What Daria did next: model turns gallerist

Daria 'Dasha' Zhukova (pictured), the impossibly glamorous girlfriend of Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, having launched her fashion label, Kova & T, now wants to take the art world by storm. The 26-year-old former model is opening a gallery cum arts centre in the heart of Moscow. She has already secured the premises as well as some big hitters to help her with the venture: Molly Dent-Brocklehurst, formerly of the Gagosian Gallery in London, will become international director and Sir Nicholas Serota, director of Tate in London, will form part of an advisory council.

Speaking to the Art Newspaper, Ms Zhukova revealed that the Centre for Contemporary Culture Moscow (CCC Moscow) will open in September with a retrospective devoted to Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, the artists' first in their native city. (It is rumoured that Amy Winehouse is being paid £1m to perform at the opening.) Zhukova says she "hopes to attract all kinds of people to the gallery, even those who know nothing about contemporary art".

The premises, which are still under construction, will be housed in a converted bus garage built in 1927 by the Constructivist architect Konstantin Melnikov. Thus far no details have been released about how much has been spent or the future operating budget. "It's impossible to predict figures at this stage," says Ms Zhukova. It is also not known how much Roman Abramovich, whose fortune is estimated at £11.7bn, has contributed towards the project. Friends of Zhukova say she is "personally funding" this project with the help of "private investors". (Continued below)

Dent-Brocklehurst says CCC Moscow will commission artists to create site-specific installations in the manner of Tate Modern's Turbine Hall, and will develop a programme to display the work of emerging Russian artists. "It will probably take a few years before it is fully established," she says