Category: Collector
Nationality: Ukrainian
Last Year: 67
Ukraine’s second-wealthiest businessman, Victor Pinchuk, has been busy bolstering his position as an artworld player this year. For one, he was revealed to be the fourth stakeholder in Damien Hirst’s diamond-encrusted £50 million skull, For the Love of God (2007). He also staged a major exhibition of Hirst’s work at his art centre in Kiev, as well as bankrolling Ukraine’s national pavilion (curated by a heavyweight boxer) at the Venice Biennale. While his friends include Elton John and Steven Spielberg, Pinchuk hasn’t forgotten his homeland and is keen to promote the art scene there: the PinchukArtCentre Prize is a new award for young Ukrainian artists.