5.6.10

HILLARY CLINTON SENDS QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY WISHES A WEEK EARLY


HILLARY CLINTON, THE US SECRETARY OF STATE, HAS BEEN LEFT RED FACES AFTER MISTAKENLY SENDING A BIRTHDAY MESSAGE TO THE QUEEN A WEEK EARLY. AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM THE US FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF PAID TRIBUTE TO THE 'QUEEN'S LIFE AND LEGACY', DESPITE THE FACT THE MONARCH DOES NOT CELEBRATE HER OFFICIAL BIRTHDAY UNTIL NEXT WEEKEND. THE DIPLOMATIC FAUX PAS, SENT ON BEHALF OF PRESIDENT OMAMA AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ON FRIDAY, ALSO CELEBRATED THE 'SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP' BETWEEN THE BRITISH AND US GOVERNMENTS. 'ON THIS CELEBRATORY OCCASION, WE PAY TRIBUTE TO THE QUEEN'S LIFE AND LEGACY AND HONOR THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OUT TWO NATIONS', CLINTON SAID. 'THE YOUNG PRINCESS ELIZABETH HELPED RALLY HER NATION IN THE DARKEST OF THAT WAR, AND SHE HAS REMAINED A BEACON OF INTEGRITY AND RESOLVE EVER SINCE. THE UNITED STATES HAS ALWAYS BEEN GRATEFUL FOR HER FRIENDSHIP AND EXAMPLE. ONCE AGAIN, I WISH QUEEN ELIZABETH II A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND PEACE AND PROSPERITY FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM IN THE YEAR TO COME.' CLINTON ADDED THAT THE 'SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP CONTINUES TO PROVIDE A SOLID FOUNDATION AS THE UNITED STATES AND BRITAIN', WHICH WORKED SIDE BY SIDE TO MEET THE CHALLENGES OF THE 21st CENTURY.' A SPOKESMAN FOR CLINTON ATTEMPTED TO MAKE LIGHT OF THE SOCIAL GAFFE. 'WE WERE A WEEK EARLY', PHILIP CROWLEY JOKED TO REPORTERS IN WASHINGTON. 'AS ALWAYS, IT IS BETTER TO GIVE A GREETING A WEEK EARLY THAN A WEEK LATE.' A BUCKINGHAM PALACE SPOKESPERSON SAID: 'IT WAS OBVIOUSLY A GENUINE MISTAKE AND THERE WAS NO OFFENSE TAKEN WHATSOEVER.' ALTHOUGH 21.APRIL IS HER ACTUAL BIRTHDAY, THE QUEEN'S OFFICIAL BIRTHDAY IS CELEBRATED ON A SATURDAY IN JUNE, CULMINATING WITH THE ANNUAL TROOPING THE COLOUR PARADE. THIS YEAR THE CEREMONY, ALSO ATTENDED BY OTHER MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL HOUSEHOLD, IS SCHEDULED FOR NEXT SATURDAY. SHE HAD EARLIER CELEBRATED HER 'REAL' BIRTHDAY AT WINDSOR CASTLE. THE TRADITION OF CELEBRATING TWO BIRTHDAYS BEGAN UNDER KING EDWARD VII, WHO WAS BORN IN NOVEMBER BUT WANTED HIS BIRTHDAY PARADE TO TAKE PLACE IN JUNE SO HE COULD ENJOY SUMMER WEATHER.

1870 GUERLAIN FRAGRANCE BOTTLE SELLS FOR $54,500


A RARE ENGRAVED GUERLAIN FRAGRANCE BOTTLE FROM 1870 HAS FETCHED A RECORD SUM OF $54,500 AT AN AUCTION IN THE CITY OF ARCACHON, IN THE SOUTHWEST OF FRANCE. SUED QUEST, REPORTED THAT ON 1.JUNE THE GLASS FLACON, ENGRAVED WITH THE FRAGRANCE HOUSE'S ORIGINAL ADDRESS, RUE DE LA PAIX, WAS INITIALLY EXPECTED TO FETCH $25,000. ORGANIZED BY ARCACHON AUCTION HOUSE TOLEDANO, THE SALE TOOK PLACE IN THE PRESENCE OF FRENCH FRAGRANCE EXPERT BERNARD GANGLER. ACCORDING TO THE AUCTIONEERS, 80% OF THE BIDDERS FOR MORE THAN 250 FRAGRANCE BOTTLES UNDER THE HAMMER WERE FRENCH. EXCEPTIONS INCLUDED PARTICIPANTS FROM RUSSIA, INDIA AND CHINA, WHO CALLED IN VIA TELEPHONE.

HOUSTON BAPTIST UNIVERSITY UNVEILS 'SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST IN THE WILDERNESS'


DURING A SPECIAL DEDICATION CEREMONY RECENTLY, HOUSTON BAPTIST UNIVERSITY UNVEILED 'SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST IN THE WILDERNESS', THE 17th CENTURY MASTERPIECE BY SIR ANTHONY VAN DYCK, IN THE BELIN CHAPEL IN THE MORRIS CULTURAL ARTS CENTER ON THE HBU CAMPUS. THE PAINTING, A GENEROUS DONATION FROM THE COLLECTION OF UNIVERSITY FRIENDS WILLIAM AND SHARON MORRIS, IS THE LATEST IN A SERIES OF RECENT ENHANCEMENTS TO THE CHAPEL, INCLUDING THE INSTALLATION OF THE SHERRY AND JIM SMITH ORGAN AND A STAINED GLASS CHANCEL WINDOW. VAN DYCK'S DEPICTION OF 'SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST IN THE WILDERNESS' REVEALS HIS SKILL IN RENDERING THE HUMAN FORM WHILE PROVIDING HIS PAINTING WITH A SENSE OF THE SUBLIME. JUST AS IN HIS DEPICTIONS OF KING CHARLES I OF ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND AND HIS FAMILY AND COURT, FOR WHICH THE FLEMISH BAROQUE ARTIST IS MOST FAMOUS, VAN DYCK'S RELIGIOUS SUBJECTS POSSESS A RELAXED ELEGANCE AND A WARM HUMAN QUALITY, AIDED BY EXQUISITE FLESH TONES AND BEAUTIFULLY PAINTED FABRIC. THE STRONG DIAGONAL THRUST OF 'SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST IN THE WILDERNESS' IS AN UNUSUAL COMPOSITION DEVISE IN BAROQUE PAINTING. MANY OF VAN DYCK'S EARLY RELIGIOUS PAINTINGS PORTRAYED OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT SUBJECTS FOR JESUIT AND DOMINICAN CHURCHES IN ANTWERP, BELGIUM. HE JOINED THE GUILD OF ST LUKE AS A MASTER IN 1618 AND CONTINUED HIS STUDY OF RELIGIOUS PAINTING IN THE ITALIAN CITIES OF GENOA, ROME AND VENICE. HIS OUTSTANDING FACILITY AS A MASTERFUL DRAFTSMAN WAS TO BE A DOMINANT INFLUENCE ON ENGLISH PORTRAIT PAINTING FOR 150 YEARS. THE INSTALLATION OF 'SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST IN THE WILDERNESS' ON THE HBU CAMPUS WILL ADVANCE THE GOALS OUTLINED IN THE EIGHTH PILLAR, EXPAND OUR COMMITMENT TO THE CREATIVE ARTS, OF THE UNIVERSITY'S TEN PILLARS VISION. IN PURSUIT OF THOSE GOALS, HBU INVITES STUDENTS, AND THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE TO SHAE ITS ACADEMIC AND EMOTIONAL ADMIRATION FOR THE ARTS, VISUAL, MUSICAL AND LITERARY, AND TO BE A PART OF THE CREATIVE TRADITION.

THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE 'CLEOPATRA: THE SEARCH FOR THE LAST QUEEN OF EGYPT'PRESENTS


WAS CLEOPATRA A CONNIVING TEMPTRESS WHO SEDUCED HER WAY TO THE TOP, OR THE TARGET OF RECORDED HISTORY'S MOST EFFECTIVE NEGATIVE CAMPAIGN? A STUNNING NEW EXHIBITION MAKING ITS WORLD PREMIERE 5.JUNE AT THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE, PHILADELPHIA, MAKES A CASE FOR THE LATTER, USING RECENTLY DISCOVERED ARTIFACTS TO ILLUSTRATE TWO ARCHAEOLOGISTS' SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH, AND THE TOMB, OF ONE OF ANTIQUITY'S MOST MALIGNED AND ELUSIVE FIGURE. 'CLEOPATRA: THE SEARCH FOR THE LAST QUEEN OF EGYPT', FEATURES MANY NEVER BEFORE SEEN ARTIFACTS FROM A PAIR ON ONGOING EGYPTIAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPEDITIONS. IT REMAINS IN PHILADELPHIA UNTIL JANUARY, WHEN IT BEGINS A TOUR OF FIVE NOT YET ANNOUNCED AMERICAN CITIES. THE SHOW EMPLOYS THEATRICAL LIGHTING AND SOUND, 17 VIDEO SCREENS DOCUMENTING ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVERING SOME OF THE 150 ARTIFACTS ON DISPLAY, AND A FOUR MINUTE VIDEO PROVIDING AN OVERVIEW OF CLEOPATRA'S LIFE AND LOVES IN A STYLE THAT LOOKS AND SOUNDS LIKE A TRAILER FOR AN UPCOMING ACTION MOVIE. THE FIRST OF THE EXHIBIT'S TWO SECTIONS SHOWCASES THE DISCOVERIES OF FRENCH UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGIST FRANK GODDIO, WHOSE 20 YEAR EGYPTIAN EXPEDITION SO FAR HAS UNCOVERED CLEOPATRA'S PALACE, TWO ANCIENT CITIES NEAR THE COAST OF THE ANCIENT CITY OF ALEXANDRIA, AND OVER 20,000 ARTIFACTS. THE ARTIFACTS RANGE FROM TINY GOLD COINS TO A PAIR OF TOWERING EIGHT TON GRANITE FIGURES. ALL WERE RAISED BY GODDIO'S TEAM FROM SUBMERGED RUINS NEAR THE COAST OF ANCIENT ALEXANDRIA, WHERE CLEOPATRA WAS BORN IN 69 BC AND WHERE 39 YEARS LATER, THE LEGEND CLAIMS, SHE CHOSE A SUICIDAL BITE FROM AN ASP OVER CAPTURE BY THE CONQUERING ROMANS. VISITOR'S WILL SEE, THROUGH A GLASS WALKWAY UNDER FEET, ARTIFACTS LONG HIDDEN UNDER THE HARBOR'S SEDIMENT AFTER EARTHQUAKES AND TSUNAMIS SUBMERGED ANCIENT ALEXANDRIA MORE THAN 1,500 YEARS AGO. IN THE SECOND PORTION ARE NEVER BEFORE SEEN FINDS OF ZAHI HAWASS, SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF ANTIQUITIES IN CAIRO. HAWASS, WHOM VISITORS MAY RECOGNIZE FROM HIS APPEARANCE ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTARIES, DESCRIBES IN A BRIEF VIDEO HIS QUEST FOR THE LOST TOMB OF CLEOPATRA AND HER LOVER, THE ROMAN GENERAL MARK ANTONY. HAWASS BELIEVES AN ARTIFACT TRAIL OD SCULPTURE, JEWELRY, MUMMIES AND SUBTERRANEAN SHAFTS IS LEADING HIS TEAM CLOSE TO THE RESTING PLACE OF THE ILL-FATED COUPLE. BEYOND THE RARE HISTORIC ITEMS, THE SHOW EXAMINES THE MYSTERY AND ENDURING LEGEND OF THE ICONIC QUEEN WHO REMAINS A FIGURE OF FASCINATION THOUSANDS OF YEARS AFTER HER REIGN.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www2.fi.edu

4.6.10

BONHAMS TO SELL TWO ALEXANDER MCQUEEN GOWNS


TWO ONE OF A KIND EVENING GOWNS FROM ALEXANDER MCQUEEN'S AUTUMN/WINTER 2007 COLLECTION, WHICH WAS INSPIRED BY THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS OF 1692, ARE TO BE SOLD AT BONHAM'S, LONDON. THE STUNNING CREATIONS, FEATURE HAND-BEADING AND FEATHER WORK, ARE AMONG THE FIRST TO BE SOLD AT AUCTION SINCE THE TRAGIC DEATH OF THE FAMOUS BRITISH FASHION DESIGNER IN FEBRUARY, AND ARE EXPECTED TO FETCH MORE THAN £30,000. ONE OF THE DRESSES, A SHIMMERING, SERPENTINE, GOLD-SEQUINED SORCERESS GOWN, HAS ATTRACTED A PRE-SALE ESTIMATE OF £12,000-18,000. IT WAS MOST RECENTLY SEEN ON THE RED CARPET, WORN BY THE AUSTRALIAN POP STAR, HOLLY VALANCE, AT THE BRIT AWARDS, A FEW DAYS AFTER MCQUEEN'S DEATH. THE SECOND DRESS, WHICH FEATURES A GOLD SEQUINED AND PEACOCK FEATHER BODICE, WITH A SWIRLING CHAMPAGNE SILK LONG SKIRT, HAS AN ESTIMATE OF £10,000-14,000. THE TWO DRESSES ARE FROM ONE OF MCQUEEN'S MOST DRAMATIC AND SEXIEST SHOWS, WHICH WAS STAGED DURING THE PARIS PRET-A-PORTER SEASON IN FEBRUARY 2007. THE DESIGNER DEDICATED THE SHOW TO A DISTANT RELATIVE, ELIZABETH HOW, WHO WAS ONE OF THE SALEM WITCHES. THE MODELS EMERGED IN THE MANNER OF MEMBERS OF A COVEN, WALKING ON A PENTAGRAM PAINTED ON A BED OF COALS. ABOVE THEM LOOMED AN INVERTED PYRAMID ON WHICH WERE PROJECTED IMAGES OF FLAMES, NAKED WOMEN AND LOCUSTS. THE GOWNS WILL BE AUCTIONED AS PART OF BONHAMS VISION 21 SALE, ON 30.JUNE.

CHRISTIE'S TO SELL MONET WATER-LILY PAINTING


CHRISTIE'S, LONDON, IS OFFERING A MONET WATER-LILY PAINTING WORTH AN ESTIMATED £30-40 MILLION THIS MONTH IN WHAT IT EXPECTS TO BE THE BIGGEST SALE IT HAS EVER MOUNTED AT ITS LONDON GALLERIES. WITH THE INTERNATIONAL ART MARKET BOOMING AGAIN AFTER A SLUMP WHEN FINANCIAL MARKETS CRASHED, THE CHRISTIE'S SALE ALSO INCLUDES A BLUE PERIOD PORTRAIT BY PABLO PICASSO, OFFERED BY THE ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER FOUNDATION FOUNDED BY THE COMPOSER, AND CARRYING A PRICE TAG ABOUT THE SAME AS THE 1906 MONET. THE MONET, WHICH WAS UNVEILED THURSDAY, AND THE PICASSO, PLUS 61 OTHER WORKS ON OFFER, HAVE A COMBINED ESTIMATED PRE-AUCTION VALUE OF £164-250 MILLION. THIS WOULD BE IN EXCESS OF THE LONDON RECORD OF £147 MILLION SET AT RIVAL SOTHEBY'S IN FEBRUARY. THAT AMOUNT WAS BOOSTED BY A WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR A WORK OF ART WHEN AN ALBERTO GIACOMETTI STATUE WENT UNDER THE HAMMER FOR $104.3 MILLION. THREE MONTHS LATER, CHRISTIE'S TOPPED THAT HIGH WITH A PICASSO WHICH FETCHED $106.5 MILLION IN NEW YORK. THE TOP EUROPEAN AUCTION TOTAL STANDS AT £183 MILLION FOR THE HISTORIC IMPRESSIONIST AND MODERN ART SECTION OF THE PRIVATE YVES SAINT LAURENT COLLECTION. WITH RECORDS TUMBLING, IT COMES AS NO SURPRISE THAT OWNERS OF THE FINEST ART ARE WILLING TO OFFER IT UP FOR SALE. ONGOING UNCERTAINTY OVER THE STATE OF THE BROADER GLOBAL ECONOMY HAS FAILED TO DAMPEN THE MOOD IN SALES ROOMS, WITH ONLY A HANDFUL OF EXTREME WEALTHY INDIVIDUALS OR MUSEUMS NEEDED TO DRIVE VALUES UP. 'NYMPHEAS', THE WORK BY MONET TO BE OFFERED, WAS SHOWN AT THE FAMOUS 1909 EXHIBITION IN PARIS WHERE THE ARTIST'S STUDIES OF THE EFFECTS OF LIGHT IN HIS GARDEN IN GIVERNY WON CRITICAL ACCLAIM. ALSO TO BE SOLD AT THE IMPRESSIONIST AND MODERN ART EVENING ARE IMPORTANT WORKS BY GUSTAV KLIMT AND VINCENT VAN GOGH.

PUBLIC ART PROJECT UNLOCKS SECRET DOORS IN NEW YORK CITY


A NEW PUBLIC ART PROJECT PLAYS UP THE TIME-HONORED PRACTICE OF RECOGNIZING DIGNITARIES WITH A KEY TO THE CITY, WITH THE ARTIST CREATING A MASTER KEY THAT UNLOCKS HIDDEN MUSEUM ROOMS, PRIVATE GARDENS AND MORE. THE PUBLIC CAN PICK UP THE KEYS FROM A TIMES SQUARE KIOSK UNTIL 27.JUNE. THE PROJECT RUNS THROUGH LABOR DAY. ARTIST PAUL RAMIREZ JONES, WHO CREATED 'THE KEY TO THE CITY' IN COLLABORATION WITH THE NONPROFIT GROUP CREATIVE TIME, ENCOURAGES PEOPLE TO GIVE KEYS TO OTHERS IN HONOR OF A CERTAIN DEED OR TRAIT. 'ONE TO ONE, ONE AT A TIME, THOUSANDS OF KEYS WILL BE BESTOWED BY THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE FOR PRIVATE REASONS THAT DESERVE TO BE RECOGNIZED', JONAS SAID. THE KEYS OPEN, AMONG OTHER PLACES, A CONCEALED DOOR TO AN EXHIBITION OF FABERGE JEWELS AT THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM AND A PRIVATE VEGETABLE PLOT AT A COMMUNITY GARDEN IN THE BRONX, SPOKESMAN NICHOLAS WEIST SAID RECENTLY. AT EDDIE'S SWEET SHOP, A 100 YEAR OLD CONFECTIONERY IN QUEENS, THE KEY UNLOCKS A BOX THAT CONTAINS A COUPON OFFERING AN EXTRA SCOOP OF ICE CREAM. AT THE CATHEDRAL OF ST JOHN THE DIVINE IN MANHATTAN, KEY HOLDERS CAN OPEN THE PADLOCKED CHAIN ON THE ENTRANCE GRILL TO THE BAPTISTERY, A GIFT FROM THE DESCENDANTS OF PETER STUYVESANT, THE LAST GOVERNOR OF NEW AMSTERDAM, NOW NEW YORK CITY. ANOTHER KEY OPENS A SECOND-FLOOR CLOSET IN THE MASTER BEDROOM OF GRACIE MANSION, THE OFFICIAL RESIDENCE OF NEW YORK'S MAYOR. BUT MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, WHO HELPED ANNOUNCE THE PROJECT, PROBABLY WON'T MIND, HE ACTUALLY LIVES AT A MANHATTAN TOWNHOUSE. THE PROJECT 'WILL PROVIDE NEW YORKERS WITH A NEW WAY TO EXPERIENCE SOME OF OUR CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS, CITY LANDMARKS AND SMALL BUSINESSES', THE MAYOR SAID IN A STATEMENT. THERE ARE ABOUT TWO DOZEN SITES THROUGHOUT THE FIVE BOROUGHS, WHICH MUST BE VISITED DURING OPENING HOURS. EACH MASTER KEY CAN OPEN ALL THE LOCKS. THE INITIAL PRODUCTION RUN IS 25,000 KEYS, BUT MORE WILL BE CREATED IF NEEDED TO MATCH THE DEMAND, WEIST SAID. JONAS, WHO LIVES IN NEW YORK, HAS CREATED OTHER PROJECTS USING A KEY, INCLUDING A PERMANENT PUBLIC ARTWORK IN CAMBRIDGE, MASS, IN WHICH 5,000 KEYS TO A PARK'S GATE WERE SENT TO SURROUNDING RESIDENTS TO SYMBOLIZE A SHARED SENSE OF OWNERSHIP.

ACTOR PATRICK STEWART IS KNIGHTED BY QUEEN ELIZABETH


HOLLYWOOD ACTOR SIR PATRICK STEWART HONORED THE MEMORY OF A FORMER TEACHER WHO SET HIM ON THE PATH TO ACTING AS HE WAS KNIGHTED BY THE QUEEN RECENTLY. THE STAR OF STAGE AND SCREEN SAID ENGLISH TEACHER CECIL DORMAND HAD ENCOURAGED HIM TO PERFORM AND CAST HIM IN HIS PLAY WITH ADULTS. WITHOUT THE BELIEF OF THE MAN WHOM THE ACTOR SHARED A CELEBRATORY LUNCH, HE WOULD NEVER BE WHERE HE WAS TODAY. THE AWARD WINNING PERFORMER IS BEST KNOWN FOR HIS SCI-FI ROLES IN STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION AND THE SUPERHERO X-MEN BLOCKBUSTER MOVIES AND SAID HE WAS HONORED TO BE IN THE COMPANY OF OTHER GREAT ACTOR KNIGHTS. SIR PATRICK WHO LOOKED SMART IN A DARK SUIT, SAID OF THE KNIGHTHOOD: 'IT WAS AN UNLOOKED-FOR HONOR BUT AS I GREW UP AS A CHILD, FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE THEATER AND SHAKESPEARE, MY HEROES WERE SIR LAURENCE OLIVIER, SIR JOHN GIELGUD, SIR ALEC GUINNESS. THE KNIGHTS OF THE THEATER REPRESENTED TO ME NOT ONLY THE PINNACLE OF THE PROFESSION BUT THE ESTEEM IN WHICH THE PROFESSION WAS HELD. AND NOW TO FIND MYSELF, TO MY ASTONISHMENT, IN THAT COMPANY IS THE GRANDEST THING THAT HAS PROFESSIONALLY HAPPENED TO ME.' THE QUEEN IS REPORTED TO BE A FAN OF THE STAR, WHO HAS ENJOYED A 50 YEAR CAREER IN MOVIES, TV, MOVIES AND THE THEATER, INCLUDING 16 YEARS WITH THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY.

GOLDEN GIRLS ACTRESS RUE MCCLANAHAN DIES AGED 76


RUE MCCLANAHAN, THE EMMY-WINNING ACTRESS WHO PLAYED SOUTHERN BELLE BLANCHE DEVEREAUX IN THE ACCLAIMED TELEVISION SERIES THE GOLDEN GIRLS, HAS DIED. HER MANAGER BARBARA LAWRENCE SAID MCCLANAHAN DIED OF A 'MASSIVE STROKE', AGED 76. SHE HAD UNDERGONE TREATMENT FOR BREAST CANCER IN 1997 AND LATER LECTURED TO CANCER SUPPORT GROUPS ON 'AGING GRACEFULLY'. IN 2009, SHE HAD HEART BYPASS SURGERY. MCCLANAHAN HAD AN ACTIVE CAREER IN OFF-BROADWAY AND REGIONAL THEATER IN THE 1960s BEFORE SHE WAS TAPPED FOR TV IN THE 1970s FOR THE BEST FRIEND CHARACTER ON THE HIT SERIES 'MAUDE', STARRING BEATRICE ARTHUR. AFTER THAT SERIES ENDED IN 1978, MCCLANAHAN LANDED THE ROLE AS AUNT FRAN ON 'MAMA'S FAMILY' IN 1983. BUT HER MOST LOVED ROLE CAME IN 1985 WHEN SHE CO-STARRED WITH ARTHUR, BETTY WHITE AND ESTELLE GETTY IN 'THE GOLDEN GIRLS', A RUNAWAY HIT THAT BROKE THE SITCOM MOLD BY FOCUSING ON THE FOIBLES OF FOUR AGING, AND FREQUENTLY ECCENTRIC, WOMEN LIVING TOGETHER IN MIAMI. 'THE GOLDEN GIRLS' AIMED TO SHOW 'THAT WHEN PEOPLE MATURE, THEY ADD LAYERS', SHE TOLD THE NEW YORK TIMES IN 1985. 'THEY DON'T TURN INTO OTHER CREATURES. THE TRUTH IS WE ALL STILL HAVE OUR CHILD, OUR ADOLESCENT, AND YOUR YOUNG WOMAN LIVING IN US.' FELLOW 'GOLDEN GIRL' BETTY WHITE CALLED MCCLANAHAN A CLOSE AND DEAR FRIEND. 'I TREASURED OUR RELATIONSHIP', SAID WHITE. 'IT HURTS MORE THAN I EVEN THOUGHT IT WOULD, IF THAT'S EVEN POSSIBLE.' MCCLANAHAN WON AN EMMY FOR HER WORK ON THE SHOW IN 1987. AFTER 'THE GOLDEN GIRLS' WAS CANCELED IN 1992, MCCLANAHAN, WHITE AND GETTY REPRISED THEIR ROLES IN A SHORT-LIVED SPINOFF, 'GOLDEN PALACE'.

3.6.10

RARE RENAISSANCE FOUNTAIN STOLEN


A HUNTING FRIEND OF THE PRINCE OF WALES HAS OFFERED A 'SUBSTANTIAL' REWARD AFTER THIEVES STOLE A RARE £150,000 RENAISSANCE WATER FOUNTAIN FROM HIS COUNTRY ESTATE. OWEN INSKIP A MULTI-MILLIONAIRE CHARTERED SURVEYOR, AND A FORMER SPECIAL ADVISER ON HOUSING TO DAVID CAMERON, DISCOVERED THE 18th CENTURY BRONZE ITALIAN FOUNTAIN MISSING ON SUNDAY. THIEVES FORCED THE ELECTRIC GATES OF HIS PROPERTY DURING THE NIGHT AND ESCAPED WITH THE 12ft TALL FAMILY HEIRLOOM, WHICH IS BELIEVED TO BE ONE OF ONLY TWO IN THE WORLD. INSKIP, WHO IS A FIELDMASTER FOR THE PRINCE'S FAVORITE HUNT, THE BEAUFORT, SAID HE FEARED THE PIECE MAY NOW HAVE BEEN MELTED DOWN FOR £100 OF SCRAP METAL. THE FATHER OF TWO WHO LIVES IN SISTON, GLOS, HAS OFFERED A 'LARGE, WORTHWHILE REWARD' FOR INFORMATION LEADING TO ITS RETURN. HE SAID: 'WE BELIEVE THE FOUNTAIN WAS STOLEN SOME TIME ON SATURDAY NIGHT. THE FOUNTAIN WASN'T IN SITU, IT WAS BEING STORED IN A LOCKED BARN, AND THERE MUST HAVE BEEN AT LEAST TWO OF THEM (THIEVES) TO LIFT IT OUT OF PLACE. IT'S A BIT OF A MYSTERY HOW THEY KNEW IT WAS THERE BUT THE POLICE THINK IT MAY HAVE BEEN AN OPPORTUNISTIC THEFT. WHAT REALLY WORRIES ME IS THAT THE FOUNTAIN MIGHT GET SOLD FOR SCRAP. IT'S VERY VALUABLE AND HAS BEEN IN MY FAMILY FOR 60 YEARS. IT'S OF HUGE SENTIMENTAL VALUE TO ME.' HE SAID HIS PARENTS BOUGHT IT AS AN EXTRA WHEN THEY PURCHASED A HOUSE IN HAMPSHIRE IN 1950. 'HE HAS BEEN WITH ME ALL MY LIFE', HE SAID. INSKIP, WHOSE SON TOM IS A FRIEND OF PRINCE HARRY, WAS ABROAD WHEN HE RECEIVED A CALL FROM HIS HOUSEKEEPER ON SUNDAY MORNING INFORMING HIM OF THE THEFT. THE FOUNTAIN, WHICH DEPICTS A NUMBER OF CHERUBS, WITH ONE SITTING ON A DOLPHIN, WAS NOT ASSEMBLED WHEN IT WAS STOLEN. INSKIP SAID HE DID NOT BELIEVE THAT THE FOUNTAIN WAS STOLEN TO ORDER BECAUSE THE THIEVES DID NOT TAKE THE HEAVY BRONZE LOWER BOWL. 'WITHOUT THE BOWL IT IS OF LIMITED VALUE, COMPLETE IT IS UNIQUE AND EXTRAORDINARILY VALUABLE', HE SAID.

FINDAPROPERTY.COM VALUES BRITAIN'S LANDMARKS


ACCORDING TO A RECENT SURVEY OF 500 ESTATE AGENTS, STONEHENGE WOULD COST AN ESTIMATED £51 MILLION. OTHER LANDMARKS INCLUDE 10 DOWNING STREET, PRICED AT £5.2 MILLION AND WINDSOR CASTLE, VALUED AS £390.9 MILLION. THE UNIQUE SURVEY CARRIED OUT BY PROPERTY WEBSITE FINDAPROPERTY.COM ALSO SUGGESTED BRIGHTON PAVILION IS VALUED AT £51.9 MILLION AND BLACKPOOL TOWER AT £60 MILLION. NIGEL LEWIS, A PROPERTY ANALYST AT FINDAPROPERTY.COM SAID: 'BASED ON THESE VALUATIONS, THE GOVERNMENT AND CROWN PROBABLY OWN ENOUGH LAND AND PROPERTY TO PAY DOWN THE NATIONAL DEBT PRETTY SIGNIFICANTLY. OF COURSE, WE KNOW THESE LANDMARKS WILL NEVER BE PUT UP FOR SALE, BUT WITH PROPERTY PRICES SHOOTING UP 10 PERCENT IN VALUE OVER THE PAST YEAR WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FUN TO SEE WHAT THE MARKET CONSENSUS WAS ABOUT THERE VALUES. IT'S QUITE A CHALLENGE FOR ESTATE AGENTS MORE USED TO VALUING SUBURBAN SEMIS TO PUT AN ACCURATE AMOUNT OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT AGENTS WE SPOKE TO.'

2.6.10

HAVERFORD COLLEGE RETURNS RARE DESCARTES DOCUMENT


A HISTORICALLY VALUABLE 17th CENTURY LETTER WAS HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT, AVAILABLE TO ALMOST ANYONE WHO CHECKED THE 'D' DRAWER OF THE LIBRARY CARD CATALOG AT HAVERFORD COLLEGE IN PENNSYLVANIA. 'DESCARTES, RENE (1596-1650) FRENCH PHILOSOPHER. 'MON REVEREND PERE' 27 MAY,1641 (?) (IN FRENCH)', READS THE HANDWRITTEN INDEX CARD. YET THE SIGNED MISSIVE FROM DESCARTES, A PIVOTAL FIGURE IN WESTERN PHILOSOPHY AND MATHEMATICS, HAD REMAINED UNNOTICED BY SCHOLARS AND HISTORIANS FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY UNTIL A HAVERFORD LIBRARIAN POSTED ITS EXISTENCE ONLINE LAST FALL. THE DISCOVERY OF THE FAMOUS, LONG-LOST LETTER AT FIRST SEEMED AN ARCHIVIST'S DREAM, BUT, IT BRIEFLY TURNED INTO A NIGHTMARE WHEN COLLEGE OFFICIALS REALIZED THE DOCUMENT HAD ILLICIT ORIGINS. THE HAPPY ENDING COMES NEXT WEEK WHEN HAVERFORD RETURNS THE LETTER TO ITS RIGHTFUL OWNER IN PARIS. 'WE'RE NOT IN THE BUSINESS OF KEEPING STOLEN PROPERTY', COLLEGE PRESIDENT STEPHEN EMERSON SAID. THE LETTER WAS ONE OF THOUSANDS PILFERED FROM THE FRENCH LIBRARIES IN THE 1800s BY GUGLIELMO LIBRI, THE DIRECTOR ENTRUSTED WITH THEIR CARE. HE WAS CONVICTED IN ABSENTIA OF SEVERAL THEFTS IN FRANCE IN 1850 BUT HAD ALREADY FLED TO ENGLAND, SELLING THE DOCUMENTS TO COLLECTORS AND BOOKSELLERS. SOMEHOW, DESCARTES' FOUR-PAGE, TIGHTLY SCRIPTED CORRESPONDENCE ENDED UP IN A 12,000 PIECE COLLECTION DONATED TO HAVERFORD IN 1902 BY THE WIDOW OF ALUMNUS CHARLES ROBERTS. COLLEGE OFFICIALS BELIEVE ROBERTS, WHO COLLECTED AUTOGRAPHS, HAD NO IDEA OF THE LETTER'S PROVENANCE. DESCARTES ('I THINK, THEREFORE I AM') HAD WRITTEN THE DISPATCH TO A PRIEST FRIEND TO DISCUSS HIS STRUGGLE WITH WHAT WOULD BECOME HIS SEMINAL BOOK, 'MEDITATIONS ON FIRST PHILOSOPHY'. IT IS NOW A BASIC TEXT FOR COLLEGE PHILOSOPHY STUDENTS. THE LETTER REMAINED INCONSPICUOUS AT HAVERFORD, AN ELITE LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE NEAR PHILADELPHIA, UNTIL THE HEAD OF COLLECTIONS POSTED AN INVENTORY OF THE ROBERTS' TROVE ONLINE. A DESCARTES RESEARCHER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF UTRECHT IN THE NETHERLANDS FOUND THE LISTING AND ASKED FOR A SCAN OF THE LETTER. FURTHER INVESTIGATION, INCLUDING AN ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT THAT APPEARED TO REVEAL WHERE LIBRI SCRAPED OFF A PROPERTY STAMP. EMERSON, THE COLLEGE PRESIDENT, IMMEDIATELY KNEW HE WANTED TO RETURN THE LETTER TO THE INSTITUT DE FRANCE. THE INSTITUTE'S CHANCELLOR WAS SO THRILLED HE OFFERED HAVERFORD A REWARD OF $19,000. EMERSON WILL ACCEPT THE GIFT AT THE 8.JUNE HANDOVER CEREMONY IN PARIS. THE MONEY WILL BE USED TO SUPPORT STUDENTS STUDYING FRENCH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE.

PRICELESS BY ROBERT K WITTMAN


THE WALL STREET JOURNAL CALLED HIM 'A LIVING LEGEND'. THE LONDON TIMES DUBBED HIM 'THE MOST FAMOUS ART DETECTIVE IN THE WORLD'. IN 'PRICELESS', ROBERT K WITTMAN, THE FOUNDER OF THE FBI'S ART CRIME TEAM, PULLS BACK THE CURTAIN ON HIS REMARKABLE CAREER FOR THE FIRST TIME, OFFERING A REAL-LIFE INTERNATIONAL THRILLER TO RIVAL THE THOMAS CRONE AFFAIR. RISING FROM HUMBLE ROOTS AS THE SON OF AN ANTIQUE DEALER, WITTMAN BUILT A TWENTY0YEAR CARER THAT WAS NOTHING SHORT OF EXTRAORDINARY. HE WENT UNDERCOVER, USUALLY UNARMED, TO CATCH ART THIEVES, SCAMMERS, AND BLACK MARKET TRADERS IN PARIS AND PHILADELPHIA, RIO AND SANTA FE, MIAMI AND MADRID. IN THIS PAGE TURNER MEMOIR, WITTMAN FASCINATES WITH THE STORIES BEHIND HIS RECOVERIES OF PRICELESS ART AND ANTIQUITIES: THE GOLDEN ARMOR OF AN ANCIENT PERUVIAN WARRIOR KING, THE RODIN SCULPTURE THAT INSPIRED THE IMPRESSIONIST MOVEMENT, THE HEADDRESS GERONIMO WORE AT HIS FINAL POW-WOW, AND A RARE CIVIL WAR BATTLE FLAG CARRIED INTO BATTLE BY ONE OF THE NATION'S FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN REGIMENTS. THE BREADTH OF WITTMAN'S EXPLOITS IS UNMATCHED, HE TRAVELED THE WORLD TO RESCUE PAINTINGS BY ROCKWELL, PISSARRO, MONET AND PICASSO, HE RECOVERED AN ORIGINAL COPY OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS AND CRACKED A SCAM THAT ROCKED THE PBS SERIES ANTIQUES ROADSHOW. BY THE FBI'S ACCOUNTING, WITTMAN SAVED HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF ART AND ANTIQUITIES. THE ART THIEVES AND SCAMMERS WITTMAN CAUGHT RUN THE GAMUT FROM RICH TO POOR, SMART TO FOOLISH, ORGANIZED CRIMINALS TO DESPERATE LONERS. THE SMUGGLER WHO BROUGHT HIM A LOOTED 16th CENTURY TREASURE TURNED OUT TO BE A HIGH-RANKING DIPLOMAT. THE APPRAISER WHO STOLE COUNTLESS HEIRLOOMS FROM WAR HEROES' DESCENDANTS WAS A SLICK, ARISTOCRAT CON MAN. THE MUSEUM JANITOR WHO MADE OFF WITH LOCKS OF GEORGE WASHINGTON'S HAIR JUST WANTED TO MAKE A FEW EXTRA BUCKS, FIGURING NO ONE WOULD MISS WHAT HE STOLE. IN HIS FINAL CASE, WITTMAN CALLED ON EVERY BIT OF KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE IN HIS ARSENAL TO TAKE ON HIS GREATEST CHALLENGE, WORKING UNDERCOVER TO TRACK THE VICIOUS CRIMINALS H=BEHIND WHAT MIGHT BE THE MOST AUDACIOUS ART THEFT OF ALL . . .

LOUIS VUITTON UNVEILS FIFA WORLD CUP TRAVEL CASE


AHEAD OF 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP SOUTH AFRICA, WHICH KICKS OFF ON 11.JUNE, LOUIS VUITTON TODAY UNVEILED THE TRAVEL CASE IT HAS CREATED TO HOLD FOOTBALL'S GREATEST PRIZE, THE FIFA WORLD CUP TROPHY. COMMISSIONED BY FIFA, THE SPECIAL ORDER CASE, HANDMADE BY A SINGLE MASTER CRAFTSMAN IN LOUIS VUITTON'S HISTORIC ASNIERES WORKSHOP NEAR PARIS, HAS BEEN METICULOUSLY DESIGNED TO ACCOMMODATE THE CELEBRATED TROPHY, WHICH MEASURES 36cm IN HEIGHT AND WEIGHS 6.175kg AND IS MADE IF SOLID 18 CARAT YELLOW GOLD WITH A BASE OF SEMI-PRECIOUS MALACHITE. COVERED IN LOUIS VUITTON'S ICONIC MONOGRAM CANVAS, THE TRAVEL CASE IS FITTED WITH THE COMPANY'S SIGNATURE BRASS LOCK AND CORNERS, AND HAS A DARK BROWN LINING THAT COMPLEMENTS THE TROPHY'S RICH GOLD. THE CASE OPENS AT THE FRONT AND AT THE TOP TO ALLOW THE TROPHY TO BE REMOVED EASILY WHEN, AT THE FINAL ON 11.JULY IN JOHANNESBURG, WATCHED BY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ACROSS THE GLOBE, IT WILL BE PRESENTED.

LOUIS VUITTON NEW BOND STREET LONDON




ON 28.MAY LOUIS VUITTON OPENED THE DOORS TO ITS LUXURIOUS NEW BOND STREET MAISON IN LONDON. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT DATE IN LOUIS VUITTON'S 125 YEAR ASSOCIATION WITH THE CITY OF LONDON, SINCE IT OPENED ITS FIRST STORE THERE IN 1885. THIS MAISON, WHICH REFLECTS LOUIS VUITTON'S RARE ART-DE-VIVRE AND SAVOIR-FAIRE, IS CONCEIVED AS THE HOME OF A COLLECTOR WHO LOVES ONLY THE BEST AND THE RAREST. NEW BOND STREET HAS BEEN THE HEART OF LOUIS VUITTON'S PRESENCE IN LONDON SINCE IT FIRST OPENED ITS DOORS THERE IN 1990. SINCE THE 18th CENTURY, WHEN AUCTION HOUSE FIRST ESTABLISHED THEMSELVES ON THE STREET, CLOSELY FOLLOWED BY JEWELRY AND FASHION BOUTIQUES, NEW BOND STREET HAS HAD A REPUTATION FOR SUPPLYING THE VERY BEST OF LUXURY GOODS AND IS TODAY ONE OF THE WORLD'S PREMIER LOCATIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL LUXURY BRANDS.




MCDONALD'S LAUNCHES FIRST GAY ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN IN FRANCE

MCDONALD'S HAS RECENTLY LAUNCHED ITS FIRST TELEVISION ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN TARGETING GAY MEN. THE FAST FOOD GIANT'S COMMERCIAL, WITH THE SLOGAN 'COME AS YOU ARE', HAS BEGUN TO AIR ON FRENCH TELEVISIONS. IT FEATURES A TEENAGER SITTING IN A MCDONALD'S RESTAURANT GAZING AT A PHOTO OF HIS GAY LOVER IN A CLASS PHOTO, THEN PHONING TO SAY HE 'MISSES HIM'. THE YOUTH'S FATHER THE RETURNS TO THE TABLE WITH A TRAY OF BURGERS, AND SAYS: 'IT'S A SHAME YOU'RE IN AN ALL BOYS COLLEGE. YOU WOULD HAVE HAD ALL THE GIRLS CHASING YOU.' THE SON THEN GIVES A KNOWING SMILE AS THEY TUCK IN TO THEIR FOOD. MCDONALD'S SAID THE UNIQUE AD WAS INTENDED TO SHOW THAT IT WELCOMED PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE. A YOUTUBE VERSION OF THE ADVERT WITH SUBTITLES HAS SO FAR BEEN VIEWED MORE THAN 220,000 TIMES IN COUNTRIES INCLUDING BRITAIN AND THE US, WHERE IT HAS NOT BEEN SCREENED.

1.6.10

JAMES BOND'S ASTON MARTIN TO BE SOLD AT AUCTION


THE ASTON MARTIN CAR THAT WAS FEATURED IN THE JAMES BOND FILM 'GOLDFINGER' IS EXPECTED TO SELL FOR £4 MILLION AT AUCTION. IT IS THE FIRST TIME THAT THE DB5 SPORTS CAR SEAN CONNERY DROVE IN THE HIT MOVIE HAS EVER COME ON THE OPEN MARKET. THE SILVER MOTOR COMES COMPLETE WITH THE FULL COMPLEMENT OF 'Q BRANCH' GADGETS INCLUDING MACHINE GUNS, BULLET-PROOF SHIELD, REVOLVING NUMBER PLATES, SMOKE SCREEN AND OIL SLICK. THESE SECRET DEVICES WERE DEPLOYED BY 007 WHEN HE WAS BEING PURSUED BY GOLDFINGER'S HENCHMEN IN THE 1964 FILM. ALL OF THE GADGETS ARE STILL IN FULL WORKING ORDER, ALTHOUGH THE MACHINE GUNS DO NOT FIRE FOR SAFETY REASONS. IT IS THE SAME CAR BOND ARRIVED IN AT AN ENGLISH GOLF COURSE TO PLAY HIS FAMOUS ROUND OF GOLF WITH GOLDFINGER. THE CAR, WHICH WAS ALSO FEATURED IN 1965s THUNDERBALL, WAS BOUGHT FROM ASTON MARTIN IN 1969 BY AMERICAN RADIO DJ JERRY LEE FOR $12,000. LEE, NOW A PHILANTHROPIST USED TO DRIVE IT AROUND IN THE 1970s BUT IT HAS BEEN HELD IN STORAGE FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS. HE IS NOW SELLING IT AT AUCTION IN LONDON, WITH THE PROCEEDS GOING TO THE JERRY LEE FOUNDATION. THE CAR, WHICH HAS THE NUMBER PLATE FMP 7B, IS IN PERFECT CONDITION AND HAS ABOUT 30,000 MILES ON THE CLOCK. PETER HAYNES, OF RM AUCTIONS, WHICH IS SELLING THE ASTON MARTIN, SAID: 'AFTER THE CAR WAS USED IN THUNDERBALL, ASTON MARTIN SOLD IT TO LEE WHO HAS OWNED IT EVER SINCE. THE AUCTION TAKES PLACE ON 7.OCTOBER AND HAYNES SAID THEY ARE EXPECTING HUGE INTEREST IN IT FROM AROUND THE WORLD.



ARTIST LOUISE BOURGEOIS DIES AT AGE 98


ARTIST LOUISE BOURGEOIS, WHOSE SCULPTURES EXPLORING WOMEN'S DEEPEST FEELINGS ON BIRTH, SEXUALITY AND DEATH WERE HIGHLY INFLUENTIAL ON YOUNGER ARTISTS, DIED MONDAY, HER STUDIO'S MANAGING DIRECTOR SAID. SHE WAS 98. BOURGEOIS HAD CONTINUED CREATING ARTWORK, HER LATEST PIECES WERE FINISHED JUST LAST WEEK, BEFORE SUFFERING A HEART ATTACK SATURDAY NIGHT, SAID THE STUDIO DIRECTOR, WENDY WILLIAMS. THE ARTIST DIED AT BETH ISRAEL MEDICAL CENTER IN MANHATTAN, WHERE SHE LIVED. WORKING IS A WIDE VARIETY OF MATERIALS, SHE TACKLED THEMES RELATING TO MALE AND FEMALE BODIES AND EMOTIONS OF ANGER, BETRAYAL, EVEN MURDER. HER WORK REFLECTED INFLUENCES OF SURREALISM, PRIMITIVISM AND EARLY MODERNIST SCULPTURES SUCH AS ALBERTO GIACOMETTI AND CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI. 'I REALLY WANT TO WORRY PEOPLE, TO BOTHER PEOPLE', SHE TOLD THE WASHINGTON POST IN 1984. BOURGEOIS' WORK WAS ALMOST UNKNOWN TO THE WIDER ART WORLD UNTIL SHE WAS 70, WHEN NEW YORK'S MUSEUM OF MODERN ART PRESENTED A SOLO SHOW OF HER CAREER IN 1982. AMONG THE HONORS COMING TO HER WAS A NATIONAL MEDAL OF ARTS, AWARDED BY PRESIDENT CLINTON IN 1997. IN OCTOBER, SHE WAS INDUCTED INTO THE NATIONAL WOMEN'S HALL OF FAME IN SENECA FALLS, NY. IN 2001, THOUSANDS OF TOURISTS SAW HER WORK 'SPIDERS' WHEN IT WAS EXHIBITED ON THE PLAZA AT ROCKEFELLER CENTER FOR 2 1/2 MONTHS AS PART OF A PUBLIC ART FUND PROGRAM TO PROMOTE OUTDOOR EXHIBITS IN NEW YORK. IT FEATURED A 30 FOOT HIGH SPIDER 'MAMAN' CARRYING A BASKET OF EGGS, FLANKED BY TWO SMALLER SPIDERS. IN 2007-08, AN ELABORATE RETROSPECTIVE OF HER CAREER, FROM THE 1940s ONWARD, WAS DISPLAYED AT THE TATE MODERN IN LONDON, THE GEORGES POMPIDOU CENTER IN PARIS AND THE SOLOMON R GUGGENHEIM IN NEW YORK. MEANWHILE, YOUNGER ARTISTS CITED HER AS AN INSPIRATION. BOURGEOIS WAS BORN IN PARIS IN 1911; HER PARENTS RN A BUSINESS RESTORING ANTIQUE TAPESTRIES. IN HER EARLY YEARS, SHE STUDIED AT THE ACADEMIE DES BEAUX-ARTS AND OTHER SCHOOLS AND STUDIOS. SHE MOVED TO NEW YORK IN 1938 AFTER MARRYING THE ART HISTORIAN ROBERT GOLDWATER AND BECAME AN AMERICAN CITIZEN IN 1955. A PROFESSOR OF ART HISTORY AT NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, GOLDWATER WAS ALSO DIRECTOR OF THE MUSEUM OF PRIMITIVE ART, ESTABLISHED IN 1957, AND WROTE A KEY BOOK ON THE TOPIC, 'PRIMITIVISM IN MODERN ART'. WHILE BOURGEOIS WORK SHOWS THE INFLUENCE OF PRIMITIVE ARTISTS, SHE WAS QUICK TO NOTE THAT HER WORK WAS NOT PRIMITIVE. HER HUSBAND DIED IN 1973. SHE IS SURVIVED BY TWO SONS, ALAIN AND JEAN-LOUIS, AS WELL AS TWO GRANDCHILDREN AND A GREAT-GRANDCHILD. A PRIVATE FUNERAL IS PLANNED FOR FAMILY MEMBERS.

A private funeral is planned for family members.

LIMITED EDITION GUCCI COLLECTION EXCLUSIVELY FOR CANNES, MONTE CARLO AND CAPRI


GUCCI HAS RECENTLY LAUNCHED A NEW LIMITED EDITION COLLECTION, EXCLUSIVELY AVAILABLE AT THE HOUSE'S BOUTIQUES IN CAPRI, MONTE CARLO AND CANNES; MAJOR DESTINATIONS FOR TOURISM AND INTERNATIONAL SHOPPING. THE STUNNING NEW COLLECTION IS CHARACTERIZED BY THREE DISTINCT COLOURS, WHICH DRAW INSPIRATION FROM THEIR CORRESPONDING CITY: CAPRI GREEN FOR CAPRI, SPORTING RED FOR MONTE CARLO, AND LILAC FOR CANNES.THE COLLECTION FEATURES FOUR ELEGANT ITEMS, TWO VERSION OF A CHIC SUNSET BAG, CANDLES AND A BEAUTY CLUTCH. THE SUNSET BAG IS MADE IN THE ICONIC ORIGINAL GG FABRIC WITH LEATHER TRIM, OR IN THE LEATHER CELLARIOUS VERSION. WHAT IS MORE, BOTH VERSIONS OF THE DOUBLE HANDLED BEACH SHOPPING BAGS COME WITH AN ADDRESS BOOK PERSONALIZED WITH THE BOUTIQUE'S NAME. THE BEAUTY CLUTCH ALSO IS MADE FROM THE ICONIC GG FABRIC WITH LEATHER TRIM AND IS THE PERFECT PRACTICAL ACCESSORY FOR MAKE-UP. AS FOR THE CANDLES, EACH BOUTIQUE FEATURES A DIFFERENT FRAGRANCE CANDLE: IRIS SATIN FOR CAPRI, LAVANDE BLANCHE FOR CANNES AND LA COLOGNE FOR MONTE CARLO. THE CANDLES ALL RESIDE IN A LEATHER CANDLE HOLDER THAT BEARS THE BOUTIQUE'S NAME. THE LIMITED EDITION COLLECTION WILL BE AVAILABLE FROM MAY UNTIL THE END OF SUMMER SEASON 2010.

31.5.10

WHITFIELD FINE ART PRESENTS 'CARAVAGGIO'S FRIENDS & FOES'


CARAVAGGIO WAS A MAN WHO MADE ENEMIES EASILY. A QUICK TEMPERED, INTOLERANT ARTISTIC GENIUS WHO WAS FOND OF A DRINK AND PRONE TO VIOLENCE, HE WAS FREQUENTLY IN TROUBLE WITH THE AUTHORITIES AND EVENTUALLY FLED ROME AFTER BEING ACCUSED OF MURDERING A FORMER FRIEND IN A GANG FIGHT. THIS UNCOUTH UPSTART ALSO OUTRAGED THE ARTISTIC ESTABLISHMENT BY BY-PASSING TRADITIONAL TRAINING METHODS AND GIVING YOUNG PAINTERS THE IDEA THAT ALL THEY HAD TO DO WAS PUT BRUSH TO PALETTE AND BARE CANVAS. YET HE ALSO HAD GREAT FRIENDS AND PASSIONATE FOLLOWERS AND HIS REVOLUTIONARY TECHNIQUES INSPIRED ARTISTS ACROSS EUROPE. THE EXTRAORDINARY RANGE OF EMOTIONS AROUSED BY CARAVAGGIO IS PORTRAYED IN 'CARAVAGGIO'S FRIENDS & FOES', A MAJOR LOAN EXHIBITION HELD BY WHITFIELD FINE ART THROUGH 23.JULY. THE EXHIBITION WHICH MARKS THE 400tH ANNIVERSARY OF CARAVAGGIO'S DEATH, INCLUDES PAINTINGS BY HIS DEADLY ENEMIES GIOVANNI BAGLIONE AND TOMMASO SALINI, HIS LOYAL FRIENDS LOUIS FINSON AND PROSPERO ORSI, THE PAINTERS ANTIVEDUTO GRAMMATICA AND CAVALIER D'ARPINO, WHOSE STUDENTS HE WORKED IN WHEN HE ARRIVED IN ROME, AND CLOSE FOLLOWERS SUCH AS LO SPADARINO, ORAZIO GENILESCHI AND SIMON VOUET. AMONG THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EXHIBITION AT THE WHITFIELD FINE ART ARE A MAGNIFICENT SELF PORTRAIT PAINTED IN 1606 BY GIOVANNI BAGLIONE, ARGUABLY CARAVAGGIO'S MOST BITTER ENEMY. BAGLIONE WAS IMPRESSED BY CARAVAGGIO'S TECHNIQUE AND THIS SELF-PORTRAIT SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN PAINTED TO TRY TO SHOW THAT HE COULD MACH HIS RIVAL'S SKILLS. IRONICALLY BAGLIONE WAS THE EARLIEST PUBLISHED BIOGRAPHER OF CARAVAGGIO YET HE WAS ANGERED BY THE SUCCESS OF SOMEONE WHO HAD NO EXPERIENCE OF PAINTING FIGURES AND HAD BY-PASSED THE TRADITIONAL TRAINING WHICH EARLY 17th CENTURY ARTISTS RECEIVED. BAGLIONE FAMOUSLY SUED CARAVAGGIO FOR LIBEL IN 1603 AFTER HE HAD CIRCULATED SATIRICAL POEMS ABOUT A PAINTING HE HAD DONE FOR A CHURCH IN ROME. CARAVAGGIO WAS JAILED BUT LATER RELEASED UNDER HOUSE ARREST.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.whitfieldfineart.com

MARBLE HOUSE TO DISPLAY GOTHIC ART COLLECTION


MARBLE HOUSE, NEWPORT, RI, OOZES LUXURIOUS DECADENCE AT EVERY CORNER, FROM THE 22 CARAT GOLD LEAF DECORATIONS TO THE CORINTHIAN COLUMNS AT THE FRONT ENTRANCE TO THE LAVISH CEILING PAINTINGS OF GREEK GODS. BUT FOR MORE THAN 80 YEARS, THE GILDED AGE MANSION HAS BEEN WITHOUT ONE OF ITS MOST TREASURED FEATURES; A VAST COLLECTION OF MORE THAN 300 OBJECTS OF MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE ART. THE WEALTHY VANDERBILT FAMILY BOUGHT THE WORKS IN PARIS AND DISPLAYED THEM FOR YEARS ON THE RED-SILK LINED WALLS OF THEIR MANSION'S APTLY NAMED GOTHIC ROOM. BUT AFTER THE HOUSE CLOSED IN 1925, THE ITEMS WERE SOLD TO ART COLLECTOR AND CIRCUS ENTREPRENEUR JOHN RINGLING AND TODAY BELONG TO A SARASOTA, FLA, MUSEUM BEARING THE RINGLING NAME. NOW NEWPORT VISITORS CAN SEE THE ITEMS IN THEIR ORIGINAL SETTING. THE JOHN AND MABLE RINGLING MUSEUM HAS LOANED THE COLLECTION TO MARBLE HOUSE THROUGH 31.OCTOBER. THE ITEMS, PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURES, BUSTS AND FURNITURE, HAVE BEEN REASSEMBLED IN THE GOTHIC ROOM AND DISPLAYED EXACTLY AS THEY WERE 100 YEARS AGO. MARBLE HOUSE IS AMONG THE MOST POPULAR OF NEWPORT'S MANSIONS, PALATIAL SUMMER HOMES BUILT FOR WEALTHY INDUSTRIALISTS IN THE LATE 19th CENTURY THAT TODAY RANK AMONG NEW ENGLAND'S MOST-VISITED ATTRACTIONS. INSPIRED BY GREEK ARCHITECTURE AND THE PETIT TRIANON AT VERSAILLES, THE HOME WAS COMPLETED IN 1892 FOR RAILROAD HEIR WILLIAM K VANDERBILT AND HIS WIFE, ALVA, A LOVER OF ART AND CULTURE WHO COLLECTED RENAISSANCE ART AT A TIME WHEN NOT MANY OTHER AMERICANS DID.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.newportmansions.org

TINTIN MEMORABILIA AUCTION FETCHED MORE THAN £870,000


A LIFESIZE BRONZE STATUE OF COMIC BOOK REPORTER TINTIN AND MORE THAN 200 OTHER ITEMS LINKED TO THE DIMINUTIVE GLOBETROTTER HAVE FETCHED MORE THAN £870,000 AT A PARIS AUCTION. THE MOST EXPENSIVE LOT WAS TWO INK AND WATERCOLOUR ORIGINAL PANELS FROM THE 1938 KING OTTOKAR'S SCEPTRE ALBUM, WHICH WENT FOR £211,974. THE BRONZE STATUE, SHOWING TININ WITH HIS HANDS IN HIS POCKETS AND DOG SNOWY AT HIS SIDE, WENT FOR £108,705 IN THE SATURDAY AUCTION AT THE DROUT-MONTAIGNE AUCTION HOUSE. BELGIAN ARTIST HERGE'S ADVENTURES OF TINTIN HAVE BEEN TRANSLATED INTO NEARLY 80 LANGUAGES AND SOLD MORE THAN 200 MILLION BOOKS SINCE 1929. RACIAL AND CULTURAL STEREOTYPES IN BOOKS SUCH AS TINTIN IN THE CONGO HAVE PROMPTED CRITICISM, BUT DEMAND FOR TINTIN ARTIFACTS REMAINS STRONG.

30.5.10

QUEEN SOPHIA OF SPAIN STUMBLES



AS A MEMBER OF ONE OF EUROPE'S OLDEST ROYAL FAMILIES, GRACE AND POISE SHOULD COME NATURALLY. UNFORTUNATELY FOR QUEEN SOFIA, HOWEVER, THE LATTER IS SOMETHING SHE DOES NOT POSSESS IN SUCH ABUNDANT QUANTITIES. HER FAMOUS STUMBLE AT THE WHITE HOUSE, WITH PRESIDENT CLINTON COMING TO THE RESCUE, AS SHE ASCENDED THE STEPS DURING HER VISIT TO WASHINGTON IN 2002. NOW QUEEN SOFIA HAS DONE IT AGAIN. AT A RECENT PARADE MARKING SPANISH ARMED FORCES DAY IN BADAJOZ, IN SOUTHERN SPAIN NEAR THE PORTUGUESE BORDER, THE 71 YEAR OLD VENTURED TO WAVE TO THE SOLDIERS AND LOYAL SUBJECTS WAITING IN THE CROWD. BUT, WITHIN A SPLIT SECOND, SHE STUMBLED, LEAVING AIDS TO RUSH FORWARD TO HELP. LUCKILY, HER DUTIFUL HUSBAND KING JUAN CARLOS I WAS ABLE TO STOP HER FALLING TO THE GROUND AS HE GRABBED HER ARM. SHE HAD THE GOOD GRACE AFTERWARD, THOUGH, SMILE AND WAVE BACK TO THE CROWD, PROVING POISE IS PERHAPS AN UNDERRATED QUALITY.

CAVIAR VENDING MACHINES APPEAR IN MOSCOW


RUSSIA'S FAMOUSLY FEATHER-BEDDED CIVIL SERVANTS RECEIVED A UNUSUAL AND UNIQUE NEW PERK: A CAVIAR VENDING MACHINE. A SHINY RED DISPENSER THAT LOOKS LIKE A SOFT DRINKS MACHINE HAS BEEN INSTALLED IN THE MOSCOW MAYOR'S OFFICE WITH MORE TO FOLLOW IN THE COUNTRY'S PARLIAMENT. THE FIRM BEHIND THE LUXURY DISPENSER SAYS 33 SUCH MACHINES HAVE BEEN INSTALLED ACROSS THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL IN GOVERNMENT MINISTRIES AND UPSCALE OFFICE BLOCKS. THE MACHINE DISPENSES TINS AND GLASS JARS FULL OF RED SALMON CAVIAR, IN VARYING PORTION SIZES, COSTING FROM THE EQUIVALENT OF ABOUT £3.50 UP TO £15. THE MORE SOUGHT AFTER STURGEON CAVIAR, VARIETIES OF WHICH HAVE BEEN HUNTED TO THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION AND COMMAND A MUCH HIGHER PRICE TAG, IS NOT FOR SALE IN THE MACHINES. BUT AT A TIME WHEN RUSSIA IS STILL EMERGING FROM A DEEP ECONOMIC CRISIS, PUBLICITY ABOUT THE DISPENSERS IS LIKELY TO ANGER MANY. RUSSIANS TRADITIONALLY LOVE CAVIAR, SIEVED AND SLIGHTLY SALTED FISH EGGS, AND SPREAD THE CHEAPER RED VARIETY ON BUTTERED BREAD, WASHING IT DOWN WITH SPARKLING SOVIET 'CHAMPAGNE' ON SPECIAL OCCASIONS. BUT THE MOST EXPENSIVE BLACK VARIETY IS TOO EXPENSIVE FOR MOST RUSSIANS AND ANNUAL SALES OF WILD BLACK CAVIAR ARE LIMITED TO ABOUT NINE TONS EACH YEAR. THE MOSCOW MAYORALTY'S CAVIAR DISPENSER APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN AN EARLY VICTIM OF ITS OWN POPULARITY, IT WAS REPORTED BROKEN DOWN RECENTLY AND WAS IN 'URGENT NEED OF REPAIR'.

ASSOULINE PRESENTS THE FANCY COLOUR DIAMOND BOOK


ASSOULINE HAS RECENTLY RELEASED A STUNNING NEW BOOK WHICH COMBINES THE ULTIMATE COMBINATION OF A PRACTICAL MANUAL ON THE FANCY COLOURED DIAMONDS FOR BOTH CUSTOMERS AND PROFESSIONALS. THE FANCY COLOUR DIAMOND BOOK FEATURES 231 PAGES AND PROVIDES THE READER WITH VAST AMOUNTS OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE RANGE OF COLOURS AVAILABLE, THE CHALLENGES FACED WITH CUTTING COLOURED DIAMONDS AND THE ROLE OF FLUORESCENCE TO DETERMINE THE TRUE VALUE OF A COLOUR DIAMOND. THE BOOK INCLUDES DETAILED PHOTOGRAPHS OF SOME OF THE WORLDS GREATEST FANCY COLOURED DIAMONDS, A FANCY COLOUR DIAMOND VALUE SCALE COMPARISON. IT IS PRICED AT $220 AND IS AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH ASSOULINE.

QUEEN ELIZABETH WILL MISS THIS YEAR'S COMMONWEALTH GAMES


THE QUEEN WILL MISS THIS YEAR'S COMMONWEALTH GAMES, FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE ENGLAND WON THE WORLD'S CUP. SOURCES AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE SAY THAT IT'S DUE TO THE HEAVY WORKLOAD AND THE PRINCE CHARLES WILL REPRESENT THE ROYAL FAMILY IN INDIA. THE MESSAGE OF SUPPORT FROM THE MONARCH TO THE ATHLETES WILL BE READ OUT. IT IS THOUGHT TO BE TE FIRST TIME SINCE 1966, THE YEARS OF ENGLAND'S ONLY FOOTBALLING WORLD CUP TRIUMPH, THAT THE QUEEN WILL NOT BE ATTENDING ANY PART OF TE EVENT. THE PALACE SPOKESMAN CONFIRMED THAT THE QUEEN HAD A FULL SCHEDULE OF APPOINTMENTS DURING THE AUTUMN WHICH DID NOT INCLUDE A STATE VISIT TO DELHI IN OCTOBER. HE SAID: 'IT IS CORRECT TO SAY THAT THE QUEEN WILL NOT BE ATTENDING THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES THIS YEAR. THE SHEER VOLUME OF ENGAGEMENTS THIS AUTUMN, COUPLED WITH OTHER OVERSEAS VISITS, MEANS SHE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ATTEND.' THE BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION IN DELHI INSISTED IT WAS 'DELIGHTED' THAT PRINCE CHARLES WOULD REPRESENT HER MAJESTY AT THE OPENING CEREMONY ON 3.OCTOBER. THE QUEEN DESCRIBED THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES AS A 'GREAT SPORTING CELEBRATION' DURING HER SPEECH TO OPEN THE PREVIOUS GAMES IN MELBOURNE IN 2006. SHE SAID: 'THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES ARE A PRODUCT OF OUR UNIQUE ORGANIZATION AS WELL AS A TANGIBLE EXAMPLE OF THE VALUE OF THE PARTNERSHIP OF PEOPLES.' MEANWHILE, THE ENGLAND TEAM'S ANTHEM FOR THIS YEAR'S EVENT IS SET TO CHANGE AFTER A NATIONAL POLL FOUND JERUSALEM WAS NOW THE MOST POPULAR CHOICE. ATHLETES HAVE STOOD TO ATTENTION FOR THE STIRRING LAND OF HOPE AND GLORY FOR THE PAST 40 YEARS SINCE IT REPLACED GOD SAVE THE QUEEN. BUT JERUSALEM, TAKEN FROM A WILLIAM BLAKE POEM, ATTRACTED 53% OF THE VOTE IN A YOUGOV SURVEY.ENGLAND'S WORLD 1500mm SILVER MEDALIST LISA DOBRISKEY SAID: 'IT IS A VERY POWERFUL PIECE OF MUSIC THAT IS CAPABLE OF EVOKING DEEP FEELINGS OF PRIDE AND PATRIOTISM. WE HOPE IT WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE SOUNDS OF SUCCESS THIS SUMMER.' LAND OF HOPE AND GLORY GARNERED 35% OF VOTES WHILE GOD SAVE THE QUEEN WAS PREFERRED BY JUST 12% OF THOSE TAKING PART IN THE POLL. HOWEVER, THE TRADITIONAL GOD SAVE THE QUEEN WILL BE PLAYED BEFORE EACH OF ENGLAND'S MATCHES AT NEXT MONTH'S FOOTBALL WORLD CUP IN SOUTH AFRICA.

DENNIS HOPPER DIES AGED 74


DENNIS HOPPER, THE HOLLYWOOD HELLRAISER WHOSE SCREEN PERFORMANCES IN SUCH FILMS AS 'EASY RIDER' CAPTURED THE SPIRIT OF A GENERATION, HAS DIED AT THE AGE OF 74. THE ACTOR DIED AT HIS HOME IN VENICE, CALIFORNIA, SURROUNDED BY HIS FAMILY AND CLOSE FRIENDS, AFTER HAVING SUFFERED FOR SOME TIME FROM TERMINAL PROSTATE CANCER. WITH A GRAVELLY VOICE AND A MENACING APPEARANCE, HE WAS ONE OF THE MOST DISTINCTIVE ACTORS OF HIS ERA. HE WAS ALSO A SUPREMELY GIFTED DIRECTOR. WHILE HIS HEYDAY WAS IN THE 60s AND 70s, HE REINVIGORATED HIS CAREER IN LATER LIFE, PLAYING 'BADDIES' IN FILMS SUCH AS BLUE VELVET AND SPEED. LIKE MANY OF THE GREAT STARS, HE LEARNED HIS TRADE IN THE ACTORS STUDIO, MAKING HIS DEBUT TELEVISION APPEARANCE IN 1955 AND HIS FILM DEBUT IN REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, STARRING JAMES DEAN, IN THE SAME YEAR. HE CAME TO PROMINENCE IN THE CULT CLASSIC EASY RIDER, WHICH HE ALSO DIRECTED WITH GREAT SUCCESS. THE FILM ALSO STARRING PETER FONDA AND JACK NICHOLSON IS PERHAPS THE GREATEST, AND CERTAINLY BEST KNOWN, OF AMERICAN ROAD MOVIES. THE FILM WON AN AWARD AT CANNES WHILE HOPPER WAS NOMINATED FOR AN OSCAR FOR BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY. HE NEVER REALLY REACHED SUCH HEIGHTS AGAIN ALTHOUGH HE WENT ON TO ENJOY CRITICAL ACCLAIM IN APOCALYPSE NOW, PLAYING A MANIC PHOTOJOURNALIST, WHILE IN RECENT YEARS HE BECAME KNOWN TO YOUNGER AUDIENCES FOR INTENSE PERFORMANCES IN THE ACTION MOVIE SPEED, WHERE HE PLAYED A BOMBER TERRORIZING A BUS FULL OF PASSENGERS, AND TRUE ROMANCE. IN MARCH THIS YEAR HE RECEIVED HIS OWN STAR ON THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME, THE 2,403rd STAR ON HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD. HOOPER WAS ALSO A PROLIFIC PHOTOGRAPHER, PAINTER, AND SCULPTOR WHOSE WORKS WERE EXHIBITED WORLDWIDE. OFF-SCREEN HIS LIFE WAS EVERY BIT AS COLOURFUL AS THE MOVIES HE MADE. HE HAD RECENTLY BEEN INVOLVED IN A BITTER DIVORCE CASE AGAINST VICTORIA DUFFY-HOOPER, WHO HAD BEEN HIS WIFE OF 14 YEARS.