The Russian Lounge at Washington’s Kennedy Center, a space for high-end donors and meetings, has been re-branded, apparently in response to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The space, located near the Kennedy Center Opera House, was renovated in 2011 with a $5 million gift from Vladimir Potanin, a Russian billionaire and international arts patron who has been linked to Putin. Potanin also was a trustee of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation in New York until his resignation earlier this month.
Reporting for Politico, Tara Palmeri quotes Kennedy Center spokeswoman Eileen Andrews: “The naming period for the Lounge has now ended. Due to the tragedy in Ukraine, the Kennedy Center and the [Potanin] Foundation have mutually agreed to no longer use the name Russian Lounge.” The space has been renamed the Opera House Circles Lounge:
http://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/18/kennedy-center-quietly-ditches-its-russian-lounge-00018664
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