Amy Winehouse in Russia billionaire gig

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Troubled British singer Amy Winehouse is due to play on Thursday at the gala opening of an art gallery run by Daria Zhukova, the girlfriend of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, organizers said.


Dozens of workers polished glasses, shifted chairs and dabbed paint on concrete walls at an old bus shelter that is due to become an art gallery, just outside the city centre.


At one end, the stage stood empty with "Amy Winehouse" emblazoned in gold capital letters across the background.


"Amy has confirmed she'll play an exclusive performance next week at the gallery for contemporary art and culture in Moscow," the singer said in a recent statement on her Web site.


Winehouse has won awards for her music but her colorful private life has often overshadowed her musical successes.


Socialite and former model Zhukova is hosting the party for 300 guests -- to include celebrities and art world figures -- at the opening of the gallery, called The Garage.


Zhukova plans to host exhibitions in the building, which is twice the size of a soccer pitch. She also plans to install a library and a coffee shop.


Last weekend, Abramovich berthed his $300 million yacht in the centre of Russia's second city of St Petersburg when he attended an economic forum there.


Abramovich has also started showing an interest in modern art. Earlier this year he spent $33 million on a painting by British artist Lucian Freud, a specialist art newspaper reported. Abramovich has not confirmed he was the buyer.


(Reporting by James Kilner; Editing by Elizabeth Piper)