CHRISTIE'S TO SELL ROY ROGERS' COLLECTION

THE SMELL OF HORSES AND HAY PERMEATED THE MARBLE-FLOORED GALLERIES AT CHRISTIE'S IN MANHATTAN FRIDAY AS POTENTIAL BIDDERS PREVIEWED ITEMS INCLUDING THE PRESERVED REMAINS OF MOVIE COWBOY ROY ROGERS' FAMOUS HORSE TRIGGER. THE AUCTION HOUSE IS SELLING ITEMS FROM THE NOW-CLOSED ROY ROGERS AND DALE EVANS MUSEUM IN BRANSON, MO, NEXT WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. UNLIKE THE FINE FURNITURE, PAINTINGS AND JEWELRY THAT CHRISTIE'S IS FAMOUS FOR, THE CENTERPIECE OF THE AUCTION IS A STUFFED AND MOUNTED HORSE REARING ON ITS HIND LEGS. IT ALSO WILL FEATURE ANOTHER TYPE OF HORSEPOWER, ROGERS' 1964 BONNEVILLE CONVERTIBLE ADORNED WITH COLLECTIBLE SILVER DOLLARS, ITS DOOR HANDLES AND GEAR SHIFT REPLACED BY SILVER-PLATED PISTOLS. THE CAR IS ESTIMATED TO DRAW $100,000 TO $150,000. TRIGGER IS EXPECTED TO FETCH $100,000 TO $200,000. OTHER ITEMS FOR SALE INCLUDE: ROGERS' AND EVANS' PERFORMANCE OUTFITS; THE PRESERVED REMAINS OF ROGERS' DOG, BULLET; ABOUT 60 PAIRS OF COWBOY BOOTS; THE ROGERS' FAMILY DINING TABLE; AND THE JEEP 'NELLYBELLE' FROM THE ROY ROGERS TV SHOW. HUNDREDS OF ITEMS WILL BE OFFERED FOR SALE, MANY OF THEM WITH ESTIMATED PRICES IN THE LOW HUNDREDS. HAND-DRAWN MUSIC FOR THE THEME SONG 'HAPPY TRAILS' HAS A PRE-SALE ESTIMATE OF $300 TO $500. SO DOES A GROUPING OF TWO ROGERS' GUITARS. CATHY ELKIES, CHRISTIE'S DIRECTOR OF ICONIC COLLECTIONS, SAID THE ESTIMATES ARE BASED ON THE INTRINSIC VALUE OF THE ITEMS, BUT PRICES COULD GO MUCH HIGHER. CHRISTIE'S HAS BEEN OVERWHELMED WITH CALLS FROM EVERYONE FROM MUSEUM REPRESENTATIVES TO ROY ROGERS FANS WHO WANTED A PIECES OF THE KING OF THE COWBOYS.

BOSTON TEA PARTY SHIP TO REOPEN

ONE OF THE PIVOTAL EVENTS THAT LEAD UP TO THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION WAS THE BOSTON TEA PARTY, WHICH WAS EVENTUALLY COMMEMORATED WITH A ONCE POPULAR TOURIST SITE IN BOSTON HARBOR. A RECREATION OF THE 18th CENTURY BRITISH TALL SHIP, THE BRIG BEAVER, THAT WAS RAIDED BY COLONIAL PROTESTERS ON 16.DECEMBER.1773, DREW OVER 400,000 VISITORS YEARLY. THE HISTORIC SITE EVENTUALLY FELL INTO DISREPAIR AND WAS FOR THE MOST PART ABANDONED BY VISITING TOURISTS. A FIRE CAUSED BY LIGHTNING FORCED THE MUSEUM TO CLOSE IN 2001. HISTORIC TOURS OF AMERICA HAS TAKEN OWNERSHIP OF THE HISTORIC SITE AND RECENTLY SECURED FINANCING FOR AN ESTIMATED $22 MILLION TO $24 MILLION NEW BOSTON TEA PARTY SHIPS & MUSEUM. TWO REPLICA TALL SHIPS, EXHIBITS, LIVING HISTORIC PROGRAMS, MEMORABILIA, A TEA ROOM, AND MORE ARE SLATED TO OPEN IN THE FALL OF 2011 OR EARLY 2012. A THIRD BRIG, THE ELEANOR, WILL BE ADDED IN A FEW YEARS. AMONG THE RELICS TO BE DISPLAYED IS THE REDISCOVERED ROBINSON HALF CHEST, ONE OF ONLY TWO KNOWN SURVIVING TEA CHESTS DUMPED OVERBOARD DURING THE 1773 TEA PARTY UPRISING.

VEUVE CLICQUOT FRIDGE BOX

ONCE AGAIN, VEUVE CLICQUOT TRUSTS THE MULTI-TALENTED DENIS BOUDARD OF OSLD PARIS, TO CREATE ITS STUNNING NEW GIFT BOX CREATION: THE VEUVE CLIQUOT FRIDGE. THE NEW VEUVE CLICQUOT FRIDGE WILL KEEP THE BRUT YELLOW FRESH AND COLD FOR UP TO 2 HOURS. IT IS HANDY, FORWARD-LOOKING AND AESTHETICALLY APPEALING. IT UNDERLINES THE BRAND'S SEARCH FOR EXCELLENCE AND UNIQUE VISION ABOUT INNOVATION ALWAYS COMBINED WITH THE FINEST CHAMPAGNES.

TREASURE HUNTER FINDS HOARD OF 52,500 ROMAN COINS

A TREASURE HUNTER HAS FOUND AN IMMENSE CACHE OF ABOUT 52,500 ROMAN COINS DATING TO THE 3rd CENTURY AD, ONE OF THE LARGEST FINDS EVER IN BRITAIN, OFFICIALS SAID THURSDAY. THE HOARD, WHICH WAS VALUED AT £3.3 MILLION, INCLUDES HUNDREDS OF COINS BEARING THE IMAGE OF MARCUS AURELIUS CARAUSIUS, WHO SEIZED POWER IN BRITAIN AND NORTHERN FRANCE IN THE LATE 3rd CENTURY AND PROCLAIMED HIMSELF EMPEROR. DAVE CRISP, A TREASURE HUNTER USING A METAL DETECTOR, LOCATED THE COINS IN APRIL IN A FIELD IN SOUTHWESTERN ENGLAND, ACCORDING TO THE SOMERSET COUNTY COUNCIL AND THE PORTABLE ANTIQUITIES SCHEME. THE COINS WERE BURIED IN A LARGE JAR ABOUT A FOOT DEEP AND WEIGHED ABOUT 350 POUNDS IN ALL. CRISP SAID A 'FUNNY SIGNAL' FROM HIS METAL DETECTOR PROMPTED HIM TO START DIGGING. 'I PUT MY HAND IN, PULLED OUT A BIT OF CLAY AND THERE WAS A LITTLE RADIAL, A LITTLE BRONZE ROMAN COIN, VERY, VERY SMALL, ABOUT THE SIZE OF MY FINGERNAIL', CRISP SAID IN AN INTERVIEW WITH THE BBC. HE RECOVERED ABOUT 20 COINS BEFORE DISCOVERING THAT THEY WERE IN A POT, AND REALIZED HE NEEDED HELP. SOMERSET CORONER TONY WILLIAMS SCHEDULED AN INQUEST THURSDAY TO FORMALLY DETERMINE WHETHER THE FIND IS SUBJECT TO THE TREASURE ACT, A FORMAL STEP TOWARD DETERMINING A PRICE TO BE PAID BY ANY INSTITUTION WHICH WISHES TO ACQUIRE THE HOARD. THE HOARD IS ONE OF THE LARGEST EVER FOUND IN BRITAIN, AND WILL REVEAL MORE ABOUT THE NATION'S HISTORY IN THE THIRD CENTURY, SAID ROGER BLAND, OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. THE FIND INCLUDES MORE THAN 750 COINS FROM THE REIGN OF CARAUSIUS, THE ROMAN NAVAL OFFICER WHO SEIZED POWER IN 286 AND RULED UNTIL HE WAS ASSASSINATED IN 293. THE DISCOVERY OF THE ROMAN COINS FOLLOWS LAST YEAR'S DISCOVERY OF A HOARD OF ANGLO-SAXON COINS IN CENTRAL ENGLAND. THE SO-CALLED STAFFORDSHIRE HOARD INCLUDED MORE THAN 1,500 OBJECTS, MOSTLY MADE FORM GOLD. THE PORTABLE ANTIQUITIES SCHEME IS A DEPARTMENT OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM WHICH DEALS WITH TREASURE FINDS.

HERMES CARRE H WATCH

FAMED FRENCH LUXURY HOUSE HERMES HAS RECENTLY RELEASED A STUNNING NEW WATCH IN COLLABORATION WITH ARCHITECT MARC BERTHIER ITS NEW CARRE H WATCH. THE CARRE H WATCH FEATURES A GIRARD PERREGAUX AUTOMATIC CALIBER GP3200 MOVEMENT WHICH BOASTS A POWER RESERVE OF UP TO FORTY FOUR HOURS. THE OVER-SIZED SQUARE CASE IS MADE OF TITANIUM AND FEATURES LARGE DEFINED CURVES, THE WATCH IS AVAILABLE FOR $15,000 AND IS SOLD EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH HERMES BOUTIQUES IN LIMITED QUANTITIES.

THE QUEEN IS TO BECOME A GREAT-GRANDMOTHER FOR THE FIRST TIME

PRINCESS ANNE'S SON PETER PHILLIPS AND HIS WIFE AUTUMN ARE EXPECTING THEIR FIRST CHILD IN DECEMBER, BUCKINGHAM PALACE RECENTLY CONFIRMED. THE QUEEN IS SAID TO BE OVERJOYED AFTER LEARNING THAT SHE IS TO BECOME A GREAT-GRANDMOTHER FOR THE FIRST TIME. PHILLIPS AND HIS CANADIAN-BORN WIFE SAID IN A STATEMENT: 'PETER AND AUTUMN PHILIPS ARE DELIGHTED TO CONFIRM THEY ARE EXPECTING A BABY IN DECEMBER. THE QUEEN AND THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH AS WELL AS AUTUMN'S FAMILY HAVE BEEN INFORMED AND ARE DELIGHTED WITH THE NEWS.' ALTHOUGH HE IS 11th TO THE THRONE, PHILLIPS DOES NOT HAVE A ROYAL TITLE AS HIS MOTHER DECLINED TO GIVE HER CHILDREN THE HRH TITLE AT BIRTH. AUTUMN WAS BORN AND BROUGHT UP A ROMAN CATHOLIC BUT RENOUNCED HER FAITH SHORTLY BEFORE THEIR WEDDING IN MAY 2008, SO HER HUSBAND TO BE DID NOT HAVE TO GIVE UP HIS CLAIM TO THE THRONE. THE COUPLE ARE LIVING IN HONG KONG WHERE PHILLIPS WORKS IN THE SPONSORSHIP DIVISION OF THE ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND. IT IS NOT KNOWN IF THEY WILL RETURN TO THE UK FOR THE BIRTH. THEIR DECISION TO ACCEPT £500,000 FROM HELLO! MAGAZINE FOR EXCLUSIVE USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS OF THEIR WEDDING CEREMONY, FEATURING THE QUEEN, PRINCE CHARLES, AND PRINCE HARRY, CAUSED CONTROVERSY TWO YEARS AGO. SEVERAL SENIOR MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY EXPRESSED THEIR DISPLEASURE AND BUCKINGHAM PALACE LATER MADE CLEAR THAT IT REGARDED THE SALE AS A SERIOUS ERROR OF JUDGMENT. THE QUEEN HERSELF ALLOWED THE COUPLE TO USE FROGMORE HOUSE AT WINDSOR FOR THE RECEPTION FOR FREE OF CHARGE. THE COUPLE HAVE SINCE MADE AMENDS, HOWEVER, AND HAVE BEN INVITED TO JOIN THE ROYAL FAMILY FOR THEIR RECENT CHRISTMAS GATHERINGS AT SANDRINGHAM.

J PAUL GETTY MUSEUM ACQUIRES TURNER PAINTING FOR $45.10 MILLION

THE J PAUL GETTY MUSEUM ANNOUNCED RECENTLY THAT IT MADE A SUCCESSFUL BID OF $45.10 MILLION, AT AUCTION ON JMW TURNER'S MASTERPIECE PAINTING 'MODERN ROME - CAMPO VACCINO'. THE AUCTION TOOK PLACE AT SOTHEBY'S IN LONDON ON 7.JULY. ONE OF THE GREATEST PAINTINGS BY TURNER TO COME ON THE MARKET, 'MODERN ROME - CAMPO VACCINO' HAS ONLY HAD TWO PREVIOUS OWNERS IN ITS 171 YEAR HISTORY AND WAS MOST RECENTLY ON VIEW AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF SCOTLAND WHERE IT WAS ON LONG-TERM LOAN. IT IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION, VIRTUALLY UNTOUCHED SINCE TURNER FINISHED IT, AND STILL IN ITS ORIGINAL FRAME. TURNER'S PAINTING SHOWS A VIEW OF ROME FROM THE CAPITOLINE HILL, AS IF LOOKING FROM HIGH IN THE AIR DOWN UPON THE CAMPO VACCINO IN THE CENTER OF OLD ROME, REVEALING THE NOBLE RUINS SURROUNDING THE ANCIENT FORUM AND A NUMBER OF STILL-ACTIVE BAROQUE CHURCHES. IN THE FOREGROUND, THE SCENE IS TEMPORARILY OCCUPIED BY A GROUP OF CONTEMPORARY WOMEN, THEIR CHILDREN AND GOATS AND A GATHERING OF MONKS IN FRONT OF THE CHURCH OF SANTI LUCA E MARTINA. 'MODERN ROME -CAMPO VACCINO' JOINS THREE OTHER WORKS BY TURNER ALREADY IN THE GETTY MUSEUM'S COLLECTION. ONE OF TURNER'S MOST IMPORTANT HISTORICAL PAINTINGS, 'VAN TROMP, GOING ABOUT TO PLEASE HIS MASTERS, SHIPS A SEA, GETTING A GOOD WETTING', WAS ACQUIRED BY THE MUSEUM IN 1993. THE MUSEUM ALSO OWNS TWO WATERCOLOURS BY THE ARTIST: CONWAY CASTLE, NORTH WALES AND 'LONG SHIPS LIGHTHOUSE, LAND'S END'.

RARE 235 YEAR OLD MUG TO SELL FOR £5,500-£7,500 AT AUCTION

A COFFEE MUG WITH SEVERAL CHIPS AND TWO LARGE CRACKS IS EXPECTED TO SELL FOR £7,500 AT AUCTION. ALTHOUGH IT MAY APPEAR TO BE A LARGE SUM FOR A MUG, IT HAS CAUSED GREAT EXCITEMENT IN THE ANTIQUES WORLD AFTER IT WAS REVEALED TO BE OVER 235 YEARS OLD AND THE EARLIEST EXAMPLE OF RENOWNED LOWESTOFT PORCELAIN. IT WAS UNCOVERED BY AUCTIONEER RUSSELL SPRAKE WHO WAS ASKED TO EXAMINE IT BY A COLLECTOR WHO HAS OWNED IT FOR MANY TEARS. SPRAKE HAS PUT A CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATE OF £5,500, BUT EXPECTS IT TO SELL FOR £7,500 AND MAYBE MORE THAN THAT. HE SAID: 'YES IT HAS SOME CHIPS IN IT AND TWO LARGE CRACKS BUT AT LEST THE HANDLE IS STILL THERE. IT MAY LOOK LIKE THE SORT OF MUG THAT PEOPLE HAVE KEPT IN THEIR KITCHEN CUPBOARDS FOR YEARS AND YEARS BUT THIS IS A THING OF BEAUTY. IT IS QUITE UNIQUE AND YOU WILL STRUGGLE TO FIND ANYTHING LIKE IT ANYWHERE. IT IS THE EARLIEST SURVIVING PIECE OF LOWESTOFT PORCELAIN AND IS EXCEPTIONALLY RARE.' THE 3.5 INCH HIGH MUG WAS DECORATED BY CELEBRATED ARTIST ROBERT ALLEN AND HAS THE IMAGE OF A FARMER WITH A HORSE AND PLOUGH DELICATELY PAINTED ON IT. BELOW THE RURAL SCENE ARE THE WORDS 'GOD SPEED YE PLOUGH'. LOWESTOFT PORCELAIN IN KNOWN FOR ITS CHINESE-BLUE AND WHITE COLOURING BUT SOME OF THE VERY EARLY WORK, LIKE THE MUG, USED POLYCHROME TECHNIQUES. SPRAKE SAID: 'IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A LOCAL, RURAL SCENE AND ONE THAT WAS SO TYPICAL OF ROBERT ALLEN. AS WELL AS THE HORSE AND PLOUGH THERE IS A LANDSCAPE OF COTTAGES, A FENCED GARDEN AND A DISTANT WINDMILL ON A HILL AGAINST A BLUE SKY. IT WAS VERY DELICATELY PAINTED USING A VERY, VERY FINE BRUSH. IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL THAT IF YOU PICK IT UP YOU FIND YOURSELF UNABLE TO PUT IT DOWN AGAIN. I HAVE PUT AN ESTIMATE OF £5,500 ON IT BUT I'M SURE IT WILL MAKE £7,500 AND UPWARDS.' ROBERT ALLEN STARTED WORK AT THE LOWESTOFT PORCELAIN FACTORY IN 1758 AT THE AGE OF JUST 12. HE WENT ON TO BECOME THE COMPANY'S CHIEF DECORATOR. THE AUCTION TAKES PLACE AT RH SPRAKE AUCTIONS IN LOWESTOFT, SUFFOLK, ON 16.JULY.

SOTHEBY'S SELLS SILVER WINE COOLER FOR RECORD AMOUNT

THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF ENGLISH SILVER TO COME TO THE MARKET IN 50 YEARS, A MONUMENTAL SILVER WINE COOLER, WEIGHING 168 POUNDS AND MEASURING WELL OVER A METER ACROSS, SOLD RECENTLY AT SOTHEBY'S FOR £2,505,250, ESTABLISHING A NEW RECORD PRICE FOR ENGLISH SILVER. THE SPECTACULAR CISTERN, AS 'LARGE AS A SMALL 'BATHING-TUB', SOLD TO A PRIVATE ASIAN BUYER. IT WAS LOT 8 IN SOTHEBY'S SALE OF 'TREASURES', A 21-LOT SALE WHICH REALIZED AN ABOVE-ESTIMATE TOTAL OF £13,951,250. A SPOKESPERSON FOR SOTHEBY'S SAID ABOUT THE SALE: 'TODAY'S VERY SUCCESSFUL RESULTS REPRESENT A FANTASTIC ACHIEVEMENT IN THE FIELD OF DECORATIVE ARTS. THESE EXTRAORDINARY RARE TREASURES WITH HIGHLY DESIRABLE ARISTOCRATIC PROVENANCE SPARKED COMPETITION FROM PRIVATE COLLECTORS AND INSTITUTIONAL BUYERS ALIKE AS WELL AS THE TRADE AND THERE WAS BIDDING AND BUYING FROM EUROPE, THE UNITED STATES, RUSSIA, ASIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST.

THE STAEDEL MUSEUM DISCOVERS UNKNOWN KIRCHNER DOUBLE PAINTING

A GERMAN MUSEUM HAS DISCOVERED WHAT IS BELIEVED TO BE A PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN WORK BY GERMAN EXPRESSIONIST ARTIST LUDWIG KIRCHNER THAT LANGUISHED IN ITS CELLAR FOR DECADES. THE STAEDEL MUSEUM ANNOUNCED THE FIND ON TUESDAY, SAYING THAT IT HAD DISCOVERED IT AS PART OF ITS ONGOING RENOVATIONS. THE CANVAS IS PAINTED ON BOTH SIDES, WITH A RARE NUDE, BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN PAINTED IN 1910, ON THE BACK. THE FRANKFURT MUSEUM PLANS TO RESTORE THE WORK AND PUT IT ON DISPLAY FOR THE FIRST TIME WHEN IT REOPENS IN THE FALL OF 2011. IT DID NOT GIVE AN ESTIMATE OF THE PAINTING'S VALUE. KIRCHNER IS ONE OF THE BEST KNOWN GERMAN EXPRESSIONIST PAINTERS ALONG WITH ERNST LUDWIG, EMIL NOLDE AND WASSILY KANDINSKY. HE WAS ALSO PART OF A MOVEMENT KNOWN AS DIE BRUECKE, OR 'THE BRIDGE'.

CHRISTIE'S SELLS SPENCER OBJECTS IN 'CLEAROUT SALE'

A PAINTING BY FLEMISH MASTER PETER PAUL RUBENS, PUT UP FOR AUCTION BY THE ARISTOCRATIC FAMILY OF THE LATE PRINCESS DIANA AS PART OF A 'CLEAROUT SALE', SOLD ON TUESDAY FOR £9 MILLION. THE STUNNING ARTWORK 'A COMMANDER BEING ARMED FOR BATTLE', WAS PAINTED IN 1613 OR 1614, AND CHRISTIE'S, WHICH SOLD THE WORK AS PART OF ITS OLD MASTERS AUCTION IN LONDON, DESCRIBED IT AS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT RUBENS STILL IN PRIVATE HANDS. THE BEARDED MAN GAZING TOWARD THE VIEWER HAS BEEN NAMED BY SOME EXPERTS AS EMPEROR CHARLES V AND CHRISTIE'S HAD VALUED THE PAINTING AT £8-12 MILLION. THE PAINTING HAS BEEN AT THE LATE PRINCESS'S ANCESTRAL HOME ALTHROP FOR MORE THAN 200 YEARS, AND WAS ORIGINALLY DESCRIBED AS THE 'SCHOOL OF RUBENS' IN AN 1802 INVENTORY. SINCE THEN IT HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED AS A RUBENS ORIGINAL BY LEASING SCHOLARS. ANOTHER WORK BY RUBENS, 'THE MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS', SOLD FOR £49.5 MILLION AT SOTHEBY'S IN LONDON IN 2002, A WORLD RECORD FOR AN OLD MASTER. ALSO SOLD BY DIANA'S BROTHER EARL SPENCER AT THE AUCTION WAS 'KING DAVID' BY BAROQUE ARTIST IL GUERCINO, WHICH SOLD FOR £5.2 MILLION. A PORTRAIT OF GEORG PENCZ, DATED BETWEEN 1500 AND 1550, SOLD FOR £5.6 MILLION. OVERALL THE AUCTION RAISED £42.3 MILLION VERSUS FORECASTS OF £36.9-55.8 MILLION, AND WAS DESCRIBED BY CHRISTIE'S AS 'SOLID'.

QUEEN ELIZABETH ADDRESSES THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Queen addresses United Nations General Assembly in New York
THE QUEEN TOLD THE UNITED NATIONS IT HAD 'MOVED FROM BEING A HIGH-MINDED ASPIRATION TO BEING A REAL FORCE FOR COMMON GOOD' AS SHE ADDRESSED THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN NEW YORK FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1957. IN A REFLECTIVE SPEECH TO AN ASSEMBLY WHOSE MEMBERS STATES HAVE INCREASED FROM 77 TO 192 SINCE HER LAST VISIT, TEH QUEEN PRAISED TEH UN FOR ITS WORK IN REDUCING CONFLICT, OFFERING HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AND TACKLING THE EFFECTS OF POVERTY. THE 'WAGING OF PEACE' WAS 'PERHAPS TEH HARDEST LEADERSHIP OF ALL', SHE SAID. HOWEVER, SHE WARNED THAT 'SO MUCH REMAINS TO BE DONE', QUOTING DAG HAMMARSKJOLD, A FORMER UN SECRETARY-GENERAL, WHO 'ONCE SAID THAT 'CONSTANT ATTENTION BY A GOOD NURSE MAY BE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS A MAJOR OPERATION BY A SURGEON'. SHE ADDED: 'GOOD NURSES GET BETTER WITH PRACTICE; SADLY THE SUPPLY OF PATIENTS NEVER CEASES'. THE QUEEN ALSO WARNED THAT 'NEW CHALLENGES' SUCH AS TERRORISM AND GLOBAL WARMING HAD EMERGED THAT HAD 'TESTED THIS ORGANIZATION AS MUCH AS ITS MEMBER STATES'. ON CLIMATE CHANGE, 'CAREFUL ACCOUNT MUST BE TAKEN OF THE RISKS FACING SMALLER, MORE VULNERABLE NATIONS, MANY OF THEM FROM THE COMMONWEALTH', SHE SAID. SHE SAID SHE HOPED THAT, IN ANOTHER 53 YEARS, 'OUR SINCERITY, OUR WILLINGNESS TO TAKE A LEAD, AND OUR DETERMINATION TO DO THE RIGHT THING, WILL STAND THE TEST OF TIME'. THE QUEEN AND THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH SPENT ONLY FIVE HOURS IN NEW YORK, SWELTERING UNDER HEAT HEALTH WARNINGS AS TEMPERATURES SOARED TO A RECORD 103 DEGREES. THEY WERE GREETED AT THE UN's MANHATTAN HEADQUARTERS BY BEN KI-MOON, THE SECRETARY-GENERAL, WHO TOLD THE ASSEMBLY THE QUEEN WAS AN 'ANCHOR FOR OUR AGE' AND A 'LEADING SYMBOL OF GRACE, CONSTANCY AND DIGNITY'. AFTER ADDRESSING THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, THE QUEEN BRIEFLY MET COMMONWEALTH LEADERS BEFORE SHE WAS DRIVEN TO THE SITE OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER. A BUCKINGHAM PALACE SPOKESMAN SAID THE QUEEN WAS USE TO THE HEAT AND WAS TAKING NO EXTRA PRECAUTIONS.

STORM KING ART CENTER UNVEILS ZHANG HUAN INSTALLATION

STORM KING ART CENTER, MOUNTAINVILLE, NY, HAS COMPLETED INSTALLATION OF THREE LEGGED BUDDHA (2007), A COLOSSAL SCULPTURE BY THE INTERNATIONALLY CELEBRATED CHINESE ARTIST ZHANG HUAN. THE WORK, WHICH STANDS NEARLY TWENTY-EIGHT FEET HIGH AND WEIGHS MORE THAN TWELVE TONS, IS A GENEROUS GIFT FROM ZHANG HUAN AND THE PACE GALLERY. THREE LEGGED BUDDHA HAS BEEN INSTALLED IN STORM KING'S SOUTH FIELDS, IN A GROVE OF 64 SUGAR-MAPLE TREES THAT HAVE BEEN ARTICULATED INTO THREE DISTINCT AREAS. THERE, NEAR THE EASTERN BORDER OF THE SCULPTURE PARK, IT MAY BE VIEW IN RELATION TO NEIGHBORING WORKS, INCLUDING MAGDALENA ABAKANOWICZ' SARCOPHAGI IN GLASS HOUSES. ZHANG HUAN'S MONUMENTAL SCULPTURE REPRESENTS THE BOTTOM HALF OF A SPRAWLING, THREE-LEGGED BEHEMOTH, ONE OF WHOSE FEET RESTS ON AN EIGHT FOOT HIGH HEAD THAT APPEARS TO BE EITHER EMERGING FROM OR SINKING INTO THE EARTH. THE SCULPTURE IS PART OF A SERIES OF MONUMENTAL WORKS INSPIRED SEVERAL YEARS AGO BY THE ARTIST'S ENCOUNTERS, WHILE TRAVELING IN TIBET, WITH REMNANTS OF BUDDHIST STATUARY THAT HAD BEEN DESTROYED DURING CHINA'S CULTURAL REVOLUTION. ZHANG BAGAN COLLECTING SUCH FRAGMENTS, HOPING TO CONVERT THE RELICS INTO ART. IN KEEPING WITH TIBETAN TRADITION, THREE LEGGED BUDDHA, ONE OF SEVERAL BUDDHA SCULPTURES THE ARTIST HAS CREATED, IS MADE OF FORGED COPPER. YET RATHER THAN GOLD-PLATTING OR OTHERWISE COLOURING THE COPPER, AS CUSTOM WOULD HAVE IT, ZHANG LEFT ITS VIOLET HUE UNTOUCHED.

MUSEUM LUDWIG PRESNTS STUNNING LICHTENSTEIN EXHIBITION

THE HALFTONE DOTS USED IN POP MAESTRO ROY LICHTENSTEIN ARE WORLD FAMOUS. TAKING MOTIFS FROM THE REALMS OF COMICS AND CONSUMERISM, LICHTENSTEIN MADE PAINTINGS BY PIECING TOGETHER DOTS AND COLOURED SURFACES. BUT A VERY DIFFERENT SIDE OF HIS WORK CAN BE DISCOVERED AT A STUNNING NEW EXHIBITION AT MUSEUM LUDWIG. AROUND 100 WORKS, CHIEFLY LARGE-SCALE PAINTINGS ALONG WITH A NUMBER OF SCULPTURES AND DRAWINGS, REVEAL HIS FASCINATING EXPLORATIONS OF STYLE THROUGH THE HISTORY OF ART, FROM EXPRESSIONISM AND FUTURISM TO BAUHAUS AND ART DECO. LICHTENSTEIN EVEN APPROPRIATED WORKS BY HIS ARTIST HEROES, PICASSO, MATISSE, MONDRIAN AND EVEN DALI, AND INTERPRETED THEM IN AN OFTEN IRONIC AND CRYPTIC MANNER USING HIS OWN VISUAL LANGUAGE. MANY OF HIS EARLY WORKS ARE BASED ON HISTORIC AMERICAN PAINTINGS, SUCH AS BY BENJAMIN WEST. BUT HE ALSO PAINTED AFTER SUCH MODELS AS PICASSO, BRAQUE AND KLEE, WHO ACCORDING TO HIS OWN WORDS HE WORKED INTO AN 'EXPRESSIONIST CUBISM'. INDEED, LICHTENSTEIN EVEN CONTINUED HIS TAKES ON PICASSO LATER ON, ONCE HE HAD ALREADY BEGUN TO WORK WITH THE HALF-TONE DOTS. IN HIS HANDS, PICASSO'S WORKS BECAME A KIND OF COMIC AND RECEIVED A CHARACTER ALL ITS OWN. PAINTING A WORK THAT CLEARLY RESEMBLED PICASSO WAS, ACCORDING TO LICHTENSTEIN, A LIBERATING ACT. WITH HIS PERFECT AND IMPERFECT PAINTINGS LICHTENSTEIN WANTED TO CREATE ABSTRACT WORKS PURELY FOR THEIR OWN SAKE. ACCORDING TO HIM, THE IDEA WAS TO LET THE LINE START AT SOME POINT AND THEN FOLLOW IT, THUS ALLOWING IT TO DRAW ALL OF THE SHAPES IN THE PAINTING. AFTER COMPLETING THE LICHTENSTEIN EXHIBITION IT IS WORTH TAKING A TOUR ROUND THE PERMANENT COLLECTION AT MUSEUM LUDWIG, WHICH PRESENTS FASCINATING CROSS-CONNECTIONS AND COMPARISONS WITH WORKS BY LEGER AND PICASSO AND EVEN KIRCHNER AND DALI.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.museum-ludwig.de

QUEEN 'RECYCLES' EVENING GOWN FOR STATE DINNER IN TORONTO

SHE HAS DESCRIBED IT AS 'A VERY USEFUL DRESS', AND THE QUEEN PROVED THE VERSATILITY OF HER FAVORITE EVENING GOWN LAST NIGHT AT A LAVISH STATE BANQUET IN TORONTO. THE GOWN, WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY WORN TO A STATE DINNER IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO LAST AUTUMN, HAD BEEN 'RECYCLED' BY THE QUEEN'S DRESSER AND PERSONAL ASSISTANT ANGELA KELLY. THE DRESS, WHICH HAD BEEN DECORATED WITH THE CARIBBEAN COUNTRY'S NATIONAL BIRDS, THE SCARLET IBIS AND CHIRICO, WAS TRANSFORMED WITH SWAROVSKI CRYSTALS FOR LAST NIGHT'S EVENT. THE SEAMSTRESSES REMOVED THE APPLIQUED BIRDS FROM THE TULLE LACE, WHICH IS EMBROIDERED WITH SEED PEARLS AND SEQUINS, AND STITCHED DOZENS OF CRYSTALS ONTO IT INSTEAD. AS A TRIBUTE TO CANADA, ONE OF THE QUEEN'S REALMS, THE CRYSTALS FORMED MAPLE LEAFS BOTH LARGE AND SMALL RUNNING UP THE DRESS'S RIGHT SLEEVE AND SHOULDER. THE INTERLOCKING LEAVES CAUGHT THE LIGHT AND WERE DESIGNED TO BE A BOLD STATEMENT AT LAST NIGHT'S DINNER HOSTED BY THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT IN HONOR OF ITS QUEEN. THE DRESS WAS COMPLEMENTED BY THE SOVEREIGN WEARING QUEEN MARY'S STUNNING TIARA. THE 'RECYCLING' OF A PREVIOUSLY WORN GOWN BY THE QUEEN IS SOMETHING SHE HAS DONE BEFORE, AND LAST NIGHT'S SPECTACULAR 'MAPLE LEAF GOWN' FOLLOWS IN LONG TRADITION OF THEMED DIPLOMATIC EMBROIDERY GOING RIGHT BACK TO THE 1953 CORONATION WHEN THE QUEEN HAD EMBLEMS OF AL HER REALMS SEWN INTO HER DRESS.

THE QUEEN VISITS THE QUEEN'S PLATE STAKES IN TORONTO

RECENTLY THE QUEEN SHOWED HER SOCIAL GRACES WHEN CANADIAN RACECOURSE OWNER COMMITTED AN ETIQUETTE FAUX PAS BY PUTTING HIS ARM AROUND HER. IF SHE WAS TAKEN ABACK BY THE REPEATED FAUX PAS BY HER CANADIAN ADMIRERS, HER MAJESTY WAS TOO DIGNIFIED TO SHOW IT. THE QUEEN ENDURED THE SMALL SERIES OF ROYAL PROTOCOL WHILE ATTENDING A PRESTIGIOUS HORSE RACE ON HER STATE VISIT TO CANADA. THEY BEGAN WHEN DAVID WILMOT, CHAIRMAN OF THE GROUP THAT OWNS THE RACECOURSE, BROUGHT HIS HAND CLOSE TO THE SMALL OF THE QUEEN'S BACK WHEN MEETING HER AHEAD OF THE QUEEN'S PLATE STAKES IN TORONTO. WHEN THE ROYAL MET DOM ROMEO, THE OWNER OF THE WINING HORSE, AFTER THE COMPETITION HE APPEARED TO PUT HIS ARM AROUND HER IN THE UNUSUAL SWELTERING HEAT. IT WAS THEN THE TURN OF THE WINNING JOCKEY TO TRY TO MAKE UP FOR HIS COLLEAGUES' GAFFES, BY EXECUTING TWO BACK-BREAKING BOWS. BRAZILIAN-BORN EURICO ROSA DA SILVA SWOOPED SO LOW IN FRONT OF THE MONARCH THAT HIS HEAD WAS LEVEL WITH HIS WAIST. WHEN THE DIMINUTIVE RIDER STEPPED FORWARD TO SHAKE THE ROYAL'S HAND, AGAIN OUT OF KEEPING WITH ETIQUETTE, HE BENT OVER AGAIN. IT IS USUALLY CONSIDERED A BREACH OF PROTOCOL TO TOUCH THE QUEEN. BUT THE AVID HORSE RACING ENTHUSIAST APPEARED UNCONCERNED. LAST YEAR AMERICAN FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA PUT HER ARM AROUND THE SOVEREIGN AND RUBBED HER SHOULDER DURING A DRINKS RECEPTION AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE. THE MOVE RAISED EYEBROWS, BUT THE QUEEN RECIPROCATED FOR A FEW MOMENTS. YESTERDAY WAS THE QUEEN'S FORTH VISIT TO THE QUEEN'S PLATE STAKES, WHICH IS CANADA'S OLDEST THOROUGHBRED COMPETITION. THE FIRST WAS IN 1959, ON ITS 100th ANNIVERSARY, AND SHE RETURNED IN 1973 AND 1997. THE QUEEN'S NINE-DAY TOUR OF NORTH AMERICA CULMINATES WITH A VISIT TO GROUND ZERO IN NEW YORK, WHERE THE TWIN TOWERS ONCE STOOD, AND THE QUEEN'S FIRST SPEECH BEFORE THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY SINCE 1957.

JEAN COCTEAU'S HOUSE OPENS TO TEH PUBLIC

PURCHASED IN 1947 WITH JEAN MARAIS, JEAN COCTEAU'S HOUSE IN MILLY-LA-FORERT WAS THE THEATER OF CREATION FOR HIS MOST IMPORTANT WORKS. BORN WITHIN THESE WALLS WERE THE UNFORGETTABLE WORDS OF TESTAMENT D'ORPHEE AND REQUIEM, ALONG WITH NUMEROUS PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS AND PASTELS. HE LIVED THE LAST SEVENTEEN YEARS OF HIS LIFE HERE WITH HIS COMPANION, EDOUARD DERMIT. FROM THE DEATH OF THE POET IN 1963 UNTIL 1905, THE LATTER WATCHED OVER THE PRECIOUS OBJECTS THAT HAD MADE UP COCTEAU'S DAILY SURROUNDINGS. WITH ITS IDEAL POSITION NEAR THE TOWN CENTER, THE HARMONY OF THE BUILDINGS AND GARDENS, AND THE AESTHETIC QUALITIES OF THE PROPERTY, JEAN COCTEAU CHOSE TO MAKE HIS 'REFUGE' A WORK OF ART IN ITS OWN RIGHT, IN KEEPING WITH IS IMAGE, HIS REVERIES. LESS THAN AN HOUR FROM PARIS, HE CREATED CONNECTIONS IN MILLY-LA-FORET BETWEEN THE SPACE AND HIS WORK, INTEGRATING SET ELEMENTS FROM HIS FILMS, SCULPTURES ESPECIALLY, INTO THE GARDENS. THE MAISON JEAN COCTEAU IS AN IMPORTANT EXPRESSION OF THE ARTIST'S TASTES AND PRIVATE LIFE, NOW OFFERING THE PUBLIC, AFTER FIVE YEARS OF PREPARATION, A PERFECT RECONSTRUCTION OF THE BEDROOM, OFFICE, AND MAIN SITTING ROOM, WHICH NOTABLY CONTAINS A MASTERLY CANVAS BY CHRISTIAN BERARD. PIERRE BERGE, WHO HOLDS THE MORAL RIGHTS TO JEAN COCTEAU'S WORK AND IS PRESIDENT AND PATRON OF THIS PROJECT, ACQUIRED THE PROPERTY IN 2002, WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE ILE-DE-FRANCE REGIONAL COUNCIL AND THE GENERAL COUNCIL OF THE ESSONE DEPARTMENT, IN ORDER TO CREATE A PLACE TO REMEMBER AND REDISCOVER JEAN COCTEAU'S WORK.

PRINCE CHARLES LAUNCHES NEW CHARITY FUND

THE PRINCE OF WALES IS TO LAUNCH A NEW FUND TO SAFEGUARD THE FUTURE OF BRITAIN'S HARD-PRESSED RURAL COMMUNITIES. THE SENIOR ROYAL HAS OBTAINED WIDESPREAD SUPPORT FROM BIG PRODUCERS AND RETAILERS, INCLUDING WAITROSE, TO SET UP THE PRINCE'S COUNTRYSIDE FUND. THE INITIATIVE, WHICH IS PRINCE CHARLES'S OWN BRAINCHILD, WILL GIVE A MUCH-NEEDED LIFELINE TO SOME OF BRITAIN'S MOST VULNERABLE FARMERS AND SMALL COMMUNITIES. THE PRINCE HAS SPOKEN EXCLUSIVELY ABOUT HIS MOTIVATION FOR SETTING UP THE NEW FUND, WHICH IS EXPECTED TO RAISE MILLIONS FOR DEPRESSED RURAL AREAS OVER THE COMING YEARS. 'I HAVE FELT FOR A LONG TIME THERE IS A PARTICULAR NEED TO ENSURE THAT THE SMALLER FAMILY FARMER, IN PARTICULAR, WAS ABLE TO SURVIVE IN THE FUTURE', HE SAID. THE PRINCE BELIEVES THAT THE FOOT AND MOUTH OUTBREAK IN 2001 AND OTHER PROBLEMS HAVE HAD A DEVASTATING EFFECT ON THE COUNTRYSIDE. HE SAID: 'IT IS TERRIBLY IMPORTANT TO HAVE A FUND WHICH IS AVAILABLE TO DRAW ON IN THE EVENT OF THESE EMERGENCIES AND ALSO (IN) THE COUNTRYSIDE GENERALLY AND RURAL COMMUNITIES THERE IS A GREAT DEAL MORE HARDSHIP THAN PEOPLE REALIZE. IT LOOKS WONDERFUL BUT IT ISN'T ALWAYS LIKE THAT.' THE PRINCE MADE HIS COMMENTS TO COUNTRYFILE, THE BBC ONE PROGRAM. THE NEW FUND WILL BE FORMALLY LAUNCHED ON 22.JULY. IT IS UNDERSTOOD THAT AROUND A DOZEN LEADING FIGURES FROM THE RETAIL AND PRODUCTION WORLDS WILL SERVE ON A BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR THE NEW FUND AND THAT MANY COMPANIES HAVE ALREADY PLEDGED MONEY TO THE PRINCE'S NEW FUND WHICH MEANS IT WILL HAVE A 'STARTING POT' OF £1 MILLION.

JEFF KOONS CREATES ARTWOK FOR CHICAGO'S ADVOCATE HOPE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL

RxArt, THE NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT CURATES CONTEMPORARY ART INSTALLATIONS IN HOSPITAL SETTINGS, AND KIEHL'S SINCE 1851, THE VENERABLE NEW YORK-BASED PURVEYOR OF FINE QUALITY SKIN AND HAIR CARE, HAVE PARTNERED TO BRING THE ARTWORK OF JEFF KOONS TO CHICAGO'S ADVOCATE HOPE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL. KIEHL'S UNDERWROTE THE FABRICATION AND INSTALLATION OF WORKS BY WORLDS-RENOWNED POP ARTIST JEFF KOONS ON A CT SCANNER AND THROUGHOUT THE SCANNER ROOM. AS A RESULT OF THE PROJECT, KOONS' ICONIC CHARACTERS WILL FIND A PERMANENT HOME IN THE HOSPITAL'S RADIOLOGY DEPARTMENT, TO SOOTHE AND CHEER YOUNG PATIENTS AND BRIGHTEN THE TYPICALLY STERILE AND POTENTIALLY SCARY TESTING ENVIRONMENT. TO CREATE THE INSTALLATION, THE CT SCANNER WAS DISASSEMBLED AND PAINTED, AND DECALS FEATURING KOONS' MONKEYS WERE APPLIED TO THE MACHINE. HIS ICONIC BALLOON DOG, HANGING HEART AND DONKEY IMAGERY WERE ALSO INSTALLED TO BRIGHTEN THE ROOM AS WALLSCAPES. KOONS GENEROUSLY DONATED HIS ARTWORK AND TOOK NO FEE FOR HIS PARTICIPATION IN THE PROJECT. RxArt, A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION, IS COMMITTED TO FOSTERING ARTISTIC EXPRESSION AND AWARENESS THROUGH THE CHALLENGING YET REWARDING TASK OF ENGAGING YOUNG PATIENTS THROUGH CONTEMPORARY ART IN PEDIATRIC HOSPITALS. BY CURATING INSTALLATIONS IN HOSPITAL SETTINGS, RxArt PROVIDES A HUMANISTIC AND CREATIVE SURROUNDINGS THAT HELPS TO RELIEVE STRESS AND ANXIETY, WHILE INCREASING APPRECIATION FOR CONTEMPORARY ART. KIEHL'S SINCE 1851 HAS BEEN SUPPORTING RxArt SINCE 2002. FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.rxart.net.

CHIVAS ROYAL SALUTE 62 GUN SALUTE

THE CHIVAS BROTHERS HAVE RECENTLY RELEASED THE ROYAL SALUTE 62 GUN SALUTE IN RESPECT TO ITS ROYAL SALUTE RANGE OF LUXURY WHISKEYS. THE FINEST WHISKEY TAKES ITS NAME FROM THE 62 GUN SALUTE WHICH IS HELD EVERY YEAR AT THE TOWER OF LONDON TO MARK THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE QUEEN'S CORONATION. THE ROYAL SALUTE 62 GUN SALUTE IS A BLEND OF VARIOUS WHISKEYS AT LEAST 40 YEARS OLD WHICH IS HOUSED IN A HAND CRAFTED BOTTLE CAREFULLY MADE AT DARTINGTON CRYSTAL AND FEATURES THE ROYAL SALUTE CREST PAINTED IN 24 CARAT GOLD. THE BOTTLE FEATURES A CRYSTAL STOPPER SET AND A GOLD PLATED CROWN AND IS AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY FROM CHIVAS IN LIMITED QUANTITIES FOR AN ESTIMATED $2,000.

SHANGHAI TANG AND LUXE CITY GUIDES' WHITE TIGER CHEST

TO CELEBRATE THE CHINESE YEAR OF THE TIGER, LUXURY DESIGNER SHANGHAI TANG AND LUXE CITY GUIDES HAVE LAUNCHED AN EXQUISITE, LIMITED EDITION, HEIRLOOM WHITE TIGER CHEST. EACH INDIVIDUALLY NUMBERED AND ENGRAVED COLLECTOR'S BOX IS CUSTOM HANDMADE IN MAPLE AND EBONY VENEER MARQUETRY, LINED WITH KUMQUAT SILK SATIN AND CONTAINS 30 LUXE CITY GUIDES. PACKED FULL OF INSIDER TRAVEL INFORMATION, THE LUXE CITY GUIDES DELIVER THEIR SIGNATURE BRAND OF WITTY, SHORT AND SHARP REVIEWS OF DESTINATIONS SPANNING THIRTY ICONIC CITIES. THE LIMITED EDITION BOX (70 TOTAL) WILL BE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT www.shanghaitang.com AND AT SHANGHAI TANG STORES WORLDWIDE FOR $1,500.

YALE UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY RE-INSTALLS IMPORTANT STATUE

THE YALE UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THE INSTALLATION OF AN IMPORTANT ACQUISITION THAT SHOWCASES PORTRAITURE TRADITIONS OF THE LATE HELLENISTIC AND EARLY ROMAN ERA AND 21st CENTURY CONVERSATION METHODS. ACQUIRED IN 2007, AND AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN TO GALLERY STAFF AS THE 'GREEN LADY', DUE TO THE ALGAE THAT ONCE MARRED ITS SURFACE, THE STATUE HAS UNDERGONE EXTENSIVE CLEANING AND CONSERVATION. A LAGER THAN LIFE, HIGH-QUALITY PORTRAIT STATUE WITH IDEALIZED FEATURES AND CAREFUL ATTENTION TO DETAILS OF THE DRESS AND POSE, THE STATUE IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE PUDICITIA PORTRAIT TYPE WHICH WAS MEANT TO MAKE A STRONG STATEMENT ABOUT THE CHARACTER OF THE SUBJECT. THE 'GREEN LADY' WAS DISPLAYED AS A WORK IN PROGRESS IN THE EXHIBITION 'TIME WILL TELL: ETHICS AND CHOICES IN CONVERSATION', DURING THE SUMMER OF 2009. WHEN ACQUIRED, THE MARBLE STATUE SHOWED TWO PREVIOUS MAJOR PHASES OF RESTORATION AND REPAIR. THE MOST JARRING OF THOSE WAS A RECONSTRUCTED RIGHT ARM THAT WAS INACCURATELY POSITIONED AND INCONSISTENT IN SCALE FROM SCALE. CONSERVATORS AND CURATORS TOGETHER HAD TO DECIDE HOW TO REVERSE THE DAMAGE THAT HAD BEEN DONE, HOW TO PREVENT FURTHER DAMAGE, AND HOW TO DISPLAY THE PORTRAIT IN ITS BEST LIGHT, WITHOUT MISLEADING ADDITIONS. VISITORS TO THE GALLERY WILL SEE THE RESULTS OF THEIR WORK.

MUSEUM FRIEDER BURDA PRESENTS 'MIRO THE COLOURS OF POETRY'

THE GRAND SUMMER EXHIBITION AT THE MUSEUM FRIEDER BURDA, BADEN-BADEN, THROUGH 14.NOVEMBER IS DEDICATED TO THE ARTIST JOAN MIRO. UNDER THE TITLE 'MIRO THE COLOURS OF POETRY', THE MUSEUM WILL SHOW AROUND 100 WORKS BY THE CATALAN ARTIST WHO SO STRONGLY INFLUENCED THE ART OF THE 20th CENTURY. VARIOUS FAMOUS PRIVATE COLLECTORS AND MUSEUMS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD HAVE SENT THEIR PAINTINGS TO BADEN-BADEN, AMONG THEM THE CENTRE POMPIDOU IN PARIS, THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS IN BASEL AND BERN AND THE MUSEO THYSSEN-BORNNEMISZA IN MADRID. A LARGE NUMBER OF WORKS OWNED BY THE MIRO FAMILY ARE SHOWN AS WELL, THIS BEING A RARE OCCASION. MORE THAN 30 INTERNATIONAL LENDERS ARE INVOLVED IN THE MIRO EXHIBITION. THE COLOURFUL PAINTINGS REPRESENT THE MAIN PART OF THE EXHIBITION, COMPLETED BY PAPER WORKS, CERAMIC WORKS AND SCULPTURES. THE EXHIBITION IS CURATED BY JEAN-LOUIS PRAT, WHO WAS A CLOSE FRIEND OF MIRO AND ORGANIZED EXHIBITIONS FOR HIM DURING HIS LIFETIME. 'MIRO STYLE WAS NOT ABSTRACT OR FIGURATIVE, HE USED A VERY POETIC LANGUAGE IN HIS PAINTINGS', PRAT EXPLAINS. SOME AMONG MIRO'S CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS, HE SAYS, BANNED COLOUR FROM THEIR PAINTINGS, FOR MIRO, THOUGH, COLOUR ALWAYS RETAINED GREAT IMPORTANCE. THUS RED, GREEN, YELLOW AND BLUE ARE DOMINANT IN HIS PAINTINGS TO BE SEEN AT THE EXHIBITION. THE EXHIBITION INCLUDES RARE SMALLER WORKS FROM MIRO'S EARLY CREATIVE YEARS. THEY HELP UNDERSTAND HIS DEVELOPMENT AS AN ARTIST, EVOLVING FROM THE FIGURED PRESENTATION TO SYMBOLIC PICTURE SUBJECTS AND EVER RECURRING SYMBOLS. THE MYSTERIOUS SYMBOLS AND COLOUR STAINS ON CANVAS, WHICH RESEMBLE A MUSIC SCORE BUT SEEM TO EMERGE FROM A KIND OF DREAM WORLD, ARE TYPICAL OF MIRO'S PAINTINGS. THEY REAPPEAR IN HIS CERAMIC WORKS AND SCULPTURES, CONTRASTING HIS PICTURES.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.museum-frieder-burda.de

LUCILLE BALL'S ROLLS ROYCE TO BE AUCTIONED

FAMED ACTRESS LUCILLE BALLS' BELOVED ROLLS ROYCE WILL SOON BE PUT ON THE AUCTION BLOCK LATER THIS MONTH AT A HERITAGE AUCTION GALLERIES EVENT IN BEVERLY HILLS. THE 1984 ROLLS ROYCE SILVER SPUR SEDAN WAS OWNED BY THE I LOVE LUCY STAR AND HER SECOND HUSBAND, GARY MORTON. LOVE LETTERS FROM LUCY TO GARY, HER ADDRESS BOOK AND OTHER PERSONAL ITEMS OWNED BY THE BALL WILL BE OFFERED ON 17.JULY. THE CAR HAS A WHITE FINISH WITH A TAN VINYL HARD-TOP AND THE ODOMETER SHOWS 21,260 MILES. OTHER ITEMS INCLUDE BALL'S PERSONAL ADDRESS BOOK WITH LISTINGS FOR PHONE NUMBERS FOR FAMOUS CELEBRITIES OF THE AREA INCLUDING STEVE ALLEN, JACK BENNY, EDGAR BERGEN, MILTON BERLE, GYPSY ROSE LEE, DEAN MARTIN, ETHEL MERMAN AS WELL FORMER HUSBAND DESI ARNAZ. THE ITEMS WERE CONSIGNED BY MORTON'S THIRD WIFE, FORMER PROFESSIONS GOLFER SUSIE (MCALLISTER) MORTON WHO MARRIED HIM IN 1996, SEVEN YEARS AFTER BALL DIED. SUSIE HAS LIVED WITH THE RELICS OF LUCY AND GARY'S LIFE FOR MORE THAN 10 YEARS AND KEPT THEM OUT OF RESPECT FOR HER LATE HUSBAND AND LUCY'S AMAZING LEGACY. NOW SHE'S READY TO PART WITH THE HISTORIC TREASURES AS SHE REMODELS HER HOUSE TO MAKE IT COMPLETELY HER OWN, SAID DOUG NORWINE OF HERITAGE. THE ROLLS ROYCE HAS AN OPENING BID OF $25,000 AND IS EXPECTED TO SELL FOR OVER $65,000.