abramovich

Abramovich's Girlfriend, Sharapova and Sexy Spy Make List of Russia's Most Beautiful Women

In honor of International Women's Day, Russian news service Russia Beyond the Headlines (RBTH) has anointed the 12 most beautiful women in Russia. The list includes supermodel Natalia Vodianova (above), Roman Abramovich's gorgeous girlfriend Dasha Zhukova and tennis star Maria Sharapova as well as sexy spy Anna Chapman, who was kicked out of the U.S. last summer following espionage charges. Here's the full rundown of RBTH's Russian beauties; it's unclear whether they're ranked in order of pulchritude, but if so Anna Chapman clocks in high at #3, Vodianova is #4, Sharapova is #5 and Zhukova #6:

1. Alina Kabayeva - Retired world rhythmic gymnastics champion and current politician.

2. Tatyana Golikova - Russian Minister of Health and Social Development.

3. Anna Chapman - Modern Mata Hari, beautiful former spy and current TV host.

4. Natalia Vodianova - Model for international brands such as Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Calvin Klein, and Valentino, and a known philanthropist.

5. Irina Shaykhlislamova - A top model who has also captured the heart of Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the world's top football players. [cont'd]

Gallery: Most Beautiful Russians

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EXCLUSIVE: Abramovich Said to Be Owner of World's Most Expensive Painting

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art, Wealth

EXCLUSIVE: Abramovich is Likely Owner of World's Most Expensive Painting

When we first reported back in May that Pablo Picasso's 1932 painting Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust (above) had sold for a record-breaking $106.5 million at Christie's we heard whispers that the buyer was a certain Russian oligarch known for his eye-popping acquisitions: Roman Abramovich. Now that the world's most expensive painting has been lent to the UK's Tate Modern museum by the unnamed "private collector" who bought it (as my colleague Deidre Woollard reported), a strong indication that the owner is based in London where Abramovich spends most of his time, we're hearing them louder. [cont'd]

Gallery: Record-Breaking Art

Tags: abramovich, art, art auction, art collectors, auction, billionaire, chelsea, London, modern art, most+expensive+painting, mostexpensivepainting, museums, oligarch, Pablo Picasso, Picasso, Roman Abramovich, Russian billionaires, Tate Modern, UK, wealth, world record, worlds most expensive, worlds most expensive painting

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Abramovich Moves Down on Russia's Rich List

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

Oligarch Roman Abramovich has taken a major tumble on this year's list of Russia's richest men and now languishes in fifth place. Russia's Finans magazine puts Abramovich's wealth at $17.1 billion, up only $100 million from a year ago despite a strong recovery for the Russian economy that saw rival tycoons cash in big time. Steel magnate Vladimir Lisin captured the top spot once again with a $28.3 billion fortune, up from $18.8 billion last year. Mikhail Prokhorov, owner of the New Jersey Nets, makes the list at number two with $22.7 billion, while Alisher Usmanov, part-owner of Arsenal Football Club, clocks in at number three with $19.9 billion. In fourth place, edging out Abramovich, is another steel tycoon, Oleg Deripaska, with $19 billion. Meanwhile there are 37 newly-minted billionaires in Russia this year, bringing the total to 114 up from 77 in 2010.

Gallery: Russia's Richest Men

#4 - Oleg Deripaska (with Putin at left)

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Tags: abramovich, billionaire, Mikhail Prokhorov, Oleg Deripaska, oligarch, richest, Roman Abramovich, Russia, Russian billionaires, Vladimir Lisin, wealth

Abramovich's 'Eclipse' Finally Ready to Set Sail

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Wealth

After a year-long delay our favorite Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich finally took delivery of the world's largest and most expensive yacht, the Eclipse (above), the other day in time to berth her in St. Barths for his big New Year's Eve bash starring the Black Eyed Peas. The yacht, which measures anywhere from 533 ft. to 557 ft. depending on reports, cost somewhere between $500 million – $1 billion, again depending on which news accounts you give credit to. In any case, the Eclipse will cost an estimated $50 million a year to maintain and each fill-up at the gas tanks will run Roman a cool $650,000. The Eclipse, built by Germany's Blohm + Voss with luxe accommodations for 30 guests and 75 crew members, was beset with problems as we noted over the summer. The yacht, which features a military-grade missile defense system, armor plating, bulletproof windows, three helipads, two swimming pools and a wellness center, is said to be paparazzi proof thanks to a special electronic shield.

[via JustLuxe]

Tags: abramovich, abramovich+eclipse, abramovicheclipse, Blohm + Voss, eclipse+yacht, eclipseyacht, megayacht, Roman Abramovich, Russian billionaires, st+barts, St. Barths, stbarts, wealth, yacht

Inside Abramovich's New $230 Million London Mega-Mansion

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Wealth, Architecture & Design

Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich has purchased all nine luxury apartments in two adjoining buildings in London's posh Knightsbridge neighborhood and plans to transform them into a mega-mansion at a total cost of about $230 million. He aims to turn the 30,000-sq.-ft. eight-bedroom buildings, a historic property located next to famed department store Harrods and designed by renowned master builder Thomas Cubitt, who also designed parts of Buckingham Palace, into a high-tech luxury fortress with five above-ground stories and three underground levels, the London Daily Mail reports. The paper has obtained a schematic of the plans, above; most of the cost of the project will go towards the renovations.

"He wants a very plush interior in the style of high neoclassical Victorian to match the exterior," an insider tells the paper. "He's going to be very hands-on and there will be nothing minimalist about his taste. Inside will be all cornices, thick pile carpeting and heavy drapery." The plans call for six bedrooms two guest rooms all with en suite baths; a multicar garage with staff accommodation in a mews behind the main building; a cinema / entertainment room; an indoor swimming pool; a steam room and sauna; and a children's study and entertainment room. Abramovich has been patiently acquiring the flats in the buildings since the late '90s, the paper reveals, and just recently closed on the last one.

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Tags: abramovich, abramovich+london, abramovich+mansion, abramovichlondon, abramovichmansion, billionaire, estates, Harrods, Knightsbridge, London, mansion, Roman Abramovich, Russian billionaires, UK, wealth

Billionaire Buys Art to Decorate World's Biggest Yacht

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has ordered a new yacht, the "Eclipse", which is due for delivery from Blohm & Voss sometime this year and is being heralded as the world's biggest private yacht at 560 ft long. Among its many outstanding features are armor plating and a missile defense system, plus a laser shield that shoots bolts of light at cameras to ruin photographs and foil the paparazzi. He must feel safe leaving valuables inside (I guess!) because over the last several months he's been busy buying up art from the Millennium gallery in south England to decorate the yacht's massive interior. Although details on the specific pieces and prices purchased have not been released, we do know it totals 35 pieces so far and the collection is valued at over $300,000 dollars.

I would love to see that interior!

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Tags: abramovich, art, eclipse yacht, EclipseYacht, roman abramovich, RomanAbramovich, yacht

Abramovich, Paltrow, Ganek Seen at Frieze Art Fair

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Celebrity Shopping, Art

david ganek The Frieze Art Fair is drawing the right kind of people this year, even if the art market is showing little more than hope (and even that's debatable). Roman Abramovich - billionaire, Francis Bacon fan - has been seen scoping out the merchandise. Gwyneth Paltrow is at the show, too. Both were at the VIP preview (separately), and David Ganek made an appearance as well. Ganek is a hedge fund manager and art collector, and his wife, Danielle wrote a god-awful novel about the art business in Manhattan.

The Frieze Art Fair runs through October 18 and occupies 70,000 square feet in Regent's Park. In attendance are 165 gallery owners from 30 countries, all eager to take advantage of collectors excited to be at Europe's largest art fair. But, they have their work cut out for them. Auction sales are down between 70 percent and 80 percent from last year, and that's usually a pretty good sign of how the art market as a whole is doing.

There is some action at Frieze this year. Artist Jim Hodges has an exhibition at the Pompidou Center in Paris that's captured the attention of a museum. Stefan Edlis, Jean Pigozzi and David Roberts - all prominent collectors - have been seen at the fair. Art dealer Marianne Boesky moved 13 paintings from a new series of 15 watercolors by Barnaby Furnas that depict the capture and execution of John Brown, the Civil War abolitionist. Prices ranged from $25,000 to $30,000.

After the dismal situation at Frieze in 2008, there's a collective desire for this year to be better. While wishing for an art market recovery probably won't make a difference, the sentiment itself is comforting.

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Tags: abramovich, art, art dealer, art market, ArtDealer, artist, ArtMarket, artwork, barnaby, david roberts, DavidRoberts, england, francis bacon, FrancisBacon, friezeartfair, gwyneth paltrow, GwynethPaltrow, london, pompidou, pompidoucenter, roman abramovich, RomanAbramovich, united kingdom, UnitedKingdom

Sotheby's Opens in Doha, Bizarre Timing

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

Once the undisputed land of conspicuous wealth and consumption, the United Arab Emirates is being squeezed by a large drop in oil prices. It's a shame this comes after the region's addiction to art has become fully entrenched. Sotheby's is planning its first contemporary art sale from its new Doha, Qatar branch on March 18, 2009 – also the opening day of the Art Dubai fair. Hell, it's enough to make you "scream" (see photo).

This looks like the triumph of ambition over common sense, but Sotheby's was probably too far into its Middle Eastern endeavors before the bottom fell out on the region's finances. And with Bonhams and Christie's already in town, Sotheby's had little choice but to follow.

The UAE has committed quickly to the art scene. Abu Dhabi is working on building a Louvre, and is erecting a Guggenheim. Last year, art auction revenues reached $34.9 million, up 70 percent from 2007. But, the upcoming auction should be tricky, particularly with the poor performance of the sector last fall in more established markets, like New York, London and Hong Kong.

In around two weeks, we'll see if Sotheby's will be able to make this new auction house work, or if it will fall victim to the greater recession-triggered decline in the art market. The Mei Moses All Art Index dropped 4.5 percent last year. This seems like a modest amount, but you need to remember that record-setting sales continued through the middle of the summer. Last May, Roman Abramovich was a billionaire with a new Francis Bacon piece in his collection. Today ... we know he feels pain, too. The second half of the year wiped out the first half's records and pulled prices down further.

It's a tough time to count on the market to make Sotheby's Doha a success, but the market doesn't give us choices.

[Photo: "El Grito" by Julio Aguilera]

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Tags: abramovich, abu dhabi, abu dubai, AbuDhabi, AbuDubai, art, art auction, art auctions, art market, ArtAuction, ArtAuctions, ArtMarket, artwork, bonhams, bonhams auction, BonhamsAuction, christies, contemporary art, ContemporaryArt, doha, dubai, francis bacon, FrancisBacon, guggenheim, guggenheim museum, GuggenheimMuseum, qatar, roman abramovich, RomanAbramovich, sothebys, sothebys international realty, SothebysInternationalRealty, uae, united arab emirates, UnitedArabEmirates

Abramovich Buys Dasha 100 Acres of Land on the Moon

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Celebrity Shopping, Real Estate Developments

Now that's a gift. I have always wanted someone to give me the moon. Now they can.

Chelsea Football Club Owner and famous spender Roman Abramovich has given his girlfriend Dasha a truly celestial gift: 100 acres of land on the moon.

The land was purchased from The Lunar Embassy, which offers "deeds" to an acre of moon-land for around $20 apiece, as well as "Extraterrestrial Domain Names" and an opportunity to have your name written on an "Archival Disk" that will be stored on the moon.

Lunatic: Someone who has been staring at the moon too long and has lost their mind.

[via CrunchGear]

Tags: abramovich, acre, acres, dasha zhukova, DashaZhukova, gifts, land, luna, lunar, moon, roman abramovich, RomanAbramovich

Did Abramovich Give Away Le Grand Bleu?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has yachts to spare but did he really give a friend his 328-foot yacht Le Grand Bleu? The Sun reports that Abramovich handed the yacht, which is worth over $138 million, over to his business lieutenant Eugene Shvidler as a thank you. Abramovich had problems with the yacht last fall but surely that's no reason to ditch this beauty and while I'm sure Shvidler is a fine man and a good friend, I still sense there is another reason. There can only be one answer, Abramovich needs room in his stable for an even grander ship.

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Tags: abramovich, chelsea, le grand bleu, megayacht, yacht

Update on the eBay Yacht: Is It Abramovich? Is It A Fraud?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Auctions

Last night we mentioned the eBay auction of a huge yacht. The sale of the 405-foot yacht has people speculating that Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich might be the buyer of the as-yet-unbuilt yacht which was, at $168 million (with an $85 million downpayment), the most expensive eBay auction ever. From Moscow News to Forbes, speculation is swirling about whether the auction is a real deal or not. Last time I checked, the yacht was still up for auction on eBay and is still listed on the 4Yacht website. BYM News spoke with Craig Timm of 4Yacht and found out that the auction had indeed not resulted in a firm sale and that the yacht is still up for bid. No comment though on whether Roman Abramovich is actually among those interested in buying.

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Tags: abramovich, auction, ebay, gigayacht, megayacht, yacht

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