under difficult climactic conditions" to set up an enormous marquee to showcase the Cirque du Soleil, the world-renowned Canadian circus troupe, the paper notes.

Ducasse's haute cuisine will be accompanied by oceans of the finest champagne, vodka and top grand cru vintage wines. The evening will end with a spectacular fireworks display before guests retire to the resort's 11 five-star hotels, all booked out for the occasion. Pinchuk, who owns one of London's most expensive houses, has his own private museum in Kiev housing major works by Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons and Louis Vuitton collaborator Takashi Murakami. He has a number of philanthropic projects and arts sponsorships in the works with the likes of Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, Steven Spielberg, George Soros and Bill Clinton, all of whom could turn up at the birthday blowout.

Tags: Alain Ducasse, billionaire, Cirque de Soleil, contemporary art, Courchevel, Damien Hirst, events, france, Jeff Koons, museum, oligarch, parties, Paul McCartney, Russian billionaires, Takashi Murakami, Ukraine, wealth

Filed under: Events, Wealth

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Rodney Elliott Dec 19th 2010 11:56AM

What can one say, other than this is just another display of ostentatious obscenity.

The world economy has been wrecked by megalomaniac egocentrics such as this individual who are driven by self aggrandisement and avarice. Whilst the vast majority now have to battle through what may historically be the worst economic crisis, morons such as this persist with their pompous greed.

I am not by any measure a communist sympathiser, or even an ardent socialist, but the abuses of that privileged few, by whom we most of us have been afflicted over the past two to three years, continue to be perpetrated without even a modicum of control.

But then what is new? Historically, that has always been so and in spite of us now being purportedly more 'enlightened', our governors continue to be comfortable in their own complicity. Why is that? Because they know only too well who their paymasters really are.

Take one Tony Blair and his cynical courting of US popularity. Regardless of his publicly expressed sentiments, he was quite comfortable with throwing Iraq and the UK to the wolves to ensure his life beyond politics will be both fruitful and extremely lucrative.

In the UK we have a quite crude expression about those who urinate in the same chamber pot. Will it not be interesting to learn just who is on the invitation list for this person's big 'show'?

dish Dec 19th 2010 2:19PM

The world economy has been wrecked by average people taking out loans that they couldn't afford and over spending, sure the rich let them do it but, put their is more than enough blame for everyone. Should the rich hunker down and lock away their billions in a bank vault? The more they spend, the better off we all are, it means more money will be redistributed. This whining about "ostentatious obscenity" is really getting old. The more they spend the better off we all will be .

dish Dec 19th 2010 2:19PM

Rodney Elliott Dec 19th 2010 7:43PM

That is precisely the type of ill-considered clap-trap response people of his type wish us adopt. (A reading of 'Hidden Persuaders' is highly recommended!)

There is no suggestion on my part that they should simply be locking away their 'millions' in vaults. That indeed would be of no use to anyone. However, the degree of ostentation which this individual is demonstrating just for a birthday party cannot in any way be acknowledged as being either rational or reasonable. It is simply a downright obscenity. Anyhow, what is so remarkable these days about reaching 60? If this person (and many other of a similar ilk) are so vain that they must draw attention to themselves in such a public manner, there are many ways in which their wealth can be 'magnanimously' applied.

As for the suggestion that he is simply spreading his wealth around, this man has no altruistic objective, his intention is simply to draw attention to himself and his opulence. Granted, in wasting his money in this manner there will be some spin-off to the economy. However, that money could be put to far wider benefit.

Furthermore, given that Ukraine was part of the former USSR until very recently, perhaps one may question how he (as have many from the former USSR) become so wealthy in such a short space of time, given that not too long ago all USSR industry was (purportedly!) state controlled. His wealth so obviously is not derived from 'old' money. If it were, it is probable his ostentatious generosity would not be so blatant.

Also, one cannot but wonder what his response would be to a demand from his employees for quite modest improved terms of engagement. No doubt he would be adamant that in the prevailing economic conditions that would be quite damaging to trading prospects for the company and, therefore, quite out of the question.

This man is attention seeking in the most overt and primitive way. However, it seems to me to be quite odd that even the poorest and most down-trodden members of our strange society are apparently still totally mesmerized by such displays of excessive ostentation. Mindful of that, perhaps we have not really progressed that much from the dark ages and its feudal systems.

dish Dec 19th 2010 11:38PM

I find your 2nd comment a much better response to the this article, the first makes it seem as though the worlds economic troubles should be blamed entirely on people like Pinchuk which of course would be excusing all the common folk that foolishly did things like taking equity out of their homes to buy fancy cars and TVs only to wake up to higher than anticipated interest rates they couldn't afford and foreclosure. Though I guess we really shouldn't judge. It was just a few days ago I was thinking about Zuckerburg (facebook billionare), thinking about how his $100 milllion dollar donation seemed like such PR stunt just before the movie came out. But then I thought to myself, that it's possible he has plans to donate money in the future and it is possible he had genuine good intentions. Then to my surprise a couple days later I happened to seen an interview in which he is saying he plans to give away, I think, half his fortune. My point is Pinchuk may be spending $6 mil on a party but who knows what else he is doing or has done. It really isn't fair to see one action and make assumptions. Half the time the media doesn't care if you donate a few million, it's only when you start flying in a circus that you make the headlines. Thanks for the book recommendation, I've added it to my reading list.

Rodney Elliott Dec 20th 2010 5:41AM

Good morning and I accept your comments in the spirit intended.

Regarding the massive levels of personal debts, especially on both sides of the 'big ditch', I acknowledge that we are all responsible for manging our own affairs and we should be capable of making rational and informed judgments before rushing lemming-like into the materialistic lifestyles which many of us can ill-afford without borrowing and for which we have not the patience to wait until we can properly and, hopefully, afford and justify. Indeed, have not most us been there and done that and, as you quite rightly say, who are we to judge how others lead their lives.

In saying that, the external pressures which are placed upon us are not only immense, they are unimaginably subtle and the book I have suggested goes some way to revealing the techniques used and for which we often fall, hook, line and sinker! By the way, the book author is Vance Packard, is published in the USA by Ig - ISBN 978-0-9788431. Another book worth a read is 'Poorly Made In China' by Paul Midler. Again, this suggests how we are being manipulated into accepting shoddy goods from Chinese producers simply to satisfy our materialistic lifestyles at unrealistically low costs.

(That is another pet gripe of mine. We have been totally comfortable with affording the decimation of our own manufacturing capacities simply because our economic models are founded on continuous but quite unsustainable growth patterns. Thereby, by purchasing 'cheap' goods from China, we have artificially propped up perceived economic growth when, in reality, all we have done is build a services sector 'pack of cards' house to offset the real term losses to our economies. One does not need an economics degree to know that real growth and wealth comes from conversion of raw materials into finished good. That is plain common sense, but we seem to have mostly lost the art for that too. My gut view on this is that the China bubble will eventually burst and our past follies will come to bite us on the backsides! However, that is to open a whole new topic!)

As for the topic of this blog, Pinchuk, yes indeed he may have privately donated massive parts of his wealth in ways about which we have no knowledge. However, I still find it hard in this day and age to assimilate with such grandiose exhibitions of opulence, especially when so many in the world cannot even comprehend from where their next meal is to come. (I have recently been reading about our Henry VIII period and the obscene opulence of his court and that of Cardinal Wolsey. There are indeed great similarities with this Pinchuk issue!)

It is not about what is right or wrong. There always has been and always will be much about this world that is 'wrong' and which shall never be changed. However, as we are now supposed to be more 'enlightened', it is now more about what is seen to be right or wrong and, like the distasteful and disgraceful levels of rewards the financial services sector has traditionally afforded itself, all too frequently, justification is, if nothing else, morally difficult.

I know we live in what are purported to be free market democracies and that extra special personal efforts and results deserved extra special recognition. That said, I find I have great difficulty in acknowledging quite why any individual can believe his or her net worth to be, say, $200m per year to society, regardless of his or her personally perceived importance.