Abramovich and Zhukova Divorce: What Future for Their Art Collection and Garage Museum?

Roman Abramovich and Dasha Zhukova, Russia's most influential couple in the art world, have announced their separation after ten years of marriage and two children. Abramovich, with an estimated net worth of $7.6 billion, has been a top-three collector in the ARTnews Top 200 Collectors since 2008. Zhukova, daughter of a wealthy oil magnate, is a gallerist and collector who founded the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow, designed by Rem Koolhaas and opened two years ago. The museum, housed in the converted Vremena Goda restaurant, spans 5,400 square meters with five galleries, an auditorium, educational spaces, a library, and a café. It hosts exhibitions by international artists like Takashi Murakami and the Triennial of Russian Contemporary Art, which faced controversy over Crimean artists. A second venue in St. Petersburg, designed by WORKac, opened last year. Zhukova also serves as creative director of New Holland Island in St. Petersburg, edits POP and Garage Magazine, and sits on the boards of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and LACMA. The couple stated they remain friends, co-parents, and partners in joint projects. This is Abramovich's third divorce; his previous divorce from Irina Malandina cost him $300 million.