roman 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

Source

Tags: abramovich, Anna Chapman, beatiful+women, beatifulwomen, Cristiano Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldos girlfriend, cristiano+ronaldo+irina, cristianoronaldoirina, Dasha Zhukova, espionage, irina+shaykhlislamova, irinashaykhlislamova, Maria Sharapova, models, most beautiful Russians, most beautiful women, Natalia Vodianova, politician, Roman Abramovich, ronaldo, Russia, Russian beauties, Russian billionaires, Russian models, sexy Russians, sharapova, spies, supermodel, tennis, tennis star, women

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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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Russian Billionaire Andrey Melnichenko Buys $12 Million Central Park Pad

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Wealth

Russian Billionaire Andrey Melnichenko Buys $12 Million Central Park Pad

Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko, owner of the eye-popping $300 million megayacht 'A' (above) designed by Philippe Starck, has splashed out $12.2 million on a penthouse pied-à-terre in Central Park. It's the first New York property for Melnichenko, at 38 one of the world's youngest billionaires, and his model wife Aleksandra, the Wall St. Journal reports, added to a real estate portfolio that includes apartments and estates in Moscow, France and the U.K. The 2,800-sq.-ft., two-bedroom duplex has two balconies, a terrace facing Central Park, and an entrance gallery with 24-foot ceilings. As we reported back in January Melnichenko, who amassed a $4.4 billion fortune in fertilizer and banking, entertained Martha Stewart, Demi Moore and Aston Kutcher on his yacht in St. Barth's over New Year's during Roman Abramovich's bash.

Tags: Andrey Melnichenko, billionaire, Central Park, mega+yacht, megayacht, New York, oligarch, penthouse, Philippe Starck, real estate, Roman Abramovich, Russia, Russian billionaires, superyacht, wealth, yacht

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)

Source

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

Did Abramovich Just Bag a Bacon for $37 Million at Sotheby's?

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art, Wealth

Last month when we wrote about an important Francis Bacon triptych being auctioned off at Sotheby's, we predicted it would blast past its $14 million high estimate. And indeed on Thursday Three Studies for a Portrait of Lucian Freud (above) sold for a whopping $37 million, or more than two and a half times the top quote, at the auction house's Looking Closely sale of 20th century artworks in London. In our original post we also put forward Bacon-loving oligarch Roman Abramovich as the likely buyer, since he's in the midst of decorating his new $230 million mega-mansion in London; while Thursday's purchaser was anonymous, we bet the Freud triptych will be hanging on Abramovich's wall before long. The Thursday sale, from works said to have belonged to the low-profile Geneva collector George Kostalitz who died last year, also saw a new auction record for any surrealist work of art – Salvador Dali's Portrait de Paul Eluard, which sold for $21.6 million.

Tags: art, auctions, contemporary art, Francis Bacon, London, Roman Abramovich, Russian billionaires, Salvador Dali, Sothebys, wealth

How Blohm + Voss Lost $300 Million on Roman Abramovich's 'Eclipse'

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Wealth

When we wrote about all the delays, snafus and spiraling costs surrounding Roman Abramovich's gigayacht Eclipse, many people had a good chuckle over the hundreds of millions of dollars in overages the oligarch incurred in his quest for the world's largest yacht. Now it turns out he's having the last laugh, because the yacht's German builders Blohm + Voss got stuck with the bill. That's because six years ago they rather foolishly signed an ironclad contract to complete the project for €340 million (about $485 million) according to a new report, whereas the actual cost turned out to be closer to €570 million, or about $785 million – meaning B+V took a bath to the tune of $300 million, enough for a whole other megayacht. Now Blohm + Voss' competitors at Lürssen are indulging in a good dose of schadenfreude over the incident while building an even bigger yacht for an Arab sheik.

Tags: Blohm + Voss, Eclipse, eclipse+yacht, eclipseyacht, megayacht, Roman Abramovich, roman+abramovich+eclipse, romanabramovicheclipse, Russian billionaires, superyacht, wealth, yacht

Abramovich's 'Eclipse' Meets the 'A' in Anguilla

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Wealth

Abramovich's 'Eclipse' Meets the 'A' in Anguilla

Having had their fill of St. Barth's and the supermodels and celebs who converged on its posh purlieus for New Year's, Russian billionaires Roman Abramovich and Andrei Melnichenko have now decamped with their megayachts to Anguilla. Abramovich, who stopped off in Barbados en route, dominates the seascape in the Eclipse (above), his $500 million, 550-ft. behemoth built by Blohm + Voss, while Melnichenko makes do with his measly $300 million Philippe Starck-designed destroyer 'A'. Abramovich also brought the Luna along for the ride to Anguilla, the 377 ft. explorer yacht he purchased last year as a sort of support yacht for the Eclipse and lent to Madonna last summer. All three of the enormous vessels were anchored off Meads Bay, allowing their owners easy access to Anguilla's posh resorts including the Viceroy, Frangipani Beach Resort, Carimar Beach Club and Malliouhana Hotel and Spa.

Tags: Andrei Melnichenko, Anguilla, Barbados, billionaire, Blohm + Voss, Eclipse, megayacht, Roman Abramovich, Russian billionaires, St. Barths, St. Barts, superyacht, yacht

Sen. John Kerry Joins the St. Barth's Superyacht Set

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Wealth

Forget about "a day late and a dollar short" – Sen. John Kerry was several days and several hundred million dollars short on a recent sojourn to the glitzy resort of St. Barths, still awash in all the money and celebs left over from Roman Abramovich's New Year's blowout. Kerry missed out on the action but still managed to make the scene in his sailing yacht Isabel (above). While completely dwarfed by the likes of Abramovich's 550-ft. Eclipse – the 75-ft. Isabel looked like one of Abramovich's tenders by comparison – Kerry's classic sailboat served as a timely reminder that style has nothing to do with size.

Though it cost a mere $7 million, a pittance compared to the megayachts like the iPad-controlled Solemates choking up the harbor, Kerry was not there to compete with the likes of P. Diddy and Simon Cowell; though the Isabel, built by Friendship last year, features plenty of luxe touches including a wet bar and wine storage in the pilothouse. The Edwardian-style interior is finished in glossy varnished teak, and the yacht can accommodate four guests in two VIP main staterooms with en-suite baths. Tenders and toys include a 13.5-ft. Zodiac and onboard there are all the bells and whistles a busy politico needs, from satellite communications to Wifi.

[via JamesList]

Gallery: John Kerry's Yacht 'Isabel'

Tags: John Kerry, politicians, politics, Roman Abramovich, senator, Solemates, St. Bart, St. Barths, yacht

$14 Million Francis Bacon Stars in Sotheby's Sale

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

A triptych portrait of artist Lucian Freud by Francis Bacon is the starring attraction at Sotheby's' Looking Closely sale of 20th century works in London on February 10. Three Studies for a Portrait of Lucian Freud (above) is estimated at up to $14 million. However, now that Bacon enthusiast Roman Abramovich has a new $230 million mega-mansion to decorate, we bet it could go much higher. Other top lots in the sale, said to have belonged to the low-profile Geneva collector George Kostalitz, who died last year, include works by Freud himself, Salvador Dali and Marc Chagall. "The works were bought between the 1960s and the 1990s," Helena Newman, Sotheby's European chairman of Impressionist and Modern Art, tells Bloomberg. "It's a personal collection of pieces that can be lived with on a domestic scale." The total high estimate for the works on offer is $85 million.

Tags: art, auction, contemporary art, Francis Bacon, London, Lucian Freud, Roman Abramovich, Salvador Dali, Sothebys

Salma Hayek & Supermodels Party on St. Barths' Sexiest Superyacht

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Wealth

Roman Abramovich's Eclipse is bigger, Demi Moore's Philippe Starck-designed cruiser is cooler, and P. Diddy's floating iPad-controlled palace is more expensive, but the 161-ft. Destination Fox Harb'r Too was hands-down the sexiest superyacht in St. Barths over the New Year's vacation. It's not that there's anything terribly special about the Trinity-built vessel considering the competition; rather it has to do with who was onboard: Salma Hayek and stunning supermodels Alessandra Ambrosio (above) and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. Hayek's billionaire husband François-Henri Pinault of the famed French luxury goods conglomerate reportedly footed the $250,000-per-week tab for the oceangoing extravaganza.

Destination Fox Harb'r Too was launched in 2008 with luxe accommodations for 11 guests in six spacious staterooms. The yacht is manned by a crew of 10 including a 5-star chef, three hostesses and a watersports guide. The split-level owner's suite features amazing 180-degree views and dual private en-suite baths. The Patrick Knowles Design interior is modeled on a European spa resort, featuring sophisticated fabrics, hand-carved glass and stone work, and acres of Honduran mahogany paneling with redwood burl, lacewood, and Macassar ebony accents. The sexy shipmates were in St. Barths for Abramovich's lavish New Year's Eve bash featuring the Black Eyed Peas.

[via JustLuxe]

Gallery: 'Destination Fox Harb'r Too'

Tags: Alessandra Ambrosio, megayacht, Philippe Starck, Roman Abramovich, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Salma Hayek, St. Barths, supermodels, superyacht, yacht

Demi Moore & Martha Stewart Party on Russian Billionaire's Megayacht

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Events, Wealth

Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher and Martha Stewart made the New Year's scene in St. Barths as guests of Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko aboard his Philippe Starck-designed megayacht 'A' (above). The awe-inspiring 390-ft. craft ranks as the 11th largest yacht in the world and cost an estimated $300 million to build. The celebs were in town for oligarch Roman Abramovich's star-studded New Year's Eve bash featuring the Black Eyed Peas at his lavish estate on the island. While on board the yacht Moore strutted around in a barely-there bikini and caught some rays.

She and Kutcher also played around on the vessel's jet skis. The yacht's interior features $40,000 bath faucets, $60,000 stair banisters, and an all-white, 2,583-sq.-ft. master suite wrapped in bulletproof glass and accessed by a silver-plated staircase with a fingerprint scanner at the door. Key decor accents include Baccarat crystal tables, alligator skin and Kudu horn chairs, stingray skin upholstered walls and hand-stitched leather paneling. Filling the A's gas tanks alone costs $500,000 a pop and running costs come to about $20 million a year.

Tags: Andrey Melnichenko, Ashton Kutcher, celebrity, Demi Moore, Martha Stewart, megayacht, parties, Philippe Starck, Roman Abramovich, Russian billionaires, St. Barths, superyacht, yacht

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

Roman Abramovich Hosts Lavish New Year's Eve Party

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

The place to be tonight for one of the world's most lavish parties is St. Barts where Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is hosting an epic shindig. Last year, Abramovich partied with Prince, this year the lead act will be The Black Eyed Peas. Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, who have be been spotted yacht hopping in the area, are expected to be in attendance as are George Lucas, Alicia Keys, Harvey Weinstein, Puff Daddy and Salma Hayek. According to the Daily Mail, Governor Bay, where Abramovich's multi-million dollar estate is located, has been cordoned off. The Daily Mail has images of Fergie and her husband Josh Duhamel arriving via helicopter as well as Alicia Keys and Salma Hayek with her young daughter.

Boom times are back for Abramovich who owns a fleet of yachts including his latest baby, the Eclipse. He is also planning a mega-mansion in the Knightsbridge area of London and spent around $400 for a private island in Russia to house his growing art collection. This party is just the cap to a very spendy year.

Tags: new years eve, roman abramovich

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.

Source

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

Abramovich Buys $400 Million Private Island in Russia

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art, Wealth

Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich is splashing out around $400 million to buy a private island in the heart of historic Saint Petersburg with plans to build an art museum there housing his incredible collection, the London Daily Telegraph reports. Abramovich, one of the richest men in the world, has quietly established himself as the world's leading collector of modern and contemporary art thanks to the influence of his beautiful young girlfriend Dasha Zhukova, the paper notes. New Holland island, which he has just acquired, is a crumbling 300-year-old former military base which belonged to the Russian admiralty. Abramovich plans to transform the 18th century warehouses into a cultural and commercial center in Russia's old imperial capital, including space for his amazing art collection, starring the record-breaking $86.3 million Francis Bacon triptych he bought in 2008, monumental works by Lucien Freud, Pablo Picasso and more.

Tags: art, contemporary art, Dasha Zhukova, Francis Bacon, island, Lucien Freud, museum, private museum, Roman Abramovich, Russian billionaire, St. Petersburg

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