Who Is Dasha Zhukova?
For a long time Roman Abramovich and Dasha Zhukova's marriage was something of a secret. Though they had long been linked romantically, their wedding wasn't public knowledge until it was mentioned in a 2015 Wall Street Journal profile of the Zhukova, an art collector and prominent New York and London socialite.
And now that marriage may be coming to an end. Earlier this summer, Abramovich and Zhukova issued a statement announcing their separation. "After 10 years together, the two of us have made the difficult decision to separate, but we remain close friends, parents and partners in the projects we developed together."
It continued, "We are committed to jointly raising our two children. We will also continue to work together as co-founders of the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow and the New Holland Island cultural center in Saint Petersburg."
Amicable as the split may be, it is also may be costly if they do choose to formally divorce. Forbes currently places Abramovich's net worth at $9.6 billion and ranks him as the 139th richest man in the world. It is unclear what, if any, prenuptial agreement the couple had in place, or if Zhukova, who is independently wealthy, would even seek compensation. Additionally, any legal agreements about the separation could remain private. Abramovich's divorce from a previous wife in 2007 reportedly cost nearly him $300 million.
Here's a look inside Dasha Zhukova's life - and her high-profile friendship with Ivanka Trump.
Zhukova is a dual citizen.
She was born in Russia, but grew up in the United States with her mother after her parents separated.
She has two children.
A son, Aaron Alexander, was born in 2009 and a daughter, Leah Lou, was born in 2013.
She's something of an "it-girl" in the art world.
Zhukova founded the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Russia - which is housed in a Moscow building designed by Rem Koolhaas - along with art and culture publication Garage Magazine. She is also an investor in Artsy, an online art marketplace, and serves on the boards of Los Angeles County Museum of Art and New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Zhukova and Ivanka Trump were introduced by mutual friend Wendi Deng ten years ago.
According to a recent profile on Zhukova in Bloomberg, she was first introduced to Ivanka Trump by Wendi Deng ten years ago, and over the past decade, the two women have become close.
The two are such good friends that Jared and Ivanka visited Zhukova and her Abramovich in Russia for a fundraiser for Moscow’s Jewish Museum in 2014, and Zhukova was reportedly invited to the inauguration. Additionally, both Zhukova and Jared Kushner's brother Joshua's vc firms are investors in the digital art platform Artsy.
Jared and Ivanka reportedly had to declare their association with Zhukova's husband, Roman Abramovich on their security paperwork.
Security clearance forms filled out by government employees ask if the applicants have "close and/or continuing contact with a foreign national within the last seven years with whom you, or your spouse or cohabitant are bound by affection, influence or common interests."
Jared and Ivanka both reportedly had to disclose their relationship with Abramovich in their paperwork. A Russian oligarch, he is reportedly quite close to Putin, and his relationship to the Kushners has raised eyebrows. But according to Bloomberg, "Kushner and Abramovich have never met one-on-one or alone with their wives," and "There’s no suggestion that the couples’ ties had anything to do with Russia’s meddling in the U.S. election."
Ivanka and Wendi are hardly Zhukova's only famous friends.
Earlier this month, she was spotted on Instagram alongside Oprah and Diane von Furstenberg.
And in July, she was seen taking selfies with Kendall Jenner and Alexa Chung.
Additionally, Zhukova is quite close with writer Vanity Fair contributor Derek Blasberg, and has appeared on his arm at several recent events including the 2017 Met Gala (below) .
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