12.12.09

DROUOT TO SELL HISTORIC AND RARE MEMENTOS OF PARIS


PIECES OF OLD PARIS FROM A LAMP POST TO A PARK BENCH GO ON THE AUCTION BLOCK NEXT WEEK, WITH THE PIECE DE RESISTANCE BEING 40 IRON STEP FROM THE EIFFEL TOWER, ALL 25.6 FEET OF THEM. 'PARIS MON AMOUR', THE TITLE GIVEN TO THE AUCTION AT THE FAMED FRENCH AUCTION HOUSE DROUOT, BRINGS TOGETHER AN ECLECTIC COLLECTION OF MEMORIES THAT EVOKE A BYGONE ARE AS WELL AS THE PRESENT. AMONG THE 301 ITEMS TO BE AUCTIONED IS A SECTION OF GLASS BROKEN DURING THE CONSTRUCTION IN 1987 OF THE GLASS PYRAMID NOW STANDING AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE LOUVRE. ESTIMATED AT $735 TO $1,470, IT IS ACCOMPANIED BY A PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN AT THE TIME. 'I HAVE BEEN THINKING FOR MANY YEARS ABOUT ORGANIZING AN AUCTION CONCERNING PARIS', SAID CHRISTOPHE LUCIEN, WHO PUT THE SALE TOGETHER. THE MOMENT ARRIVED WHEN OFFICIALS OF NOGENT-SUR-MARNE, EAST OF TE CITY, ASKED LUCIEN TO SELL THE SECTION OF THE EIFFEL TOWER STAIRCASE, BOUGHT BY THE TOWN IN 1983 AT AUCTION. 'I THOUGH IT WAS THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY. . . BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING MORE SYMBOLIC OF PARIS THAN A STAIRCASE FROM THE EIFFEL TOWER', LUCIEN SAID IN A RECENT INTERVIEW WITH THE ASSOCIATED PRESS TELEVISION NEWS. 'THINGS MOVED QUICKLY. I JUST SPREAD THE WORD AMONG MY CLIENTS, AND EVERYONE STARTED TO PULL OUT OBJECTS RELATED TO PARIS FROM THEIR DRAWS, CUPBOARDS. . .IN ALMOST EVERY FRENCH FAMILY THERE ARE SOME SOUVENIRS OF PARIS.'
GUSTAVE EIFFEL HIMSELF CLIMBED THE PAINTED IRON STAIR LINKING THE THIRD AND FOURTH FLOORS OF THE TOWER DURING THE 1889 INAUGURATION OF THE MONUMENT, TODAY THE SYMBOL OF PARIS, TO PLANT THE FRENCH FLAG, ACCORDING TO LUCIEN. IT IS ESTIMATED AT $73,500 TO $88.200. POSTERS AND PAINTINGS MAKE UP A CONSIDERABLE PORTION OF THE ITEMS TO BE AUCTIONED, INCLUDING ONE FEATURING THE ICONIC FRENCH SINGER AND ACTOR MAURICE CHEVALIER DANCING WITH THE EIFFEL TOWER DRESSED IN AN EVENING GOWN. THE MOULIN ROUGE, OF COURSE, MAKES SEVERAL APPEARANCES, FROM POSTERS OF THE KICKING LEGS OF CAN-CAN GIRLS TO A DECORATIVE LAMP FROM A DINNER CLUB. THE AUCTION IS TRULY A ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE A PART OF PARISIAN HISTORY.

LE CARRE HERMES BOOK


HERMES RECENTLY HAD A STUNNING BOOK PUBLISHED DETAILING THE HISTORY OF THEIR ICONIC CARRES SCARVES. WRITTEN BY FASHION AND ART WRITER NADINE COLENO AND PUBLISHED BY PARISIAN PUBLISHER EDITIONS DU REGARD, THE BOOK DETAILS THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE HERMES CARRE SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 1837. THE BOOK FEATURES ILLUSTRATIONS OF ALL OF THE MOST IMPORTANT AND NOTABLE CARRES AS WELL AS THE LIMITED EDITION ONES AND ONES MADE FOR CHARITY. TWO VERSIONS OF THE BOOK WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE, A STANDARD EDITION WHICH IS WIDELY AVAILABLE FOR £70.00 AND A SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION WHICH IS BOUND IN A SILK CARRE AND FEATURES GOLD GILDED PAGES WHICH WILL ONLY BE AVAILABLE AT SELECT HERMES BOUTIQUES.

11.12.09

YVES SAINT LAURENT'S RUE DE BABYLONE APARTMENT FOR SALE


FAMED ICONIC FRENCH FASHION DESIGNER YVES SAINT LAURENT'S INCREDIBLE COLLECTIONS OF ANTIQUES, ART, FURNITURE, DECORATIVE OBJECTS AND STUNNING PERSONAL EFFECTS WERE RECENTLY SOLD AT A SERIES OF HISTORIC RECORD BREAKING AUCTIONS, WHICH SAW A TOTAL A TOTAL OF OVER $700 MILLION IN LOT SALES. NOW THE LEGENDARY COUTURIER'S PARIS DUPLEX ON THE RUE DE BABYLONE, WHICH HOUSED MANY OF HIS MOST BELOVED PRIZED POSSESSIONS COLLECTED WITH LONGTIME PARTNER PIERRE BERGE OVER A PERIOD OF DECADES, IS BEING PUT UP FOR SALE AS WELL. THE 5,400 sqft APARTMENT WITH A MASSIVE GARDEN HAS BEEN LISTED WITH THE PRESTIGIOUS PARIS-BASED AGENCY EMILLE GARCIN AND IS EXPECTED TO FETCH AT LEAST $30 MILLION, ACCORDING TO A RECENT ARTICLE IN WWD.

SOTHEBY'S SELL ANCIENT ROMAN MARBLE RELIEF FOR $1.5 MILLION


AN ANCIENT ROMAN MARBLE RELIEF PANEL WITH DIONYSIAN DECORATIONS THAT WAS RECENTLY DISCOVERED TO ONCE HAVE BEEN IN THE COLLECTION OF FAMED FRENCH WRITER EMILE ZOLA SOLD FOR $1,538,500 AT SOTHEBY'S, NEW YORK. SIX BIDDERS COMPETED FOR THE HISTORIC PIECE WHICH EVENTUALLY SOLD TO AN ANONYMOUS TELEPHONE BIDDER. IT WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF TEH SALE WHICH TOTALED $5.8 MILLION, WELL IN EXCESS OF THE $2.3/3.5 MILLION ESTIMATE. DISCUSSING THE SALE A SPOKESPERSON FOR SOTHEBY'S SAID: 'WE ARE THRILLED WITH THE $1.5 MILLION ACHIEVED FOR THE ROMAN SARCOPHAGUS RELIEF. THE PIECE BOASTS REMARKABLE OWNERSHIP HISTORY, HAVING BELONGED NOT ONLY TO EMILE ZOLA, BUT AT TIMES OVER THE PAST 100 YEARS TO THE ACTRESS CECILE SOREL AND PAUL REYNAUD THE FORMER FRENCH HEAD OF STATE. WE ARE ABLE TO TRACE UNBROKEN PROVENANCE TRACE BACK OVER 500 YEARS.'

FRENCH POLICE RECOVER STOLEN CARTIER JEWELRY FROM 26.NOVEMBER ROBBERY


POLICE RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THAT THEY HAVE RECOVERED NEARLY $1,181,900 IN JEWELRY AND GEMS STOLEN LAST MONTH IN A SMASH AND GRAB ROBBERY AT A CARTIER BOUTIQUE IN THE SOUTHEASTERN CITY OF LYON. A POLICE OFFICIAL, SPEAKING ON THE CONDITION OF ANONYMITY BECAUSE OF DEPARTMENT POLICY, SAID OFFICERS CAME ACROSS THE AMAZING STASH OF JEWELS BY ACCIDENT WHILE SEARCHING THE APARTMENT OF A SUSPECT IN ANOTHER JEWELRY THEFT. THE SUSPECT IS STILL AT LARGE. IN THE 26.NOVEMBER ATTACK ON THE CARTIER STORE, THIEVES USED A SLEDGEHAMMER TO SMASH THROUGH THE REINFORCED GLASS ON DOWNTOWN STOREFRONT. THEY THEN SWIPED JEWELRY AND WATCHES FROM SEVERAL DISPLAY CASES. THE ATTACKERS ROUGHED UP THE STORE'S MANAGER AND SLAPPED ONE CUSTOMER BY NO ONE WAS INJURED.

CHRISTIE'S SELLS RARE CUCCI CABINET FOR £4,521,250


COMBINING SUPERB FLORENTINE PIETRE DURE PLAQUES WITH OPULENT GILT BRONZE MOUNTS, ELABORATE MARQUETRY AND BEAUTIFULLY MODELED FIGURATIVE CARVINGS, THE STUNNING CABINET IS A SUPERB EXAMPLE OF THE MAGNIFICENT CABINETS PRODUCED IN PARIS IN THE MID-17th CENTURY. ALMOST CERTAINLY A GIFT TO QUEEN HEDVIG ELEONORA OF SWEDEN, OD PERHAPS COMMISSIONED BY HER, IT IS ONE OF ONLY VERY FEW SURVIVING CABINETS EXECUTED AT THE ROYAL GOBELINS WORKSHOPS IN PARIS. IT ILLUSTRATES THE BRILLIANCE OF THE BEST ITALIAN, FRENCH AND FLEMISH ARTISTS AND CRAFTSMEN WHO HAD BEEN DRAWN TOGETHER AT THE GOBELINS AND EXEMPLIFIES THE LUXURIOUS SOPHISTICATION OF EARLY BAROQUE AT THE ROYAL COURTS AT VERSAILLES AND STOCKHOLM. MARCUS RADECKE, DIRECTOR AND HEAD OF THE AUCTION HOUSE THAT SOLD THE CABINET: 'WE ARE THRILLED WITH THE RESULT ACHIEVED BY THE MAGNIFICENT CUCCI CABINET FROM THE MARCH FAMILY COLLECTION, WHICH REALIZED £4,521,250, SELLING TO AN ANONYMOUS BIDDER IN THE TELEPHONE. A ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY, THIS RARE SURVIVAL FROM THE GOBELINS WORKSHOPS ATTRACTED INTERNATIONAL INTEREST AND DREW COLLECTORS, INSTITUTIONS AND DEALERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO CHRISTIE'S LONDON.' CHRISTIE'S IS PROUD OF ITS STELLAR HISTORY WHICH WAS FOUNDED ON PRESENTING SOME OF THE GREATEST PIECES OF FURNITURE IN EXISTENCE TO THE MARKET OVER THE PAST 243 YEARS AND HOLDS THE RECORD FOR 8 OF THE TOP 10 EUROPEAN FURNITURE LOTS SOLD AT AUCTION. IN DECEMBER 2004 THE BADMINTON CABINET, COMMISSIONED BY HENRY SOMERSET, 3rd DUKE OF BEAUFORT, FROM THE GRAND DUCAL WORKSHOPS, WAS SOLD FOR £19.1 million, SETTING THE WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR ANY PIECE OF TRADITIONAL FURNITURE.

10.12.09

THIEVES STEAL ARTISTS £3,000 AND REPLACE IT WITH A 40p VERSION.



A £3,000 BRICK ON SHOW AT AN ART EXHIBITION HAS BEEN STOLEN, AND REPLACED WITH A 40p VERSION. ARTIST GAVIN TURK'S 'REVOLTING BRICK' WORK WAS TAKEN FROM ITS PLINTH AT AN EXHIBITION IN PECKHAM, SOUTH EAST LONDON. IT WAS REPLACED WITH A BLACKENED BRICK EMBLAZONED WITH THE WORDS: 'THANK YOU HAVE A NICE DAY, NEXT'. SHOW ORGANIZERS NOTICED THE ARTWORK HAD BEEN STOLEN JUST A DAY BEFORE THE TWO-WEEK EVENT AT AREA 10 PROJECT WAS DUE TO CLOSE. SPOKESMAN DIMITRI LAUNDER SAID; 'IT IS DISAPPOINTING, BUT THERE WAS SOMETHING FUNNY ABOUT IT, WE ARE NOW WAITING FOR A RANSOM.' THE STOLEN BRICK IS NUMBER EIGHT IN A SERIES OF TEN CREATED BY TURK, WHO IS A MEMBER OF THE 'YOUNG BRITISH ARTISTS' MOVEMENT ALONGSIDE DAMIEN HIRST.THE REPLACEMENT BRICK WAS PLUCKED FROM A PILE OF 500 BRICKS I ANOTHER PART OF THE GALLERY, WHICH VISITORS WERE ENCOURAGED TO TAKE AWAY. JACK BURTON, WHO ORGANIZED THE 'BRICKS' EXHIBITION, SAID THERE WOULD BE A REWARD FOR INFORMATION. 'THE ARTIST IS UPSET, BUT FLATTERED', HE SAID. 'I HAD JUST LEFT THE SPACE TO GET TAKEAWAY FOR LUNCH WHEN I GOT A CALL FROM AN ATTENDANT ASKING ME WHERE GAVIN'S ARTWORK WAS. IT TURNED OUT A GROUP THAT HAD JUST LEFT THE GALLERY HAD SWAPPED GAVIN'S BRICK WITH A FAKE VERSION. WE JUST WANT THE BRICK BACK, IT'S SUCH A SHAME FOR TEH SHOW TO END THIS WAY, WITH A POLICE INVESTIGATION.'

RARE WORLD WAR II BOOK TO BE RETURNED BY VETERAN


AFTER FIGHTING HIS WAY ACROSS EUROPE DURING WORLD WAR II, JOHN PISTONE WAS AMONG THE AMERICAN SOLDIERS WHO ENTERED HITLER'S HOME NESTLED IN THE BAVARIAN ALPS AS THE WAR CAME TO A CLOSE. MAKING HIS WAY THROUGH THE HOME, PISTONE NOTICED A TABLE WITH SHELVES UNDERNEATH. EXHILARATED BY THE CERTAINTY OF VICTORY OVER THE NAZIS, PISTONE TOOK AN ALBUM FILLED WITH PHOTOGRAPHS OF PAINTINGS AS A SOUVENIR. 64 YEARS AFTER PISTONE BROUGHT THE ALBUM HOME TO OHIO, THE 87 YEAR OLD HAS RECENTLY LEARNED ITS FULL HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE: IT'S PART OF A SERIES COMPILED FOR HITLER FEATURING THE ART HE WANTED FOR HIS 'FUHRERMUSEM', A PLANNED MUSEUM IN LINZ, AUSTRIA. PISTONE'S ALBUM IS EXPECTED TO BE FORMALLY RETURNED TO GERMANY IN A CEREMONY AT THE US STATE DEPARTMENT IN JANUARY. GERMANY HAS 19 OTHER ALBUMS DISCOVERED AT THE BERCHTESGADEN COMPLEX THAT ARE PART OF A 31 ALBUM COLLECTION OF WORKS EITHER DESTINED FOR OR BEING CONSIDERED FOR THE LINZ MUSEUM.
PISTNE'S 3 INCH THICK, 12 POUND ALBUM'S JOURNEY FROM OBSCURITY BEGAN THIS FALL WHEN A FRIEND BECAME CURIOUS ABOUT THE BOOK SITTING ON PISTONE'S BOOKSHELF. THE FRIEND DISCOVERED AFTER SOME INTERNET SEARCHING THAT THE DALLAS-BASED MONUMENTS MEN FOUNDATION FOR THE PRESERVATION OF ART WAS INVOLVED IN 2007 IN THE RESTITUTION OF TWO OTHER ALBUMS THAT WERE PART OF A SERIES DOCUMENTING ART STOLEN BY THE NAZIS. ITS FOUNDER, ROBERT EDSEL, BECAME INTERESTED IN WHAT WAS DONE TO PROTECT ART IN WORLD WAR II, TRAVELED TO OHIO TO EXAMINE THE ALBUM. SEEING IT CONVINCED HIM THAT PISTONE HAD ONE OF THE MISSING ALBUMS OF THE SERIES ON THE PLANNED MUSEUM. STAMPED ON THE ALBUM'S SPINE IN 'GEMALDEGALERIE LINZ' AND THE ROMAN NUMERALS FOR 13. IT STILL HAS THE STICKER FROM THE BOOK'S BINDER IS DRESDEN. EDSEL STARTED HIS FOUNDATION IN 2007 TO HONOR AND CONTINUE THE WORK OF THE ORIGINAL MONUMENTS MEN, THE ROUGHLY 345 MEN AND WOMEN FROM 13 NATIONS WHO HELPED ALLIED FORCES PROTECT CULTURAL TREASURES DURING THE WAR. AFTER THE WAR, THEY BEGAN TRYING TO FIND THE RIGHTFUL OWNERS OF PIECES OF ART LOOTED, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF WHICH ARE STILL MISSING. THE DISCOVERY OF THE ALBUMS COULD HELP. IN PISTONE'S CASE, EXPERTS HAD THE NAMES OF THE ARTWORK FEATURED IN HIS ALBUM BUT THE PHOTOGRAPHS COULD HELP MATCH THEM TO THE CORRECT PIECES OF ART. BEFORE THE BOOK MAKES THE TRIP OVERSEAS, IT AND ONE OF TWO OTHER ALBUMS THE FOUNDATION HELPED DISCOVER WILL GO ON DISPLAY FOR ABOUT THREE MONTHS AT THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MUSEUM IN NEW ORLEANS FOLLOWING THE STATE DEPARTMENT CEREMONY, EDSEL SAID.

CYCLADIC ART MUSEUM PRESENTS 'EROS: FROM HESIOD'S THEOGONY TO LATE ANTIQUITY'


SEX, LOVE AND LUST AMONG THE GODS, RULERS AND LESSER MORTALS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD ARE THE FOCUS OF A NEW EXHIBITION IN THE GREEK CAPITAL OF ATHENS THIS MONTH. PHALLIC-SHAPED LAMPS, LOVE LETTERS ENGRAVED IN CLAY AND EROTIC SYMBOLS ON LUCKY CHARMS DATING FROM 7BC TO 4AD ARE JUST A FRACTION OF WHAT VISITORS WILL SEE AT AN EXHIBITION DEDICATED TO THE GREEK AND LATER ROMAN GOD OF LOVE. 'EROS: FROM HESIOD'S THEOGONY TO LATE ANTIQUITY' RUNS FROM 10.DECEMBER THROUGH APRIL 2010 AT THE CYCLADIC ART MUSEUM, ATHENS, FEATURING A COLLECTION OF 280 ARTIFACTS FROM 50 MUSEUMS IN GREECE, CYPRUS, ITALY AND FRANCE, INCLUDING THE LOUVRE. THE EXHIBITION SURVEYS THE CHANGING PERCEPTIONS OF EROS, KNOWN AS CUPID TO THE ROMANS, FROM THE EIGHTH CENTURY BC WHEN HE WAS VIEWED AS AN INFLUENTIAL GOD, TO THE ROMAN PERIOD WHEN HE BECAME LESS POTENT AND A MERE COMPANION TO VENUS. EXHIBITION ORGANIZERS SAY VISITORS SHOULD CHECK THE MODERN WORLD'S SENSE OF DECENCY AT THE DOOR WHEN ENTERING, BECAUSE THE ANCIENTS HAD VERY FEW QUALMS ABOUT EROTIC ART. 'IN ANCIENT GREECE, ONE COULD SEE A SEXUAL SCENE ON A PUBLIC OR A PRIVATE BUILDING'S CREST. . . PEOPLE WERE NOT PRUDES', SAID A SPOKESMAN FOR THE MUSEUM.
THE EXHIBITION IS DIVIDED INTO NINE SECTIONS, INSPIRED BY THE NUMBER OF THE ANCIENT GREEK MUSES, GODDESSES OF LITERATURE AND THE ARTS. IT BEGINS WITH THE BIRTH AND UPBRINGING OF EROS. ON ONE OF THE VASES, HIS MOTHER APHRODITE, THE GODDESS OF BEAUTY, IS READY TO SPANK BABY EROS WITH A SANDAL. EROS GROWS AND WITH HIM GROWS THE LIST OF CONQUESTS WHO HAVE BEEN STRUCK BY HIS LOVE DARTS. WHAT FOLLOWS IS A WINGED EROS POINTING HIS AMOROUS ARROWS AT ANCIENT GODS AND MORTALS. CHARACTERS TOUCHED ON THROUGHOUT GREEK AND ROMAN HISTORY INCLUDE FAMOUS COUPLES AS ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA, WHOSE TORRID RELATIONSHIP AFFECTED THE FATE OF TWO OF THE ANCIENT WORLD'S GREATEST NATIONS. THE EXHIBITION ENDS WITH HOMOSEXUAL LOVE, PROSTITUTION AND EROTIC SYMBOLS ON ORDINARY ITEMS SUCH AS VASES, BELIEVED TO BRING FERTILITY OR SIMPLY USED TO CHEER PEOPLE UP. SOME OF THE ROOMS WILL HAVE WARNINGS FOR VISITORS UNDER THE AGE OF 16, BUT THE EXHIBITION IS OPEN TO SCHOOLS AND CHILDREN.

KERRY TAYLOR AUCTIONS SELLS AUDREY HEPBURN COLLECTION FOR $550,000


THE BLACK COCKTAIL DRESS WORN BY AUDREY HEPBURN IN 'HOW TO STEAL A MILLION' HAS SOLD FOR NEARLY $100,000 AT A RECENT AUCTION. KERRY TAYLOR AUCTIONS, LONDON, SAYS THE CHANTILLY LACE DRESS SOLD TO AN ANONYMOUS BIDDER FOR $97,700. IT WAS ONE OF 40 ITEMS FROM HEPBURN'S WARDROBE SOLD OFF BY HER FRIEND TANJA STAR-BUSMAN. THE AUCTIONEER SAID THE RECENT SALE MADE A TOTAL OF $550,000, WITH HALF OF THE NET PROCEEDS GOING TO THE AUDREY HEPBURN CHILDREN'S FUND. AUDREY HEPBURN WAS NOT JUST A FILM STAR, SHE WAS A MAJOR STYLE ICON OF THE 20th CENTURY. SIMPLICITY AND SEEMINGLY EFFORTLESS ELEGANCE WAS HER TRADEMARK. ABLY AIDED AND ABETTED BY THE YOUNG COUTURIER HUBERT DE GIVENCHY, SHE BECAME THE PERSONIFICATION OF CHIC ELEGANCE IN THE 1950s AND 60s. GIVENCHY SAID OF HER "ALL THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE WAS AUDREY LOOKED IS HERS. SHE MADE THE SELECTIONS." AUDREY HAD IT WRITTEN INTO HER FILM CONTRACTS THAT DE GIVENCHY WOULD MAKE ALL THE CLOTHES SHE WORE AND ALSO ASTUTELY HAD IT AGREED THAT SHE RETAIN THE MAJORITY OF HER PARISIAN WARDROBE.

9.12.09

PROUD CHELSEA GALLERY, LONDON, PRESENTS RARE UNSEEN ELVIS PRESLEY PHOTOS


INTIMATE PHOTOGRAPHS OF ELVIS PRESLEY TAKEN BY LEGENDARY PHOTOGRAPHER ALFRED WERTHEIMER ARE ON DISPLAY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN LONDON. THEY SHOW THE YOUNG SINGER AT AGE 21, AT HIS MOST RELAXED AND UNGUARDED. IN ONE PICTURE HE IS SEEN KISSING A GIRL MOMENTS BEFORE GOING ON STAGE IN VANCOUVER, WHILE IN ANOTHER HE IS SEEN SHAKING HIS HANDS DRY IN A TRAIN TOILET. IN A THIRD HE IS RECLINING ON A SOFA, OPENING WHAT APPEARS TO BE FAN MAIL. OTHER IMAGES SHOW HIM REHEARSING, SLEEPING, TRAVELING AND RELAXING WITH FAMILY. THE PHOTOGRAPHS WERE TAKEN ON PRESLEY'S TOUR OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA IN 1956, JUST AS HE WAS ON THE BRINK OF STARDOM. WERTHEIMER, A PHOTOJOURNALIST, WAS ASKED BY PRESLEY'S RECORD LABEL RCA VICTOR TO CAPTURE THE STAR FOR THE DAY. BUT HE WAS SO IMPRESSED WITH PRESLEY'S EASE IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA THAT HE CONTINUED TO TAKE PICTURES AFTERWARDS, FOLLOWING HIM ON THE TOUR THAT WOULD MAKE HIM INTO A HOUSEHOLD NAME. HE WAS ALLOWED UNRESTRICTED ACCESS TO THE STAR DURING MARCH AND JULY 1956, BUILDING UP A COLLECTION OF OVER 400 PHOTOGRAPHS THAT FORMS THE BASIS TO THE CURRENT EXHIBITION. THE STUNNING PHOTOGRAPHS WILL BE ON DISPLAY AT THE PROUD CHELSEA GALLERY IN LONDON UNTIL 31.JANUARY.2010.

TRAFFIC CONE CHRISTMAS TREE REPLACED WITH REAL 30ft TREE AFTER THOUSANDS COMPLAIN



A TOWN THAT PUT UP A UNIQUELY BIZARRE FAKE CHRISTMAS TREE DUE TO HEALTH AND SAFETY RULES HAS REPLACED IT WITH A STUNNING REAL TREE AFTER THOUSANDS COMPLAINED. THE £14,000 ARTIFICIAL 'CONE' TREE, IN POOLE, DORSET, HAD NO BRANCHES OR DECORATIONS AND WAS HELD DOWN BY TWO TONS OF BALLAST TO STOP IT FROM FALLING OVER. THE 33ft OBJECT, WHICH WAS VANDALIZED BY ANGRY LOCALS, WAS BRANDED A 'GIANT TRAFFIC CONE' AND OVER 5,000 PEOPLE JOINED A FACEBOOK PROTEST GROUP AGAINST IT. BUT THE TOWN WAS CELEBRATING TODAY AFTER IT WAS TAKEN DOWN AND SWAPPED WITH A TRADITIONAL 30ft NORWAY SPRUCE. TOWN CRIER DAVID SQUIRE: "COMMON SENSE HAS PREVAILED. I AM ALL FOR KEEPING PEOPLE SAFE BUT I DO BELIEVE THE WORLD HAS GONE MAD WITH THESE OVER THE TOP HEALTH AND SAFETY RULES. WE HAVE ALWAYS MANAGED TO EXIST WITHOUT THEM." OFFICIALS CHOSE THE CONE TREE AMID FEARS THAT A TRADITIONAL FIR WOULD BLOW BLOW OVER IN HIGH WINDS, THEY SAID GUIDE ROPES WOULD LOOK UNSIGHTLY AND FEARED THE COUNCIL WOULD BE LIABLE TO PAY COMPENSATION IF IT STRUCK AND INJURED SOMEONE. THE CONE TREE WAS PAID FOR BY THE POOLE TOWN CENTER MANAGEMENT BOARD, A BODY MADE UP OF BUSINESS AND THE LOCAL COUNCIL. BUT AS SOON AS IT WAS INSTALLED IN THE TOWN'S MAIN SQUARE IT WAS IMMEDIATELY RIDICULED BY RESIDENTS AS A WASTE OF MONEY. AT ONE POINT, PANELS OF ITS ASTROTURF-STYLE CLADDING WAS RIPPED OFF BY VANDALS. THE NEW TREE WAS DONATED BY THE TOWN'S DOLPHIN SHOPPING CENTER, WHICH IS BELIEVED TO HAVE COST AROUND £4,000 TO BUY AND INSTALL.

CHRISTIE'S SELLS REMBRANDT'S 'PORTRAIT OF A MAN' FOR £20.2 MILLION


A REMBRANDT PAINTING UNSEEN IN PUBLIC FOR NEARLY 40 YEARS SOLD FOR A RECORD £20.2 MILLION AT AUCTION IN LONDON ON TUESDAY, THE HIGHEST EVER PAID AT AUCTION FOR THE 17th CENTURY ARTIST. CHRISTIE'S SAID THAT 'PORTRAIT OF A MAN, HALF-LENGTH, WITH HIS ARM AKIMBO', PAINTED IN 1658, FETCHED THE 4th HIGHEST PRICE PAID AT AUCTION FOR ANY OLD MASTERS PAINTING. IT WAS BOUGHT BY AN ANONYMOUS CLIENT BIDDING VIA TELEPHONE, CHRISTIES SAID. THE RECORD FOR A REMBRANDT PREVIOUSLY STOOD AT £19.8 MILLION IN DECEMBER 2000 FOR 'PORTRAIT OF A LADY AGED 62'. THE REMBRANDT WAS THE STAR LOT IN CHRISTIE'S AUCTION OF OLD MASTER AND 19th CENTURY WORKS, WHICH HAVE STOOD UP RELATIVELY WELL DURING A FINANCIAL DOWNTURN THAT HAS HIT MUCH OF THE REST OF THE WORLD ART MARKET. "WE ARE DELIGHTED TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO EXHIBIT THIS MASTERFUL PORTRAIT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN NEARLY 40 YEARS LEADING UP TO THE AUCTION, AND TO HAVE SEEN IT REALIZE SUCH A STRONG PRICE THAT REFLECTS ITS IMPORTANCE AND MAGNITUDE", SAID RICHARD KNIGHT, INTERNATIONAL CO-HEAD OF OLD MASTERS AT CHRISTIE'S. THE LAST TIME THE 1658 REMBRANDT PAINTING WAS SOLD AT AUCTION WAS IN 1930 WHEN IT FETCHED £18,500. IT LATER WENT INTO A SERIES OF PRIVATE COLLECTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES AND WAS LAST SEEN IN PUBLIC AT AN EXHIBITION IN DETROIT IN 1970. THE TOP PRICE AT AUCTION FOR ANY OLD MASTER PAINTING IS £49.5 MILLION FOR 'THE MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS' BY PETER PAUL RUBENS SET AT SOTHEBY'S IN LONDON 2002.

8.12.09

BEN SHERMAN OPENS FLAGSHIP STORE IN CONVENT GARDEN


BEN SHERMAN, THE LONDON-BASED LABEL WHICH FOUND FAME IN THE MID 1960s WITH ITS BUTTON-DOWN SHIRTS FOR MEN, HAS OPENED A NEW FLAGSHIP BOUTIQUE IN LONDON'S CONVENT GARDEN. THE 1,500 sq ft SHOP ON LONG ACRE, HOUSES THE BEN SHERMAN MEN'S, WOMEN'S, SUITING AND ACCESSORIES COLLECTIONS, UNDER THE THEME OF A 'MOD'S MANSION'. THE QUIRKY INTERIOR FEATURES CHANGING ROOMS BASED ON TROPHY ROOMS, A LADIES 'POWDER ROOM', AND A LIBRARY, WITH PARAPHERNALIA SUCH AS BOXING BAGS AND GUITARS THROUGHOUT THE STORE. THE 'MODS IN THE MANSION' LAYOUT PAYS HOMAGE TO THE SUCCESS THE BRAND ENJOYED IN 1965 WITH THE MODS SUBCULTURE; THE COMPANY'S FOUNDER, ARTHUR SUGERMAN, PRODUCED HIS OWN VERSION OF OXFORD-CLOTH SHIRTS WHICH WERE THEN ONLY AVAILABLE IN AMERICA, FROM HIS FACTORY IN BRIGHTON. THE SHIRTS WERE IMMEDIATELY ADOPTED BY THE MODS, AND BECAME POPULAR AGAIN A FEW YEARS LATER WITH THE MOD REVIVALISTS. TODAY, THE BEN SHERMAN LABEL IS SOLD IN 37 COUNTRIES WORLDWIDE.

LADY GAGA MEETS THE QUEEN AT ROYAL VARIETY PERFORMANCE



MORE THAN 1,000 PEOPLE TURNED OUT TO CATCH A GLIMPSE OF QUEEN ELIZABETH II AND THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH AS THEY ARRIVED AT THE OPERA HOUSE IN BLACKPOOL FOR THE STAR-STUDDED ROYAL VARIETY PERFORMANCE. COMEDIAN PETER KAY, HOST FOR THE STUNNING CHARITY SPECTACULAR, WELCOMED THE QUEEN TO BLACKPOOL, DECLARING IT 'THE ENTERTAINMENT CAPITAL OF THE WORLD'. CONTROVERSIAL POP STAR LADY GAGA ARRIVED ON STAGE TO CLOSE THE SHOW AND SEEMED TO PUT ON A RELATIVELY CONSERVATIVE PERFORMANCE, PERHAPS TONING DOWN HER OUTRAGEOUS STYLE FOR THE QUEEN. WEARING A RED PVC OUTFIT, FEATURING A 20ft LONG TRAIN AND ELIZABETHAN-STYLE OVER-SIZED RUFFLED COLLAR, AND SHE TEAMED THE UNIQUE OUTFIT WITH HUGE CIRCLES OF RED EYE MAKE-UP, FOR A PANDA-STYLE LOOK. SHE PLAYED A 'FLOATING' PIANO, WHICH WAS SUSPENDED IN THE AIR ON GIANT STILTS. "GOOD EVENING BLACKPOOL. LET ME HEAR YOU RATTLE YOUR JEWELRY", SHE SAID. "MY FATHER IS HERE TONIGHT AND I WROTE THIS SONG FOR HIM, IT'S CALLED 'SPEECHLESS'.
CLASSICAL SINGER KATHERINE JENKINS PERFORMED HER SINGLE 'BRING ME TO LIFE', CREATING THE ILLUSION OF A BUTTERFLY AS HER DRESS BILLOWED OUT AS SHE WAS RAISED INTO THE AIR. HOLLYWOOD LEGEND BETTE MIDLER RECEIVED A RAPTUROUS RESPONSE AS SHE TOOK TO THE STAGE TO PERFORM TWO OF HER CLASSICS, IN MY LIFE AND WING BENEATH MY WINGS. "TONIGHT IS A DREAM COME TRUE FOR ME, BUT I FEEL VERY, VERY PREPARED BECAUSE I HAVE BEN SINGING FOR QUEENS MY ENTIRE LIFE. AT LAST I'M SINGING IN FRONT OF A REAL ONE", SHE QUIPPED. LADY GAGA REMAINED TIGHT-LIPPED ON HER CONVERSATION WITH THE QUEEN, "THAT IS PRIVATE', SHE SAID. KATHERINE JENKINS SAID SHE WAS AMAZED THAT THE QUEEN MANAGED TO SPEAK TO ALL OF THE ARTISTS. PROCEEDS FROM THE SHOW WILL GO TO THE ENTERTAINMENT ARTISTS' BENEVOLENT FUND, WHICH CARES FOR ENTERTAINERS WHO NEED HELP AS A RESULT OF OLD AGE, ILL HEALTH OR HARD TIMES.


LOYOLA UNIVERSITY RECEIVES HISTORIC $50 MILLION GRANT


LOYOLA UNIVERSITY, CHICAGO ANNOUNCED RECENTLY THAT JOHN CUNEO JR., HIS WIFE, HERTA, AND THE CUNEO FOUNDATION HAVE GIVEN THE UNIVERSITY THE LARGEST GIFT IN ITS 140 YEAR HISTORY. THE GENEROUS $50 MILLION GIFT INCLUDES THE CUNEO MUSEUM AND GARDENS IN VERNON HILLS, ILLINOIS, ITS NEARLY 100 SURROUNDING ACRES, AN EXTENSIVE COLLECTION OF ART AND FURNISHINGS, AND AN IN-KIND DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS. THE GIFT WILL BE USED TO SUPPORT SEVERAL STRATEGIC INITIATIVES AT LOYOLA, INCLUDING SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS, A NEW STATE OF THE ART ACADEMIC BUILDING ON THE LAKE SHORE CAMPUS (TO BE NAMED CUNEO HALL), AND FUNDS TO SUPPORT OPERATIONS AT THE HISTORIC MANSION AND GARDENS. THE UNIVERSITY ALSO WILL SEEK OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP THE NORTH PART OF THE PROPERTY. AFTER THE TRANSITION IS COMPLETE, LOYOLA PLANS TO INCREASE USE OF THE MANSION FOR WEDDINGS, OTHER SPECIAL OCCASIONS, AND CORPORATE EVENTS. IN ADDITION, THE UNIVERSITY WILL OFFER EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES THERE TO BENEFIT STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND THE GREATER CHICAGO AREA COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY THOSE LIVING IN AND AROUND LAKE COUNTRY.

7.12.09

ROME UNVEILS ANCIENT 1,800 SQUARE METER LUXURY COMPLEX


ITALIAN OFFICIALS UNVEILED NEW DISCOVERIES RECENTLY IN AN ANCIENT ROMAN LUXURY COMPLEX FILLED WITH PRICELESS MOSAICS, ELEGANT PORTICOS AND THERMAL BATHS. THE 1,800 SQUARE METER COMPLEX, DATING FROM THE 2nd TO 4th CENTURIES, HAS BEEN EXCAVATED INTERMITTENTLY SINCE 2004, WHEN THE RUINS WERE ACCIDENTALLY DISCOVERED DURING THE RENOVATION OF A RENAISSANCE PALAZZO THAT STANDS ABOVE THEM. IN THE LATEST EXCAVATION, WHICH BEGAN I MARCH, ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVERED A PALATIAL ROOM DECORATED WITH PRECIOUS MARBLE AND A COLOURFUL MOSAIC WITH A MILLION TILES BROUGHT FROM ALL OVER THE ROMAN EMPIRE. THEY ALSO FOUND A 'FRIGIDARIUM', A COLD POOL THAT WAS PART OF THE BATHS BUILT INTO THE EXCLUSIVE COMPLEX LOCATED JUST BY THE FORUM CONSTRUCTED BY EMPEROR TRAJAN. CONSOLIDATION AND RESTORATION OF THE HALLS HAVE GIVEN EXPERTS BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW ROMAN BATHS FUNCTIONED. THE 16th CENTURY PALAZZO VALENTINI, WHICH SITS ON TOP OF THE RUINS IN DOWNTOWN ROME, HOUSES LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICES. THE ANCIENT COMPLEX WILL BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC THROUGH TO 6.JANUARY.2010, BEFORE CLOSING AGAIN FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION. A MULTI-MEDIA MUSEUM HAS BEEN BUILT ON THE SITE TO SHOW VISITORS HOW IT LOOKED LIKE ORIGINALLY THROUGH AUDIO EXPLANATIONS AND VIRTUAL REALITY RECONSTRUCTIONS PROJECTED ON THE WALLS. "THE SITE IS ALMOST EXACTLY AS WE FOUND IT", SAID PHYSICIST PACO LANCIANO, ONE OF THE CREATORS OF THE MUSEUM. "WE WANTED TO RESPECT ITS AUTHENTICITY."

DALLAS MUSEUM OF ART ACQUIRES 'THE EYE' BY DAVID ALTMEJD


THE DALLAS MUSEUM OF ART RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THE ACQUISITION OF A MAJOR LARGE-SCALE SCULPTURE, 'THE EYE', BY THE CELEBRATED CANADIAN ARTIST DAVID ALTMEJD. AMONG THE ARTIST'S MOST AMBITIOUS WORKS TO DATE, THE EYE MEASURES APPROXIMATELY 11 BY 18 FEET AND IS AN IMPOSING AND MESMERIZING STRUCTURE OF MIRRORED GLASS AND WOODEN SUPPORT THAT ENGULFS THE VIEWER IN A SPECTACULAR ENVIRONMENT OF FRACTURED LIGHT AND REFLECTION. ACQUIRED BY THE DMA THROUGH THE DMA/AMFAR BENEFIT AUCTION FUND MADE POSSIBLE BY THE TWO FOR AIDS AND ART, THE WORK IS CURRENTLY ON VIEW IN THE DMA'S EXHIBITION 'PERFORMANCE/ART' THROUGH 21.MARCH.2010. CREATED IN 2008, THE EYE DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM THE 2005 JOHN ADAMS OPERA DOCTOR ATOMIC, WHICH RECOUNTS THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE FIRST NUCLEAR BOMB TEST UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF DR J ROBERT OPPENHEIMER IN 1945. THE INSTALLATION'S DAZZLING MIRRORED FACADES GIVE THE PIECE A THEATRICAL QUALITY, AS WELL AS A SENSE OF MOVEMENT, DRAWING POSSIBLE PARALLELS TO AN EXPLOSION THAT HAS BEEN SUSPENDED OR FROZEN IN TIME, OR A SPACESHIP THAT HAS JUST LANDED, OR TO ANY NUMBER OF POSSIBLE REFERENCES DEALING WITH SCIENCE AND SCIENCE FICTION, AS WELL AS THE HISTORY OF SCULPTURE. ALMEJD'S WORK JOINS OTHER LARGE-SCALE SCULPTURES AND INSTALLATIONS IN THE DMA'S CONTEMPORARY ART COLLECTION BY SUCH ARTISTS SUCH AS CHRIS BURDEN, MONA HATMOUN, TATSUO MIYAJIMA, DOUG AITKIN AND OLAFUR ELIASSON, AMONG OTHERS.

CITY VIEW: QUEBEC CITY











6.12.09

SEASONAL HOLIDAY LIGHTS GETS A 'DITTO' FROM NEIGHBOR


KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES ISN'T EASY AT THE BEST OF TIMES, AND DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON IT BECOMES EVEN TOUGHER. BUT WHEN DAVE NOSEK SPOTTED NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOR CHET CYBULSKI'S DAZZLING FESTIVE MULTI-COLOURED LIGHT DISPLAY, HE KNEW IT WAS FUTILE TO TRY AND COMPETE. DAVE ADMITTED THAT CHET'S DISPLAY 'GETS BIGGER AND BIGGER EACH YEAR' AND THIS YEAR WAS NO DIFFERENT: WHITE BULBS HANGING FROM THE GUTTERS, BLUE BULBS CIRCLING THE WINDOWS AND TRESS WRAPPED IN MULTI-COLOURED LIGHTS. BUT INSTEAD OF TRYING TO OUTDO HIS CREATIVE NEIGHBOR, DAVE DECIDED TO DO THE NEXT BEST THING, HITTING ON A NOVEL WAY OF MUSCLING IN ON THE ATTENTION CHET'S THEATRICAL DISPLAY WAS ATTRACTING. UNTWISTING A FEW STRANDS OF WHITE LIGHTS, DAVE CAREFULLY ARRANGED THE WORD 'DITTO' ABOVE HIS GARAGE, ALONG WITH AN ARROW POINTING TO HIS NEIGHBOR'S INTRICATE DISPLAY. IRONICALLY, DAVE'S AMUSING TRIBUTE TO CHET'S LIGHTS IS NOW ATTRACTING MORE ATTENTION THAN HIS NEIGHBOR'S, WITH DOZENS OF SPECTATORS STOPPING TO TAKE PICTURES OF THE 'DITTO'. WHILE CHET SPENT FIVE DAYS ARRANGING THE LIGHTS FOR HIS HOUSE AND YARD, DAVE'S DISPLAY TOOK JUST ONE HOUR. HOWEVER, THERE'S NO BITTER RIVALRY BETWEEN THE NEIGHBORS, FOR IT WAS ACTUALLY CHET WHO GAVE DAVE THE 'DITTO' IDEA. CHET INSISTED HE DOESN'T MIND THE ATTENTION BEING TAKEN AWAY FROM HIS ILLUMINATIONS. HE SAID: 'NOT AT ALL. IT'S THERE FOR THE ENJOYMENT OF ALL. AS LONG AS SOMEONE GETS A KICK OUT OF IT I'M OK.'


POLICE SEIZE STASH OF PAINTINGS BELONGING TO FOUNDER OF PARMALAT


ITALIAN TAX POLICE SAID SATURDAY THAT THEY HAD SEIZED WORKS BY VAN GOGH, PICASSO, CEZANNE AND OTHER GIANTS OF ART IN A CRACKDOWN ON ASSETS HIDDEN BY THE DISGRACED FOUNDER OF THE COLLAPSED DAIRY COMPANY PARMALAT. AUTHORITIES ESTIMATED THE 19 MASTERPIECES STASHED AWAY IN ATTICS AND BASEMENTS WERE VALUED AT SOME $150 MILLION. PARMA PROSECUTOR GERARDO LAGUARDIA SAID THAT, BASED ON WIRETAPPED PHONE CONVERSATIONS, OFFICIALS BELIEVED AT LEAST ONE OF THE PAINTINGS HIDDEN BY CALISTO TANZI WAS ABOUT TO BE SOLD. BOLOGNA-BASED TAX POLICE COL. PIERO IOVINO TOLD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS THAT INVESTIGATORS BELIEVED THE ENTIRE BATCH OF PAINTINGS, WATERCOLOURS AND DRAWINGS WERE UP TO BE SOLD. THE PROSPECTIVE BUYER WAS A RUSSIAN, POSSIBLY LIVING IN ITALY. NO ARRESTS WERE ANNOUNCED AS PART OF THE ART SEIZURE. TAX POLICE SAID PARMA PROSECUTORS ARE OPENING A PROBE INTO ALLEGED CONCEALING OF ASSETS IN PARMALAT'S BANKRUPTCY CASE.
PARMALAT, THE DAIRY CONGLOMERATE KNOWN FOR ITS LONG SHELF-LIFE MILK GREW FROM A SMALL DAIRY DISTRIBUTOR PARMA, INTO A DIVERSIFIED, MULTINATIONAL FOOD COMPANY BY 1990, BUT COLLAPSED IN 2003 UNDER $10 BILLION IN DEBT. FOR YEARS AFTER THE COLLAPSE, TANZI WAS RUMORED TO HAVE A 'HIDDEN TREASURE' SOMEWHERE. ON 29.NOVEMBER, A STATE TV SHOW ALLEGED THAT TANZI HAD HIDDEN A COLLECTION OF FAMOUS ARTWORKS TO TRY TO SHELTER HIMSELF FROM THE EFFECTS OF BANKRUPTCY. IN RESPONSE TO THE PROGRAM TANZI TOLD REPORTERS: "I DON'T HAVE ANY SECRET CACHE." AFTER THE TV SHOW, 'WE TIGHTENED THE SCREWS' AND ZEROED IN ON TANZI'S SON-IN-LAW, IOVINO SAID. 'HE TOLD US THAT THE PAINTINGS WERE TANZI'S AND LED POLICE TO THE APARTMENTS.' AMONG THE MASTERPIECES WAS A PENCIL ON PAPER PORTRAIT OF A BALLERINA BY DEGAS, TWO VAN GOGHS, INCLUDING A DEPICTION OF A TRUNK OF A WILLOW TREE AND A STILL LIFE, A WATERCOLOUR BY CEZANNE AND A PENCIL-WORK BY MODIGLIANI. TAX POLICE OFFICIAL MASSIMO SAID SOME OF THE PAINTINGS WERE CAREFULLY WRAPPED FOR PROTECTION, BUT THAT OTHER PAINTINGS, INCLUDING A PICASSO, WERE LEFT OPEN IN THE STORE ROOM.

QUEEN ELIZABETH NOW TO PRESENT PASSPORT UPON ENTERING AND LEAVING ENGLAND


QUEEN ELIZABETH II IS TO BE FORCED TO GO THROUGH AN IDENTITY CHECK EVERY TIME SHE FLIES INTO AND OUT OF BRITAIN. FOR THE FIRST TIME, HER MAJESTY WILL BE COMPELLED TO GIVE HER FULL NAME, AGE, ADDRESS, NATIONALITY, GENDER AND PLACE OF BIRTH TO IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS, WHO WILL THEN CHECK THAT SHE IS NOT ON A LIST OF TERRORISTS. FOREIGN HEADS OF STATE, INCLUDING AMERICAN PRESIDENT OBAMA, AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY WILL ALSO HAVE TO SUBMIT TO THE SECURITY CHECKS UNDER NEW BORDER CONTROLS, CALLED E-BORDERS. IT IS UNCLEAR HOW THE QUEEN WILL BE ASKED FOR HER PERSONAL INFORMATION AS SHE IS NOT REQUIRED TO CARRY A PASSPORT AND WOULD NORMALLY BE MET OFF THE AIRCRAFT BY HER CHAUFFEUR-DRIVEN CAR. THE NEW SYSTEM ASKS FOR A PASSPORT NUMBER, EXPIRY DATE AND DETAILS OF WHERE THE PASSPORT WAS ISSUED. BUCKINGHAM PALACE HAS BEEN WARNED THAT THE QUEEN WILL NOT BE EXEMPT FROM PROVIDING 'TRAVEL DOCUMENT INFORMATION' (TDI), WHICH WILL THEN BE UPLOADED ON TO THE £750 MILLION COMPUTER SYSTEM AT THE NATIONAL BORDER TARGETING CENTER NEAR MANCHESTER AIRPORT. THE NEW SYSTEM WILL PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE RECORD OF EVERYTHING CROSSING THE UK BORDER BY PLANE, SEA OR VIA THE CHANNEL TUNNEL TO 'STRENGTHEN THE SECURITY OF THOSE WHO LIVE IN AND VISIT THE COUNTRY'. ROYAL SOURCES SAID THAT MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY WOULD COMPLY WITH WHATEVER SECURITY PROCEDURES THE GOVERNMENT DECIDED UPON. A BUCKINGHAM PALACE SPOKESMAN SAID; 'AS A BRITISH PASSPORT IS ISSUED IN THE NAME OF HER MAJESTY, IT IS UNNECESSARY FOR THE QUEEN TO POSSESS ONE. ALL OTHER MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY, INCLUDING THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH AND THE PRINCE OF WALES, HAVE PASSPORTS.'