Vintage NASCAR items are Michigan teen’s ticket to college

One of the Mansfields’ favorite NASCAR drivers was Richard Petty, pictured in an autographed newspaper clipping after winning the 13th Daytona 500. Image courtesy of DuMouchelles and Live Auctioneers Archive.
One of the Mansfields’ favorite NASCAR drivers was Richard Petty, pictured in an autographed newspaper clipping after winning the 13th Daytona 500. Image courtesy of DuMouchelles and LiveAuctioneers Archive.
One of the Mansfields’ favorite NASCAR drivers was Richard Petty, pictured in an autographed newspaper clipping after winning the 13th Daytona 500. Image courtesy of DuMouchelles and LiveAuctioneers Archive.

BURTON, Mich. (AP) – Carole Mansfield can still see the proud, boyish grin on her late husband’s face every time he came home with a new prize for the mammoth NASCAR collection that flooded their home.

“He’d say, ‘This is added to your inheritance,’” she said.

It turns out Monte Mansfield was right.

Sales from some of the most unassuming items in their collection are paying for the college education of their 19-year-old grandson, also named Monte Mansfield.

“It’s a gift of a lifetime,” said the younger Monte, a 2009 Atherton High School graduate who has so far paid for all of his $1,200-plus costs at Mott Community College this semester via sales of NASCAR collectibles only true race fans could crave.

His grandfather’s collection of more than 300,000 NASCAR postcards are the hot ticket-item.

The giant-size cards sporting driver’s photos and statistics are usually doled out for free at the races. To some NASCAR die-hards, they are what trading cards are to baseball fanatics and the elder Monte Mansfield seemed to own nearly every one from 1969 to 2006 – the years he and his wife attended races around the country.

Depending on the driver and date, NASCAR card values range from less than a dollar to more than $6 apiece, according to trading card sites that sell them.

More than 2,000 NASCAR cards were so far sold to pay for the younger Monte’s tuition, books and other costs.

“He always wanted Monte to go to college,” Carole Mansfield said of her husband who died at age 68 in 2007. “That was his grandpa’s dream.”

Young Monte, who has mostly lived with his grandparents since he was 4 years old, said his grandfather was outspoken about finishing college.

“I’m taking school very seriously,” he said. “I can’t slack off. This definitely adds more pressure.”

His grandparents were hooked on racecar driving after their first visit to the Michigan International Speedway in 1969.

They went on to live in a NASCAR lover’s paradise that included breakfasts at the North Carolina home of racing superstar Robert “Junior” Johnson and baby-sitting champion Darrell Waltrip’s daughter.

Outside of the NASCAR cards, thousands of other racecar treasures deck the downstairs of the Mansfield home.

There’s the tire off of champion Richard Petty’s race car, spark-plug keepsakes and shelves packed with matchbox cars and haulers that paint a colorful floor-to-ceiling collage on the walls.

Other quirky valuables include a can of STP oil scribbled with famous autographs, a standup cutout of No. 26 driver Jamie McMurray and race programs spanning several decades.

___

Information from: The Flint Journal, http://www.mlive.com/flint

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP-CS-12-07-09 1721EST

 

1788 Cognac sells for $37,000 at Paris auction

PARIS (AP) – A bottle of Vieux Cognac dating back to 1788 – the year before the French Revolution – sold at a Paris auction of wine and spirits for euro25,000 ($36,935).

Paris’ landmark Tour d’Argent restaurant has cleaned out its cellar, considered one of the best and biggest in the world, putting 18,000 bottles up for auction. The two-day sale, which ended Tuesday, had been expected to bring in euro1 million, and bidders eventually spent euro1,542,767, the Piasa auction house said.

Wine-lovers from China to Russia to the United States bid for a chance at rare treasures. To put things in perspective, the pricey Vieux Cognac Le Clos Griffier dates back to 1788, when Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were still living at the royal palace at Versailles and would not be guillotined for another five years.

Wines can’t withstand the passing years as well as spirits like cognac, and the reds and whites on sale were younger and netted more modest prices. Twelve half-bottles of 1989 Chateau Haut-Brion went for a total of euro6,070. A lot of six bottles of Vosne-Romanee from 1988 netted euro6,320.

The restaurant donated proceeds from the euro25,000 bottle of 1788 cognac to the Association Petits Princes, a French charity that grants the wishes of ailing children. The Tour d’Argent, which means “Tower of Silver,” is keeping the rest of the money from the sale, which may be used later for renovations. Two additional bottles of the historic 1788 cognac sold for euro21,066 and euro18,588.

Despite the sale of thousands of bottles, there are still about 432,000 bottles stacked floor to ceiling under the restaurant in a succession of caverns. The auction’s goal was to cut down on wines the restaurant has in multiple so it can vary and modernize its selection.

The Left Bank restaurant, known for pressed duck and views of Notre Dame, dates back to 1582. It was once the summit of French gastronomy, attracting royalty, politicians and film stars.

But recent years have brought tougher times. Longtime owner Claude Terrail died in 2006, and his 29-year-old son Andre now runs it. The restaurant, where a prix fixe lunch menu costs euro65 and a tasting menu at dinner goes for euro160, long held three Michelin stars but is now down to one.

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-CS-12-08-09 1446EST

Clark Cierlak to sell Florida art gallery’s collection Dec. 13

This signed Matisse lithograph from a numbered edition of 60 is 7 1/4 inches by 10 1/4 inches. Image courtesy of Clark Cierlak Fine Arts
This signed Matisse lithograph from a numbered edition of 60 is 7 1/4 inches by 10 1/4 inches. Image courtesy of Clark Cierlak Fine Arts
This signed Matisse lithograph from a numbered edition of 60 is 7 1/4 inches by 10 1/4 inches. Image courtesy of Clark Cierlak Fine Arts

SHERMAN OAKS, Calif. – Clark Cierlak Fine Arts will liquidate the collection of a Florida art gallery with an auction Sunday, Dec. 13. One of the many highlights is a 1923 Henri Matisse lithograph. Works will include prints, original drawings and paintings, and sculptures. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.

Other highlights include portfolios by Norman Rockwell and Robert Indiana, prints by Rouault, Chagall, Sam Francis, drawings by Jacques Villon and Camille Pissarro, a watercolor by Paul Wonner, original paintings by Simbari, Alvar, Leuus, a Dali Mennorah, and sculpture by Yankel Ginzburg.

The signed Matisse (French, 1869-1954) lithograph, a portrait of a woman, is titled Jeune Fille Accoudee au Paravent Fleuri. It has an estimate of $12,000-$18,000.

Six hand-colored etchings from Marc Chagall’s 1952 Bible Series, numbered editions of 100, each have $2,000-$4,000 estimates.

A 1986 color screenprint by Sam Francis (American, 1923-1994) titled King Corpse carries a $12,000-$18,000 estimate. From a numbered edition of 65, the 42- by 59-inch print is signed in pencil.

A Jacques Villon (French, 1875-1963) ink drawing titled Cubist Head, 12 1/2 inches by 7 1/4 inches, is a dramatic image. The estimate is $2,000-$4,000.

An 1875 pencil drawing by Camille Pissarro (French, 1830-1903) of a woman walking a path near a large tree is considered an important work. It is included in a Catalogue Raisonne by Joachim Pissarro, the artist’s great-grandson and former head curator of drawing and painting at the Museum of Modern Art. The 10 1/2- by 11 3/4-inch signed drawing is estimated at $5,000-$8,000.

An oil painting by Nicola Simbari (Italy, b. 1927) dated 1963 depicts a woman in a blue dress facing an expanse of sand and sea. The 21 1/2- by 13 3/4-inch painting has a $2,000-$4,000 estimate.

American art in the sale includes a watercolor by Californian Paul Wonner (b. 1920). The inscription on the back of Backyard reads, “this watercolor was painted by me, Paul Wonner, C. 1941-45.” The 15- by 22-inch painting has a $2,000-$4,000 estimate.

Portfolio: Metropolitan Opera Fine Art II, 1983, containing six signed color lithographs, each 30 inches by 22 inches. Artists included are Karel Appel, Will Barnet, Sandro Chia, Rufino Tamayo, George Tooker and Tom Wesselmann. The portfolio has a $5,000-$8,000 estimate.

Norman Rockwell’s Huckleberry Finn portfolio of 1972 containing eight signed color lithographs, 25 1/2 inches by 19 1/2 inches, has a $4,000-$6,000 estimate. It is from an edition of 200.

Yet many of the 273 lots to be offered are considered to be decorative pieces estimated to bring less than $500.

For details phone 818-783-3052.

View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet during the sale at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

Click here to view Clark Cierlak Fine Arts’ complete catalog.


ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE


Despite some minor condition issues, Jacques Villon’s ‘Cubist Head’ is expected to draw great attention. The ink on paper drawing has a $2,000-$4,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Clark Cierlak Fine Arts.
Despite some minor condition issues, Jacques Villon’s ‘Cubist Head’ is expected to draw great attention. The ink on paper drawing has a $2,000-$4,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Clark Cierlak Fine Arts.

Born in Calabria, Italy, Nicola Simbari was influenced by the natural setting of his Mediterranean world. ‘Woman on the Beach’ exhibits the brilliant tones typical of his work. The dated 1963 painting has a $2,000-$4,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Clark Cierlak Fine Arts.
Born in Calabria, Italy, Nicola Simbari was influenced by the natural setting of his Mediterranean world. ‘Woman on the Beach’ exhibits the brilliant tones typical of his work. The dated 1963 painting has a $2,000-$4,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Clark Cierlak Fine Arts.

Paul Wonner painted his ‘Backyard’ circa 1941-1945. The watercolor on paper measures 15 inches by 22 inches and has a $2,000-$4,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Clark Cierlak Fine Arts.
Paul Wonner painted his ‘Backyard’ circa 1941-1945. The watercolor on paper measures 15 inches by 22 inches and has a $2,000-$4,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Clark Cierlak Fine Arts.

Marc Chagall’s hand-colored etching ‘Scouffrance de Jeremiah’ is from the Bible Series, 1952. It has a $2,000-$4,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Clark Cierlak Fine Arts.
Marc Chagall’s hand-colored etching ‘Scouffrance de Jeremiah’ is from the Bible Series, 1952. It has a $2,000-$4,000 estimate. Image courtesy of Clark Cierlak Fine Arts.

Guernsey’s to auction contents of NYC’s fabled Tavern on the Green

Looking west at entrance canopy of Tavern on the Green. Photo taken Nov. 5, 2008 by Jim Henderson.
Looking west at entrance canopy of Tavern on the Green. Photo taken Nov. 5, 2008 by Jim Henderson.
Looking west at entrance canopy of Tavern on the Green. Photo taken Nov. 5, 2008 by Jim Henderson.

NEW YORK – Manhattan auction house Guernsey’s has announced it will auction the contents of one of New York’s most beloved dining establishments – Tavern on the Green – on Jan. 13, 14 and 15. The sale will be held on site at the Tavern on the Green in Central Park, with LiveAuctioneers.com providing the Internet live bidding.

Restaurateur Dean J. Poll is expected to take over from the current operators in January. He reportedly plans to close the restaurant for two years he has not received approval to begin renovations by then.

Background:

“On the western edge of New York City’s Central Park, where the bustle of West Sixty-seventh Street yields to 843 tranquil acres of open space, perches a majestic building unlike any other. It is a destination, a showplace, a visual treasure. To approach this gathering place in the early evening is to be swept into a twinkling wonderland of towering trees, wrapped from the tips of their branches to the base of their trunks in more than ten miles of tiny white lights. To amble through its glittering mirrored hallways, and to be seated in one of the six elaborate dining rooms for an unforgettable meal, is a down-the-rabbit-hole experience, one that attracts luminaries and wide-eyed tourists alike.”

So reads the opening paragraph of the handsome new book written by Jennifer Oz LeRoy and Kay LeRoy celebrating the legendary New York restaurant… Tavern on the Green. Created in the depth of the Depression from a sheepfold built half a century earlier, Tavern on the Green was already a well established dining spot when, in the early 1970s, Warner LeRoy stepped in. Fresh on the heels of his extraordinarily successful first Manhattan restaurant – Maxwell’s Plum – Warner was already being described as “New York’s mad genius” by noted critic Paul Goldberger of the New York Times.

Growing up the son of Mervyn LeRoy who was best known as the producer and uncredited director of The Wizard of Oz, Warner’s Hollywood upbringing proved the ideal training ground for the person who came to be thought of as New York City’s grandest showman. When he took over Tavern, Warner and his wife Kay, immediately closed the landmark restaurant’s doors for an unheard-of $10 million, multi-year facelift.

Just as a brilliant Monarch butterfly emerges from its drab cocoon, in August of 1976 Tavern on the Green reopened. Its breathtaking rooms dazzled sophisticated New Yorkers and visitors alike. Among the great and famous who passed through the Tavern’s canopied entrance was John Lennon, who annually strolled to the Tavern from his nearby Dakota residence for his birthday parties.

Sparkling antique crystal chandeliers trickled down from vaulted ceilings while massive Art Mouveau mirrors reflected the lush park surroundings just outside the greenhouse-like walls. Stained-glass creations of century-old Tiffany Studios glass produced intense rainbows of color matched only by cascading floral arrangements flowing from every corner. Joyful topiary peeked in from the gardens just beyond. The total effect, from that day to this, remains stunning.

But now the LeRoy era is coming to an end. And the fabulous antiques and the extraordinary creations, from the Baccarat crystal chandeliers to the copper weathervanes to the outdoor Japanese lanterns will be sold. Even the beautiful canvas murals on the walls will be taken down to find homes with new owners.

As if this isn’t by itself an extraordinary offering, treasures from Warner LeRoy’s 1960’s-era extravaganza – Maxwell’s Plum – and NYC’s Russian Tea Room, which Warner LeRoy once owned, will be included in the remarkable Jan. 13-14 auction. All items will be offered without reserve. A week-long preview will precede the sale.

Among the auction categories are:

Magnificent chandeliers

Extraordinary stained-glass creations utilizing antique Tiffany glass including many stunning shades,
beautiful windows, and the complete glass ceilings of Maxwell’s Plum and the Russian Tea Room

Many copper weathervanes

Large etched glass mirrors and Venetian glass

Massive, beautiful murals

Smaller works of art of many descriptions

Fine-quality restaurant silverware, china, glassware and linens

Nearly 1,000 upholstered chairs

Fabulous holiday decorations

Famous outdoor topiaries

Garden furniture

The fully illustrated catalog will appear online at www.LiveAuctioneers.com, where one may sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet during the auction.

On The Net:

http://www.tavernonthegreen.com/

http://www.guernseys.com/

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

# # #


ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE


Christmas tree at Tavern on the Green. Image courtesy Guernsey's.
Christmas tree at Tavern on the Green. Image courtesy Guernsey’s.

Crystal Room at Tavern on the Green. Image courtesy Guernsey's.
Crystal Room at Tavern on the Green. Image courtesy Guernsey’s.

Entrance to Tavern on the Green at night. Image courtesy Guernsey's.
Entrance to Tavern on the Green at night. Image courtesy Guernsey’s.

Hubley Santa sleigh to take flight at Jenack’s pre-Christmas sale Dec. 13

The Hubley cast-iron mechanical Santa Claus with sleigh is 15 inches long. It has a $300-$500 estimate. Image courtesy William Jenack Auctioneers.
The Hubley cast-iron mechanical Santa Claus with sleigh is 15 inches long. It has a $300-$500 estimate. Image courtesy William Jenack Auctioneers.
The Hubley cast-iron mechanical Santa Claus with sleigh is 15 inches long. It has a $300-$500 estimate. Image courtesy William Jenack Auctioneers.

CHESTER, N. Y. – A Hubley cast-iron mechanical Santa sleigh drawn by two reindeer is part of a small collection of vintage toys that will be presented when William Jenack Auctioneers presents its pre-Christmas sale on Sunday, Dec. 13, beginning at 11 a.m. Eastern. The sale will also include Venetian glass, Wallace Nutting pictures, World War I posters, 19th- and 20th-century furniture, carpets and rugs, Chinese artwork including Tang, and fine art of the 18th through 20th century. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.

The collection of toys will also include a Champion cast-iron gas and motor oil tanker truck, Hubley cast-iron painted motorcycle racer with nodding head, Keystone Aircraft Carrier and Mengel’s Miss America mahogany and brass clockwork runabout.

Venetian glass lots include a set of stemware ordered from the Venini factory in the 1950s, along with several lots of hand-blown fruits and vegetables from the same family.

Wallace Nutting images will include several of his sought after interior scenes.

The collection of World War I posters survives in good condition and condition. Leading the way are R.H. Leach’s Halt the Hun, J.C. Leyendecker’s U.S.A. Bonds, Weapons for Liberty and Sidney Riesenberg’s Over the Top.

The most outstanding Chinese works are a pair of Tang Dynasty polychrome pottery Bactrian camels with riders, one standing more than 32 inches high. Each has been thermo luminescent dated and includes a certificate. The pair carries a conservative estimate of $12,000-$16,000. The other star Chinese lot will be a pair of bronze inlaid carved and incised ear cups with stands from the Han Dynasty. Each piece exhibits later gilding, inlay and hard stone mounts. They have an estimate of $10,000-$15,000.

The catalog will again carry a fine collection of furniture, rugs, carpets and decorative accessories including a finely sculpted marble and alabaster group of children by Pietro Barzanti. Furniture area will have a fine pair of 19th-century carved and painted oak elders’ chairs, a fine Art Deco walnut and metal mounted bedroom set, an unusual free-form driftwood lamp table from the Ocean Club, Paradise Island, Bahamas, which was founded by A&P heir Huntington Hartford.

Fine Art will include works by August Albo, Cornelius Bouter, Boleslaw Szankowski and Leon Devos among others.

In the collectable area is an unusual set of William Spratling Mexican sterling “helicopter” ash receivers.

In planning for the New Year William Jenack Auctioneers is giving early notice of a single consigner sale over two days beginning Jan. 9 at 11 a.m. Eastern. The 50-year collection is that of Mr. Byron C. and Ruth A. White. A longtime auctioneer, collector and dealer, Mr. White is widely known for his dealings in important pieces of Shaker, New England and Pennsylvania furniture and accessories. Many of the items in the sale are from his personal collection and retain many of the original details and paint. There are several period chests that exhibit amazing intact paint and design work.

There is a signed Delaware Valley Chippendale slant-front desk that is signed Phillips, one of only three known to exist.

For more information please call the Jenack offices at (845) 469-9095 or visit the Web site: www.jenack.com.

View the fully illustrated catalog for the pre-Christmas auciton and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet during the sale at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

Click here to view William J. Jenack Auctioneers’ complete catalog.


ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE


Gilding, hard stone mounts and gold and silver inlay are later additions to this pair of Han Period Chinese bronze ear cups with stands, estimate $10,000-$15,000). Image courtesy William Jenack Auctioneers.
Gilding, hard stone mounts and gold and silver inlay are later additions to this pair of Han Period Chinese bronze ear cups with stands, estimate $10,000-$15,000). Image courtesy William Jenack Auctioneers.

These Tang Period pottery Bactrian camels have undergone C-Link R&D Limited TL testing. They measure 26 inches and 32 inches and carry a $12,000-$16,000 estimate. Image courtesy William Jenack Auctioneers.
These Tang Period pottery Bactrian camels have undergone C-Link R&D Limited TL testing. They measure 26 inches and 32 inches and carry a $12,000-$16,000 estimate. Image courtesy William Jenack Auctioneers.

Cornelius Bouter (Dutch, 1888-1966) painted this oil on canvas of figures in a spring landscape. It has a $3,000-$5,000 estimate. Image courtesy William Jenack Auctioneers.
Cornelius Bouter (Dutch, 1888-1966) painted this oil on canvas of figures in a spring landscape. It has a $3,000-$5,000 estimate. Image courtesy William Jenack Auctioneers.

This pair of Renaissance-style carved and painted oak Elders’ chairs dates to the 19th century. The estimate is $1,200-$1,600. Image courtesy William Jenack Auctioneers.
This pair of Renaissance-style carved and painted oak Elders’ chairs dates to the 19th century. The estimate is $1,200-$1,600. Image courtesy William Jenack Auctioneers.

Scotland’s Richard Wright wins contentious Turner Prize

LONDON (AP) – A Scotland-based painter known for destroying his large-scale wall murals after they have been exhibited won Britain’s best-known art award, the Turner Prize, on Monday.

Richard Wright said he was surprised he beat three other finalists to win the annual 25,000 pound ($40,000) prize, which was announced at London’s Tate Britain gallery. The award was presented by British poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy.

“I’m shocked – is there another kind of reaction?” the artist said. “I wasn’t expecting it, not at all.”

Wright is known for painting intricate, large-scale patterns on walls or ceilings, as well as for his insistence that his work be destroyed after the exhibitions end. He said he gave up painting on canvas because those paintings were “rubbish” and didn’t represent who he was.

Judges said they admired the “profound originality and beauty” of Wright’s work, saying his paintings were rooted in the fine art tradition yet “radically conceptual in impact.”

“Wright uses elaborate and labour-intensive methods to create transient works that respond directly to the architecture and context of a space,” they said in a statement released by Tate Britain. “His works come alive as they are experienced by the viewer.”

It was 49-year-old Wright’s last chance to win the Turner, awarded annually to a British artist under 50. The prize, which always inspires fierce public debate about the nature of art, is named after 19th-century landscape painter J.M.W. Turner and was established in 1984.

Wright said he sometimes felt a sense of loss at the destruction of his work.

“It is sad but it’s also a relief,” he said. “Other people make things that don’t survive. If you are a dustman or a reporter you do something that is consumed and passes.”

Wright beat bookie favorite Roger Hiorns, 34, who transformed a derelict London flat with thousands of liters (gallons) of crystal copper sulfate. The work, Seizure, drew thousands of art fans to a run-down housing estate in south London earlier this year.

The shortlist also includes London-based Enrico David, 43, an Italian-born artist who creates installations, sculptures and drawings inspired by everything from traditional crafts to 20th-century surrealism, and Lucy Skaer, 34, who works in London and Glasgow and creates drawings, sculptures and films.

Past winners include “Brit Art” upstarts such as transvestite potter Grayson Perry and shark pickler Damien Hirst.

___

Associated Press writer Sylvia Hui contributed to this report.

On the Net: www.tate.org.uk/britain/turnerprize

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WS-12-07-09 1716EST


Received Id 1259008440 on Dec 07 2009 17:17

Australia accused of censoring North Korean art


SYDNEY (AP) – Australia was accused of censorship Tuesday after it denied visas to North Korean artists invited to a rare international exhibition of their work, saying their studio is a propaganda tool of their country’s communist government.

The co-curator of the exhibition said the works were nonpolitical, and that letting them be displayed while banning their creators from entering the country so they could talk about them did not make sense.

Five artists from the Mansudae Art Studio were invited to the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art in the eastern city of Brisbane to talk about their paintings and drawings that are part of the exhibition, which includes work from more than 100 artists from 25 countries in the region.

North Korea remains one of the most isolated countries in the world, with the average citizen prohibited from accessing the Internet as well as outside phone networks, radio and TV.

In recent years, cultural and sporting events have provided the best opportunity for “soft diplomacy.” The New York Philharmonic performed in Pyongyang in 2008, while North Korean athletes, from gymnasts to football players, have served as international ambassadors.

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith rejected the artists’ applications for an exception to the government’s visa ban on North Korea, part of targeted sanctions in response to the country’s efforts to build nuclear weapons.

Smith’s department said in a statement that issuing visas for Mansudae studio artists would have sent the wrong message.

“The studio reportedly produces almost all of the official artworks in North Korea, including works that clearly constitute propaganda aimed at glorifying and supporting the North Korean regime,” the statement said.

Some of Mansudae’s approximately 1,000 artists devote their time completely to painting portraits of Kim Il Sung, the late founder of the Stalinist state who handed power to his son and who is the subject of a government-fueled personality cult.

Nick Bonner, a Beijing-based British businessman and art dealer who helped curate the exhibition, said all art studios in North Korea – like most other things in the hardline state – were government organizations, but that did not mean every work was political.

One large mosaic depicting a scene in a steel mill is from the socialist realism that is often associated with the country, Bonner said. The rest, including portraits and landscapes in ink or oil paint, were the artists’ individual works.

“There’s no way on earth that any of the pieces we commissioned for the inks and oils can in any way resemble propaganda,” Bonner told The Associated Press. “It’s fine art we are talking about.”

The artists were extremely disappointed in Australia’s decision, after spending weeks getting North Korean authorities to approve passports, Bonner said.

“For an artist to produce a body of work and not be able to speak about it, that is censorship,” Bonner said.

Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korea Studies in Seoul, said the visit to Australia by the artists could have formed part of international efforts to draw out North Korea, and Canberra should not have banned it.

“I think Australia took that step because it was concerned the exhibition may turn into a site for their political propaganda,” Yang said. “But it’s too passive an approach on North Korea.”

Australia, one of the United States’ closest allies in the Asia-Pacific region, has diplomatic ties with North Korea, but they are prickly. Canberra froze relations in 2002 and imposed limited sanctions and the visa ban in 2006 in response to the North’s attempts to go nuclear. North Korea closed its embassy in Canberra last year, citing financial reasons.

___

Associated Press Writer Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report.

AP-CS-12-08-09 0449EST

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


Received Id 1259091600 on Dec 08 2009 04:50

Preliminary charges filed against nine in Paris auction house sweep

PARIS (AP) – Preliminary charges have been filed against nine employees of Paris’ respected Drouot auction house after police found stolen art, including a painting by 19th-century realist master Gustave Courbet, prosecutors said Monday.

An auctioneer and eight commission agents were given preliminary charges, including “organized theft,” the prosecutor’s office said.

Three others detained last week in the police raids on Drouot, its warehouses and homes of employees were released with no charges filed against them.

When the bust was announced last week, there was initial confusion about which Courbet work had been recovered. The painting – stolen several years ago from a collection whose owner had recently died – was not clearly identified, and the heir had confused it with another work, an official close to the inquiry said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the case is ongoing.

Police initially identified the recovered Courbet work as La Vague (The Wave), worth euro900,000 ($1.3 million), but officials said Monday it was actually Paysage Marin sous un Ciel d’orage (Marine Landscape Under a Stormy Sky), worth about euro100,000.

The stolen Courbet – one of several paintings by the convention-smashing realist master with a stormy ocean theme – was found at the home of one of the commission agents being investigated. Other pieces recovered in the sweep included artworks, frames and furniture.

Under French law, preliminary charges give the judge more time to investigate and determine whether to send the case to trial. Three commission agents were jailed in the case, with the prosecutor’s office accusing them of deep involvement in thefts dating back to 2001.

The auctioneer was released pending the investigation with the stipulation that he stop hosting sales.

Drouot is a large auction house in a sprawling 19th-century building in central Paris. It auctions fine art and antiquities, as well as such objects as pieces of the Eiffel Tower and mime Marcel Marceau’s top hat.

___

Associated Press Writer Jean-Pierre Verges contributed to this report.

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-ES-12-07-09 1415EST