Despite the large flushing sound that's accompanied the art market this year, there are still 10 collectors worth noting. In fact, ARTnews was even able to cobble together a top 200 list this year (if they went to 300, I figure I'd wind up on the list, too, given the state of the art market right now). The names in the top 10 still represent the art collecting elite, they just happen to be in much worse shape than they were at this time last year.

Roman Abramovich, Russian billionaire and art addict, takes the #1 spot. It would be easy to zero in on any one of several purchases last year and call it "defining," but the man spent a few hundred million on art. The most expensive pickup was a Francis Bacon triptych which set him back almost $90 million.

Top 10 Art Collectors (according to ARTnews):

1. Roman Abramovich
2. Debra and Leon Black
3. Edythe L. and Eli Broad
4. Steven Cohen
5. Marie-Josee and Henry Kravis
6. Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder
7. Francois Pinault
8. Mitchell Rales
9. Carlos Slim Helu
10. Sheikh Saud bin Mohammed bin Ali al-Thani

Okay, so you take a quick look at this list and realize that Abramovich, who requested a bailout from the Russian government, isn't the only flawed personality it contains. Steven A. Cohen, the Connecticut-based hedge fund manager, owns a dead rotting shark. While Damien Hirst's ego is built to last, his creations are more like personal computers ... planned obsolescence. Kravis, who sits atop esteemed and powerful private equity firm KKR, was not left unscathed by the current financial crisis. The precipitous drop in oil prices over the past year must have left the sheikh in a rough spot, and Slim thought he could make money by investing in a newspaper (that's just fucking stupid ... almost as stupid as paying $90 million for a 1970s Bacon, frankly).

Maybe we'll see some changes over the next year. I wouldn't mind writing about an unknown visionary busting into the winners circle at this time next summer. Now, all we have to do is find one.

Billionaire Carlos Slim has been busy lately. The billionaire who holds the third spot in the Forbes billionaire list, has a fortune of around $35 billion. As part of a commemoration of World Environmental Day, Slim has donated $50 million to start an environmental project in Mexico with the World Wildlife Fund. The donation is part of the creation of a $100 million fund dedicated to Mexico's environment. The new project will focus on six regions in Mexico including the jungles in Chiapas, reefs in Baja California and the nesting ground for monarch butterflies in Michoacan. The World Wildlife Fund will raise the other half of the funds needed from foundations and donors. Slim has also said that he will donate more as the goals of the project are met. The plan will include ways of stimulating the economy in environmentally sensitive areas so that locals don't have to harm the environment to make a living. Mexico is estimated to be losing around 593,000 acres of land a year to logging. Slim made the announcement in Cozumel, Mexico with Carter Roberts, the the President of World Wildlife Foundation and Omar Vidal Director of Wildlife Mexico.

My colleague Deidre Woollard just reported that the number of millionaire households in the U.S. has shrunk to its lowest level since 2003. To that we can now add that the number of billionaires in the world has also seen a steep decline.

According to Forbes' newly-released annual list of the world's billionaires, there are now only 793 billionaires around the globe, down from 1,125 a year ago. That means 332 people lost their billionaire status.

This year the exclusive group has an average net worth of $3 billion, down 23% in 12 months, making for a loss of some $1.4 trillion. Americans now account for 44% of the money and 45% of the list's slots, up 7 and 3 percentage points from last year, respectively. Some billionaires have fared better than others, though most have lost masses of money.

Bill Gates lost $18 billion but regained his title as the world's richest man with a $40 billion fortune. Warren Buffett, last year's No. 1, saw his fortune decline $25 billion as shares of Berkshire Hathaway fell nearly 50% in 12 months, and is in the No. 2 slot with $37 billion. Mexican telecom titan Carlos Slim Helú maintains his spot in the top three but lost $25 billion, and is now worth $35 billion.

In our continuing look at the moves of savvy billionaires, it's hard not to notice that Carlos Slim, the Mexican telecommunications billionaire is taking advantage of the economic downturn. Slim made news in November for picking up 29 million shares of Citigroup for around $150 million and Blogging Stocks reported that he also boosted his stake in luxury retailer Saks buying nearly 7.6 million shares of the company over a four-day period.

Slim's latest move may be one even closer to his heart. Slim, has been spotted visiting the UK headquarters of the Honda Racing F1 team,. Motor Authority reveals that a takeover by Slim would boost the chances of GP2 driver Bruno Senna, who is backed by the Telmex subsidiary Embratel, Slim's company. Other suitors for the beleaguered team include Force India's Vijay Mallya, a Swiss hedge fund and Greek shipping tycoon Achilleas Kallakis. Slim is known for savvy investments and so his interest in the racing team indicates he sees a future in a sport that is currently plagued by economic worries.