The Russian dealer Alexander Yakut has opened a new space in a dilapidated industrial district in central Moscow. Mr Yakut has opened Russia's first private art gallery, Aidan, in Moscow in 1990-has owned several galleries over the past decade. His latest space, the Yakut Gallery, is by far his most ambitious. Covering some 1,000 square metres, it is now Russia's largest private gallery. The Yakut Gallery is located in an early 20th-century factory behind the Kursky train station in the centre of Moscow. To reach it, visitors must first pass by scowling Soviet-style guards and then walk down a decrepit path, past dilapidated buildings, to get to the cylindrical red-brick gallery, which was built as a natural-gas cistern 100 years ago. This stands in sharp contrast to most Moscow galleries, which are located in upmarket neighbourhoods. Renovation of the factory cost $300,000, and Mr Yakut was assisted by his current business partner, Natalia Ivanova, wife of Sergei Ivanov, the Moscow businessman. While her husband collects 19th-century Russian art, Ms Ivanova said that she prefers contemporary and is keen to discover new talent.
December 2005
