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The Face Gets a Close Up

March 30, 2009 by Marion Maneker

Daria Zhukova re-emerges as the face of the art market after a brief hiatus. Her recent show of works from Francois Pinault’s collection has been getting good press. Here she sits down with Peter Aspden of the Financial Times:

Her enthusiasm for the project is palpable. She takes my napkin to show how the parallelogram structure of the building has been adapted over the past 12 months to form a versatile home for future exhibitions. She says she only ever thought about the Garage as a space for hosting “6,000 square metres of amazing contemporary art”.

[ . . . ] Zhukova says the introductory element of the Pinault show, curated by Caroline Bourgeois, is deliberately conceived. Moscow is a reluctant embracer of novel art forms and she wanted to show a panorama of contemporary art to what may be a grudging public. “I am sure a lot of people won’t understand it. A lot of people will be confused and sceptical. The most popular art movement here is Impressionism, that’s what we were taught was beautiful.” She knows it’s a long way from Renoir to the hyper-polished hearts of Jeff Koons or the raw visual jokes of Maurizio Cattelan. [ . . . ]

I say one of my worries about contemporary art is that it can appear over-decorative, and shows little sign of engagement with social and political issues. “That can be true but maybe people are tired of political art and want something beautiful.” [ . . . ]Continue Reading

Not Just a Pretty Face

September 22, 2008 by Marion Maneker

The Face’s Gallery Opening Gets A Lot of Coverage

Dasha Zukhova is The Face of the art market these days but she’s also a pretty face. And though WWD has a nice little blurb on the opening of the Moscow Garage Center for Contemporary Art, it would seem like we’re just running this as an excuse to post a pretty picture of the woman. (OK, we are.) But while we’re at it, here’s the Independent‘s take on the opening; an interview with Bloomberg; and the Moscow Times.

BusinessWeek runs a story with some interesting facts worth noting:

Philip Hoffmann, chief executive of The Fine Art Fund, told the Business Standard in August that only 20 individuals account for $2 billion to $4 billion worth of art sold worldwide each year out of a total art market as much as $50 billion.

Meanwhile, many see Zuhkova’s Garage Center as major step forward in the re-establishment of art as an important part of Russian culture:

Los Angeles-based art critic Alexander Panov said that, while the gallery may have started life as a billionaire’s vanity project, it has the potential for anchoring modern art in Russia.

“Are those in attendance mostly snobs and ‘wannabes’ who were there simply to show their Gucci bags and Armanis?” he said in an email. “Yes. Is art collecting simply a new expensive toy leading to greater social-cultural status in the hands of Abramovich? Yes again. Finally, is there a chance for good, thought provoking exhibitions to start and support a culture of open-minded, stimulating intellectual discourse? Yes as well.”

Defending the Face

September 17, 2008 by Marion Maneker

The Times of London Profiles Dasha Zhukova and Dispels Some Myths About Her

As Vogue covers the opening of her new Moscow space, James Collard sat down with Dasha Zhukova and came away impressed:

For many young Russian women Zhukova represents a different kind of icon from a mere trophy beauty, because she’s savvy and professionally ambitious as well as attractive and chic, rather than bling, like an earlier wave of post-Soviet lovelies. And in common with her good friend Polina Deripaska – not just the wife of an oligarch, but also head of the publishing group FMG – Zhukova has always worked. She launched what she describes as a “small but successful” fashion label, Kova & T, with her old schoolfriend Christina Tang, and while by her own admission, she’s not “some art genius”, she has put all her energies and star power into getting the Garage off the ground.

[ . . . ]

She’s also looking for sponsorship – and given Zhukova’s own cachet in Russia, now arguably the luxury goods industry’s leading market, it’s not hard to imagine some fancy-schmancy brands being only too willing to be associated with such a high-profile project. Interestingly, the second show at the Garage will be of contemporary art from the large collection of luxury goods tycoon François Pinault. “A great show for us,” says Zhukova, “given that many Russians aren’t so familiar with a lot of contemporary art, and his collection includes the best of many different kinds of work.”

[ . . . ]

There’s something disturbing in the ease with which the contemporary art scene
– which surely prides itself on its wild, free-form creativity –
settles down to doing business in countries like Russia and China. For the
art world, there are profits to be made and new opportunities, while for a
modern, outward-looking woman like Zhukova, introducing Russians to contemporary
art via the Garage and the educational programmes she plans must seem
exciting, progressive – and also politically neutral. Perhaps Russians
might now almost be hard-wired to tread carefully when it comes to politics
– and while Zhukova seems likeable, smart and funny and remarkably
down-to-earth, like many of her generation of Russians she seems no more
given to questioning the status quo than a Romanov princess might have been.

The Moscow Mash (Style.com)

How Dasha Zhukova is Revolutionizing Russian the Russian Art World (Times of London)

Russians and Americans

September 3, 2008 by Marion Maneker

The Discreet Charms of the Russian Bourgeoisie

A good reminder of the effect Russian commodities wealth is having on the luxury market comes from the Daily Mail:

Seven of the world’s 25 richest people. Some 87 billionaires. The highest concentration of billionaires in its capital city. ( . . . ) Its new uber-rich aristocracy has been carving out its own dynasties, buying up multi-million pound properties (a mystery Russian buyer reportedly stumped up £397 million for a Cote d’Azur castle this month) football clubs and priceless art masterpieces.Continue Reading

The Face Gets Her Close-Up

August 16, 2008 by Marion Maneker

Dara Zhukova profiled in the New York Times

Carol Vogel’s examination of Dara Zhukova (left, in a photo by Jonathan Worth) and her role in the Contemporary art market does a nice job of capturing the young diletante’s appeal. That’s why we call her The Face (of the art market.) The Garage opening party is only part of the equation but an important part:

“It took chutzpah for Dasha to put on an event and attract so many people,” said Oliver Barker, head of contemporary art at Sotheby’s in London. “It shows how seriously they’re taking her.”Continue Reading

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