{"id":116355,"date":"2025-05-20T06:20:08","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T06:20:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/116355\/"},"modified":"2025-05-20T06:20:08","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T06:20:08","slug":"top-art-collectors-leonard-blavatnik-and-james-dyson-on-uks-rich-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/116355\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Art Collectors Leonard Blavatnik and James Dyson on UK&#8217;s Rich List"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThe net worth of Top 200 collector, businessman and art patron Leonard Blavatnik has fallen by more than \u00a33.5 billion ($470 billion) in the last year, according to the latest edition of the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thetimes.com\/sunday-times-rich-list\" target=\"_blank\">Sunday Times\u2019s \u201cRich List.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThe <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thetimes.com\/sunday-times-rich-list\/feature\/article\/richest-people-uk-2025-revealed-vnkmnlxgz\" target=\"_blank\">annual ranking of the wealthiest people based in the UK<\/a> showed Blavatnik\u2019s net worth fell to \u00a325.725 billion ($34.4 billion) last year, causing his ranking to fall one spot to #3. The Ukrainian businessman made his money from early investments in aluminum and energy companies as they were being privatized during the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Blavatnik\u2019s wealth also comes from the sale of his stake in <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/profile\/len-blavatnik\/#791d0f7c56f3\" target=\"_blank\">a Russian oil company, TNK-BP, for $7 billion<\/a>, as well as the purchase of Warner Music for $3.3 billion in 2011.<\/p>\n<p>\t\tRelated Articles<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DOROTHEA_TANNING_Endgame.jpg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DOROTHEA_TANNING_Endgame.jpg\" alt=\"A painting with a checkerboard background that shifts from red and black to white and black with a various objects in the middle\" data-lazy- data-lazy- height=\"\" width=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ a-font-body-m     \">\n\tIn 2017, Blavatnik donated \u00a350 million to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/t\/tate-modern\/\" id=\"auto-tag_tate-modern\" data-tag=\"tate-modern\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tate Modern<\/a> for its new extension, which was renamed the Blavatnik Building. The patron also donated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/art-news\/news\/courtauld-leonard-blavatnik-donation-2021-reopening-1234579667\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a310 million through his family foundation to the Courtauld Institute of Art<\/a> in London for its galleries, educational and social spaces in 2020. <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThe Sunday Times\u2019s annual ranking for 2025 included more than a dozen collectors from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/art-collectors\/top-200-profiles\/?filter_top200year=2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ARTnews\u2018s 2024 Top 200 Collectors list<\/a>, including British industrial designer James Dyson (\u00a320.8 billion, #4), Israeli businessman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/t\/idan-ofer\/\" id=\"auto-tag_idan-ofer\" data-tag=\"idan-ofer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Idan Ofer<\/a> (\u00a320.1 billion, #5), Russian businessman and oligarch Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor (\u00a37.7 billion, #24), British hedge fund manager Alan Howard (\u00a32.5 billion, #71), and Bahrana-Emirati businessman Mohammed Mahdi al-Tajir (\u00a31.6 billion, #103).<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ a-font-body-m     \">\n\tIn addition to ranking #5, Ofer was noted as one of the top five individuals whose wealth rose the most in the last year, an increase of \u00a35.161 billion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThe Sunday Times list also included Simon Reuben, the father of Top 200 collector <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/art-collectors\/top-200-profiles\/lisa-reuben\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lisa Reuben<\/a>; John Fredriksen, the father of Top 200 collectors <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/art-collectors\/top-200-profiles\/cecilie-fredriksen-kathrine-fredriksen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cecilie and Kathrine Fredriksen<\/a>; Sri Prakash Lohia, the husband of Top 200 collector <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/art-collectors\/top-200-profiles\/aarti-lohia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Aarti Lohia<\/a>; Lakshmi Mittal and Family; musician <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/t\/elton-john\/\" id=\"auto-tag_elton-john\" data-tag=\"elton-john\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Elton John<\/a>; and former Christie\u2019s stakeholder Joe Lewis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ a-font-body-m     \">\n\tIn 2012, Mittal, a steel magnate, contributed \u00a319.2 million (about $30 million) of the \u00a322.7 million cost of the ArcelorMittal Orbit tower. The sculpture, designed by Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond, rose 377 feet to an observation platform and at the time, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/art-news\/news\/it-takes-a-village-557\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">became Britain\u2019s tallest sculpture<\/a>, and then <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/art-news\/news\/anish-kapoor-and-cecil-balmonds-arcelormittal-orbit-tower-to-become-a-slide-4647\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">became a slide<\/a> in 2015. The Mittal family\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/mittalsouthasiainstitute.harvard.edu\/arts-at-the-mittal-institute-home\/\" target=\"_blank\">namesake South Asian Institute at Harvard University<\/a> also offers artist fellowships, exhibitions, and conservation programs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ a-font-body-m     \">\n\tJohn previously appeared on the ARTnews Top 200 Collectors list but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/art-news\/news\/christies-elton-john-auction-series-sales-results-1234698364\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sold a large portion of his collection through several single-owner sales at Christie\u2019s<\/a> for $20.5 million last February.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ a-font-body-m     \">\n\tLewis previously appeared on the ARTnews Top 200 collectors list. Last year, he plead guilty to conspiracy and insider trading, resulting in a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/legal\/multibillionaire-joe-lewis-face-us-sentencing-insider-trading-2024-04-04\/\" target=\"_blank\">US judge ordering the Tavistock Group founder to pay a fine of $5 million<\/a> and serve three years of probation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ a-font-body-m     \">\n\tThe Times also noted the 2025 edition was \u201cone of the toughest to compile due to Trump\u2019s tariffs and the ensuing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/art-news\/news\/jeff-bezos-alice-walton-bernard-arnault-stock-market-tariffs-1234737944\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">stock market turbulence<\/a>\u201d and \u201cthe biggest fall in the number of UK billionaires in the Rich List\u2019s history. The entry level flatlines at \u00a3350 million\u2014another indicator of a subdued year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ a-font-body-m     \">\n\tBlavatnik has lost more than $2 billion this year, lowering his net worth to $37.2 billion, according to data from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/billionaires\/\" target=\"_blank\">the Bloomberg Billionaire Index<\/a> based on the close of trading in New York on May 15.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ a-font-body-m     \">\n\tFederal Election Commission data also showed Blavatnik donated $293,588 to Republican candidates, parties and Super PACs for the 2024 election, including $79,700 to the National Republican Congressional Committee. By comparison, he donated $82,700 to Democratic candidates, parties, and Super PACs during the same period.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The net worth of Top 200 collector, businessman and art patron Leonard Blavatnik has fallen by more than&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":116356,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3939],"tags":[52324,4021,4020,4022,2866,77,52325,52326,7587,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-116355","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-artnews-top-200-collectors","9":"tag-arts","10":"tag-arts-and-design","11":"tag-design","12":"tag-elton-john","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-idan-ofer","15":"tag-len-blavatnik","16":"tag-tate-modern","17":"tag-uk","18":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114538717156925866","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116355"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116355\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}