Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich's partner and Garage Magazine's fashion editor, Dasha Zhukova, has apologised for posing while sitting on a chair in the form of a black woman.
She told the Moscow Times that she "utterly abhorred racism" and the image had been published "out of context," the BBC reported.
Zhukova, who owns a high-profile art gallery in Moscow, wrote in her apology that the photograph is an art work intended specifically as a commentary on gender and racial politics.
The photo, which sparked angry accusations of racism when it was published in a fashion blog, Buro 24/7, has since been cropped so that only the high-heeled black leather boots can be seen, but not removed.
The blog's editors also issued an apology, saying they were against racism and everything that may humiliate people and insult their readers.