Filatov has previously merged his love of chess and art by sponsoring this year's World Chess Championship Match at Moscow's Tretyakov Gallery.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Filatov was a student in Minsk when the Soviet Union fell and recalls being stunned by the news that his country didn't exist anymore.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Filatov wants to collect up to 12 new artworks a year, primarily from the period 1917 to 1991, for the Filatov Family Art Fund.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Filatov says he will continue to invest in art as long as his business -- which he built up in the 1990s and now straddles shipping, ports and infrastructure -- allows.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS