Billionaire's wife gives young artists a chance

Anita Zabludowicz's exhibition in Chalk Farm is one of several being staged by wealthy collectors in the capital this autumn, following in the footsteps of the Canadian millionaire Louise T Blouin, who opened her own £20million institute in west Kensington last October.

She is a well-known figure on the London art scene who collects art with her Finnish husband of 19 years, Poju. He runs Tamares, a private investment group based in Liechtenstein and is said to be worth £2billion by Estates Gazette.

Mrs Zabludowicz, 46, studied art in her native Newcastle before moving to London aged 19 and becoming an interior design project manager.

More recently, she has been a trustee of Camden Arts Centre and the Tate Foundation, the gallery's fundraising charity, and sits on the advisory board of auctioneers Phillips de Pury.

Now she has taken over a former methodist chapel in Prince of Wales Road to show her collection in a project called

176. British artists represented include YBA star Sarah Lucas, Francis Upritchard, a Beck's Futures prize nominee, and emerging names such as Anj Smith and Liz Neal. Others include Vanessa Beecroft, from Italy, and Candice Breitz, from South Africa.

Mrs Zabludowicz said: "176 will be a platform for more experimental shows. We want to present emerging artists and allow the collection to be used as material for exhibitions."

The couple began buying works in 1990 when they fell in love with a show called High And Low in New York and now have more than 1,000 works by more than 350 artists from 33 countries. Mrs Zabludowicz said: "I never imagined I'd be a collector- - I was just buying great pictures. We just wanted to cover our walls like anybody else. But when you have works by young artists it is such a shame to have them in storage. We want to show our collection."

She added: "Camden is a diverse and vibrant area and has a long history of creativity. We wanted to be part of that."

The space has three main galleries and six smaller rooms, all with period features instead of the white walls seen in modern galleries. Elizabeth Neilson, the curator and head of collection, said: "The 1867 chapel will be a raw building, not a white cube."

176 will be open from Thursday to Sunday, with an annual membership of £5 giving unlimited access. Entry is free to art professionals, students and local residents.

www.projectspace176.com