Amy Winehouse entertains elite at gallery opening

13 June, 2008, 10:11

Troubled jazz diva Amy Winehouse flew to Moscow to sing at the opening of a trendy new arts centre. The project is the brainchild of Darya Zhukova, fashion designer and girlfriend of billionaire Chelsea owner Roman Abra

Zhukova has big ambitions for her new centre of comtemporary culture called ‘Garazh’. The daughter of oil and bank tycoon Aleksandr Zhukov, she plans to make the new venue one of the world’s most fashionable galleries.

To prove her point, singer Amy Winehouse provided the entertainment at the exclusive opening-night party. She flew to Moscow specially to entertain Dasha, Roman and their friends.

Garazh is located in a former bus station, which is also an iconic Soviet industrial building. It was designed in 1927 by Russian architect Konstantin Melnikov and engineer Vladimir Shukhov, who revolutionised the public transport system.

The 8,500 square metrer space has been completely renovated.

But Zhukova paid tribute to the original design with an exhibition of work by Melnikov and Shukhov.

In the coming months and years she intends to show more work from leading Russian and European trendsetters.

There are also plans to open an art library, book store, lecture theatre and maybe a permanent exhibition, which will be free of charge.

But if anyone can afford to run an arts project along non-commercial lines, Zhukova can.