Biography
Who is Dasha Zhukova?
Early life and education
Darya Alexandrovna Zhukova was born in Moscow on June 8, 1981. Her father was an oil trader named Alexander Zhukov, and her mother, Elena Zhukova, worked as a scientist specializing in molecular biology. Her parents separated when she was three years old. In 1991, she moved to the United States with her mother. They settled initially in the Houston area before moving to Los Angeles, California.
She attended a Jewish day school in California for three years. She later enrolled at the Pacific Hills School, where she graduated in 1999. Following high school, she attended the University of California, Santa Barbara. She earned degrees in Slavic studies and literature there. Years later, she completed a Masters of Arts degree at NYU in 2023.
Art and publishing career
In 2006, she co-founded the clothing brand Kova and T. She served as editor-in-chief of the fashion publication Pop for a short period beginning in early 2009. She resigned from this role in November 2010. Dasha Zhukova is perhaps best known for establishing the Garage Center for Contemporary Culture in Moscow in 2008. This nonprofit organization later became the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in 2014.
The institution relocated to a permanent home in Gorky Park, which was housed in a repurposed 1968 Soviet Modernist canteen. The museum focuses on the advancement of contemporary art and supports education and research. She also acts as the editorial director of GARAGE magazine. This biannual print publication explores the connection between fashion and art. The magazine has collaborated with well-known creators such as Damien Hirst, Marc Jacobs, and Jeff Koons. Beyond her own ventures, she serves on the boards at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and The Shed in New York.
Family and personal history
In 2008, she married businessman Roman Abramovich, who was the owner of Chelsea Football Club at the time. The couple had two children, a son and a daughter, both born in the United States. They announced their separation in August 2017. She married Stavros Niarchos III in a civil ceremony in Paris on October 11, 2019. The couple has three children together, including two sons born in 2021 and 2024, and a daughter born in 2023.
Dasha Zhukova holds dual citizenship in both Russia and the United States. Her mother later married the businessman Rupert Murdoch in June 2024, making him her stepfather.
Professional incidents
In 2014, an online publication called Buro 24/7 featured a photograph of Dasha Zhukova sitting on a chair designed to look like a mannequin of a black woman. The image received widespread criticism, with many people describing the chair as racist. The publication eventually cropped the chair from the photograph. Dasha issued an apology regarding the incident. She explained that she considered the chair to be artwork and intended it as commentary on racial and gender politics. She stated that she abhorred racism and apologized to anyone offended by her participation in the photoshoot.
Birthday and age
Dasha Zhukova was born on June 8, 1981, which makes Dasha 45 years old today. That birthday falls under the Gemini sign. Dasha shares the date with 31 other famous people.
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