As the ex-wife to one of Russia’s richest men, billionaire Roman Abramovich , Dasha Zhukova is no stranger to the luxury lifestyle. The 40-year-old art collector and mother of three (one with her new husband, Stavros Niarchos, two with her former) enjoys a lavish routine as a socialite and magazine editor among New York’s elite. Here’s what to know about her, from her condemnation of the invasion of Ukraine and famous friends from Victoria Beckham to Oprah Winfrey … Raised in Russia and the US Born Daria (Dasha is a nickname) to oil magnate Alexander Zhukov and Elena, a molecular biologist, on June 8, 1981, Zhukova grew up in Moscow. Her parents separated when she was three, and when she turned 10, she relocated to the United States with her mother. Things took an unexpected turn for preteen Zhukova as she began living in Houston and then Los Angeles. She told The Guardian , “It was a culture shock. I had never seen cereal before! We had cottage cheese and pancakes in Russia, not colourful circles that came in cardboard boxes.” In the US, Dasha went to Hebrew university. She graduated with degrees in Slavic studies and literature from the University of California, Santa Barbara (not art, surprisingly). Becoming Mrs Abramovich Zhukova is a name to be reckoned with in the art world as well as in New York City and London’s social circuits. She was married to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich for a decade, which catapulted her to worldwide fame. Who is the richest Pink Floyd member? The band’s net worths, ranked Before that, the power couple managed to keep their nuptials a secret for almost six years since they first met at a new year’s party organised by Zhukova’s father in 2005. They wed in 2008 and had two children together, then divorced in 2019 on reportedly good terms. The split, however, became the talk of the town. Not because of dirty linen being washed in public – the hoopla was over the transfer of US$92.3 million in New York properties. The Russian oligarch transferred three Upper East Side homes to Zhukova, which were later combined into a sprawling mega-mansion. Zhukova’s connection to art is profound: her double-wide, five-story town house on East 64th Street was previously owned by the late international art dealer Alec Wildenstein. After her split from Abramovich, Zhukova married Stavros Niarchos III, son of billionaire Greek shipping magnate Philip Niarchos. She dabbled in the world of fashion first Despite having degrees in Slavic studies and literature and an uncompleted study in homeopathic medicine, Zhukova ended up venturing into fashion. In 2006, she teamed up with her long-time friend Kristina Tina Tang to create the fashion label Kova & T. The brand produced a range of items described by Vogue as “high-end denim pieces, really comfortable cotton T-shirts and a few stretchy cotton dresses”. Editor-of-chief at Pop magazine Despite having no previous magazine editing experience, Zhukova also landed the position of editor-of-chief at Pop magazine, replacing Katie Grand, the co-founder of the British biannual publication. At the time, Zhukova was widely quoted as saying, “We are working hard on a complete revamp of the magazine to provide a broader point of view focusing also on art, contemporary culture and the globalisation of all things pop-related.” However, she quit the magazine in 2010. Apart from editing magazines, Zhukova also features on the covers of a few. The most impactful of them was the 2013 cover of Vogue Russia, snapped by Patrick Demarchelier under the creative vision of Fabien Baron. Meet Walt Disney’s billionaire-bashing grandniece, Abigail Disney She co-founded the Garage Center for Contemporary Culture In 2008, Zhukova co-founded the Garage Center for Contemporary Culture with then-husband Abramovich. The art collector single-handedly transformed the non-profit international project based in Moscow into a full-fledged museum along with a namesake magazine that she sold to Vice Media and then reacquired. The Garage museum has hosted Mark Rothko paintings, a book dedicated to Francis Bacon and works by Lucian Freud. Another noteworthy exhibition was a 2011 show by performance artist Marina Abramović. Zhukova’s world revolves around art It’s no question that Zhukova has cemented her presence and influence in the art world. Today, she sits on the boards for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art (yes, it takes her to the prestigious Met Gala) and The Shed. She is also a co-founder of online art marketplace Artsy. Zhukova’s venture into property Zhukova is taking her love for art forms forward in her latest venture, Ray, a property development firm focused on offering cultural programming in residential buildings. Why did these 5 Chinese tech billionaires step down? She will soon mark Miami’s up-and-coming Little River neighbourhood, where Ray partnered with the artist residency organisation Oolite Arts to provide space for artists in a building there. “Ray really centres around what it means to have art as a core value when you design and build space,” Zhukova told ARTNews . Her personal art collection The philanthropist boasts an enviable collection of her own, from a figurative painting by Mark Tansey to an abstract one by Piet Mondrian. There’s also animal-shaped bronze sculptures by Urs Fischer and a Surrealist painting by René Magritte, according to ARTNews . Among her favourites are two paintings – Paula Rego’s two-metre-tall The Policeman’s Daughter (1987) and David Hockney’s 3.6-foot-wide Beverly Hills Housewife (1966–67). She is also the proud owner of pieces like Pierre Paulin’s Élysée Bookcase . The modular unit created in 1972 was designed for the residence of French President Georges Pompidou at the Élysée Palace. A few years ago, one Hockney California painting sold for over US$90 million, which gives us a gist of the valuable art that Zhukova is sitting on. Zhukova’s dashing line-up of famous friends Abramovich’s jet-setting ex-wife is close pals with Ivanka Trump , Karlie Kloss and Oprah Winfrey, among other famous faces. Zhukova and Trump were among the 80 invitees to Josh Kushner and Karlie Kloss’ top-secret nuptials (Kushner is Trump’s brother-in-law). Kushner is also an investor in Artsy. How rich is Lady Gaga really? Inside her gigantic net worth Ivanka Trump & Dasha Zhukova have attended the US Open together, in New York, as well as other sporting events. They’ve traveled all over the world together, from Russia, to Aspen, to Croatia, and more. pic.twitter.com/JwCTuo6MTd — ʀaмpaʀт (@imthemadridista) October 8, 2018 The Russian socialite has been close to Trump for over a decade and was reportedly her guest at Donald Trump’s inauguration. Zhukova’s opulent wedding to Niarchos in picturesque St. Moritz also witnessed a glittering guest list, including Princess Beatrice, CBS News anchor Gayle King, Stella McCartney and Kate Hudson. Want more stories like this? Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter .