16th-century Vargueno chest a star lot in Cowan’s July 31 auction

16th-century Spanish Vargueno chest, est. $5,000-$7,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
16th-century Spanish Vargueno chest, est. $5,000-$7,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
16th-century Spanish Vargueno chest, est. $5,000-$7,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.

CINCINNATI – Cowan’s European and Asian Fine and Decorative Art Auction, to be held July 31, 2010 at Cowan’s Cincinnati salesroom, will feature Continental furniture, paintings, pottery and porcelain; and Orientalia. Included in the sale is property from the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, with proceeds to benefit the museum’s acquisitions fund and the Dayton Art Institute; plus property from the estates of Margaret Gruen Longacre and Catherine Wiebold and maps from the collection of Dr. Fred E. Schwab. Internet live bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.

Leading the sale a portrait of a woman by Frederick Soulacroix titled Resting with Fan.  The captivating painting (est. $25,000-35,000) is typical of Soulacroix’s style and is a realistic depiction of a woman posing in a space featuring luxuriant fabrics, furniture and fine accents that suggest a wealthy home. Soulacroix spent most of his life in Italy, where he studied at the Academia de Bella Arte and the Scuola di Pittura.

Another important painting is a townscape by Francesco Bergamini. It portrays a wedding party parading through the town, led by the bride and groom, in line with old Italian tradition. The painting is estimated at $10,000-$15,000.

Continental furniture has a strong presence in the sale, including several great Spanish items. A Vargueno Chest, decorated with elaborate iron hardware over red velvet, is estimated at $5,000/$7,000. A Spanish stretcher-base table (est. $3,000-$4,000) features a single-board top above four tapered legs with mortise-and-tenon stretcher base, two dovetailed drawers with facings of carved rosettes, hand-wrought pulls, and frame-and-panel ends.

A Baccarat crystal chandelier is another highlight of the auction. With a silver metal frame enclosed in a glass stem, the device has 18 alternating glass candle arms with lights, each with a crystal bobeche and hanging cut-back crystal prisms. It is estimated at $4,000-$6,000.

Also of interest is a six-arm German porcelain chandelier with a baluster-form center and extending scrolled flower encrusted arms, cylindrical candle lights and hanging lanterns of encrusted flowers. Probably Dresden, the candle tubes, which may be later, are marked with the underglaze double-sword Meissen mark. The chandelier is estimated at $2,000-$3,000.

Leading the Orientalia portion of the sale is a pair of Oriental figures that are signed on the base KAFFSACK.  The two well-executed polychrome earthenware figures are of a Geisha with a pug and fan and a Samurai with swords in hand. Joseph Kaffsack’s most notable works are public monuments to two emperors, William I and Frederich III, both at Giebichenstein, Germany. The other, six allegorical figures, grace the Leipzig Post Office. His works were commissioned primarily for both public and private buildings, and these figures were supposedly made for the Japanese Pavilion at the Paris Exposition in either 1878 or 1889.

A beautiful handmade platinum and natural fine quality aquamarine ring weighing 36.59 carats stands out in the sale. The medium dark blue ring is estimated at $6,000-$8,000.  Additionally, there are several beautiful Victorian pieces, including a pair of bracelets and a vintage cameo brooch.

A late 19th-century French Aubusson tapestry woven carpet with cotton underlining is one of several great rugs in the sale. The carpet is estimated at $5,000-$7,000.

Cowan’s will offer an extensive collection of maps from the property of Dr. Fred E. Schwab, including Novissima Totius Terrarum Orbis Tabula, a double-hemisphere map (est. $6,000-$8,000) of the world as the 17th-century Dutch knew. Another interesting collection is titled Kohler, Johann David and includes 44 hand-colored maps plus illustrated title page and index. Johann David Kohler was a German historian whose primary interests were coins as historical artifacts. Many pages have decorative cartouches and artistically stacked historic coins of the region depicted.  The lot is estimated at $1,000-$2,000.

For additional information on any lot in this auction, call Cowan’s at 513-871-1670 or e-mail info@cowans.com.

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

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

altView the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Portrait of Woman by Frederick Soulacroix, Oil on Canvas, est.- $25,000-$35,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
Portrait of Woman by Frederick Soulacroix, Oil on Canvas, est.- $25,000-$35,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
Townscape by Francesco Bergamini, oil on canvas, est. $10,000-$15,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
Townscape by Francesco Bergamini, oil on canvas, est. $10,000-$15,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
Judith, sculpture by Emile Coriolan Hippolyte Guillemin, est. $6,000-$8,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
Judith, sculpture by Emile Coriolan Hippolyte Guillemin, est. $6,000-$8,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
Baccarat crystal chandelier, est. $4,000-$6,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
Baccarat crystal chandelier, est. $4,000-$6,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
Portrait by Vu Cao Dam (Vietnamese), oil on canvas, est. $6,000-$8,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
Portrait by Vu Cao Dam (Vietnamese), oil on canvas, est. $6,000-$8,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
Pair of Meissen porcelain urns, est. $3,000-$5,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
Pair of Meissen porcelain urns, est. $3,000-$5,000. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
Amphora Stellmacher Teplitz frog vase, est. $2,500-$3,500. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.
Amphora Stellmacher Teplitz frog vase, est. $2,500-$3,500. Image courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions.

Tiffany clock set marks the hour for Kaminski’s Mid-Summer Auction

19th-century Tiffany & Co. ormolu bronze three-piece clock set. Est. $18,000-$25,000. Image courtesy of Kaminski Auctions.
19th-century Tiffany & Co. ormolu bronze three-piece clock set. Est. $18,000-$25,000. Image courtesy of Kaminski Auctions.
19th-century Tiffany & Co. ormolu bronze three-piece clock set. Est. $18,000-$25,000. Image courtesy of Kaminski Auctions.

BOSTON – Kaminski Auctions’ Mid-Summer Estates Auction to be held July 31 and Aug. 1 features a wide selection of fine art, antiques and fine furnishings, with consignments acquired from Massachusetts to California. The auction will take place under the tent at the company’s venue at 564 Cabot St. in the Boston suburb of Beverly, with Internet live bidding provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.

Highlighting the sale is a 19th-century Tiffany & Co. ormolu bronze clock set (est. $18,000-$25,000).  Each piece rests on a pink/coral-hued marble base and has winged figural accents.  The bronze clock face, which is enclosed behind a beveled glass window, features ornate floral hands and is engraved “Tiffany & Co. New York.” The clock is flanked by two matching candelabra, each having six arms.

A fine selection of jewelry is also offered at this exciting two-day auction. A gold and diamond ring (est. $20,000-$30,000) tops the jewelry lots in the sale. The ring boasts a 5-carat mine-cut yellow diamond center stone in a fine 18K yellow gold setting. The yellow diamond is wreathed in 10 smaller diamonds, arranged in a circular pattern around the center stone.

Among an assortment of rare Asian antiques is a large Tang Dynasty-period pottery Lokapala figure (est. $5,000-$8,000). The piece, which is 29 inches in height, is decorated with original pigments. Lokapala figures have great significance in Buddhist culture, and are held to be symbolic guardians of the areas they occupy.

Russian antiques include a 14K gold cigarette case (est. $5,000-$8,000), hallmarked with the number “56.” Also offered is a set of fine enameled Russian serving pieces, (est. $5,000-$8,000) including six cups, six teaspoons, ice tongs, a covered box and serving tray. The ornate enamel design showcases a wide array of colors, complimented by subtle floral accents.

“We’ve received some wonderful consignments for our Mid-Summer Auction, many of which have been discovered at our weekly Free Appraisal Tuesdays,” said Frank Kaminski, owner of Kaminski Auctions. “In addition to these assorted consignments, we’re also pleased to offer in Sunday’s auction the second part of the wonderful Asian antique collection of United States Navy retired surgeon Dr. Harold Streit and his wife Elizabeth Streit, from Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire.”

For information on any lot in the auction, call Kaminski’s at 978-927-2223.

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

Click here to view the fully illustrated catalog for this sale, complete with prices realized.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE


Gold and diamond ring - 5-karat mine-cut yellow diamond in 18k yellow gold setting. Est. $20,000-$30,000. Image courtesy of Kaminski Auctions.
Gold and diamond ring – 5-karat mine-cut yellow diamond in 18k yellow gold setting. Est. $20,000-$30,000. Image courtesy of Kaminski Auctions.
Set of Russian enameled serving pieces including six cups, six teaspoons, ice tongs, a covered box and a serving tray. Est. $5,000-$8,000). Image courtesy of Kaminski Auctions.
Set of Russian enameled serving pieces including six cups, six teaspoons, ice tongs, a covered box and a serving tray. Est. $5,000-$8,000). Image courtesy of Kaminski Auctions.

Wyoming museum showing Frontier Days photos

Looking through Fence with Boots at CFD Arena. Image courtesy Wyoming State Archives.
Looking through Fence with Boots at CFD Arena. Image courtesy Wyoming State Archives.
Looking through Fence with Boots at CFD Arena. Image courtesy Wyoming State Archives.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – The Wyoming State Museum is showing 50 photos and posters pertaining to the history of Cheyenne Frontier Days.

The exhibit will be open from July 18 through Aug. 28. It’s called “From Roughneck Show to Pro Rodeo: Cheyenne Frontier Days.”

The show was put together by the museum and the State Archives. May of the photos come from the State Archive’s collection of images by J.E. Stimson, Francis Brammar and Ralph R. Doubleday.

Frontier Days runs from July 23 through Aug. 1.

___

Online: Wyoming State Museum: http://wyomuseum.state.wy.us/

Cheyenne Frontier Days: http://www.cfdrodeo.com/index.aspx

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WS-07-13-10 1638EDT

 

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

Cowboy Riding Saddle Bronc, CFD 1970. Image courtesy Wyoming State Archives.
Cowboy Riding Saddle Bronc, CFD 1970. Image courtesy Wyoming State Archives.

Gallery Report: July 2010

A free-blown and lily-pad decorated tall pitcher, blue-green (circa 1850-1890) sold for $14,950 at a sale of Important Early American Glass & Lighting held May 22 by Jeffrey S. Evans & Associates in Mount Crawford, Va. Also, a pair of pressed Boston & Sandwich Glass Co. tulip vases, brilliant deep teal (circa 1845-1865) went for $14,950; a New York State free-blown and threaded vase or jar, deep blue green (circa 1845-1865), brought $8,625; and a pair of Loop/Leaf lamps in medium golden amber made $6,900. Prices include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.

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Heirs spar over upcoming auction of Lucille Ball items

Lucille Ball in a glamorous pose, from a selection of seven negatives and one glossy proof print from the I Love Lucy show auctioned on April 30, 2009 by Profiles in History of Calabasas Hills, California. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Profiles in History.

Lucille Ball in a glamorous pose, from a selection of seven negatives and one glossy proof print from the I Love Lucy show auctioned on April 30, 2009 by Profiles in History of Calabasas Hills, California. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Profiles in History.
Lucille Ball in a glamorous pose, from a selection of seven negatives and one glossy proof print from the I Love Lucy show auctioned on April 30, 2009 by Profiles in History of Calabasas Hills, California. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Profiles in History.
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Heirs of the late Lucille Ball and her second husband are sparring over the planned auction of some of the couple’s prized possessions, including a Rolls-Royce and some of the actress’ awards.

Other items on the auction block are photos, sketches, other personal items and love letters between Ball and Gary Morton, the comedienne’s second husband.

Morton and Ball were married until the comedienne’s death in 1989. He later remarried, and the items being offered in a July 17 auction were consigned to a Texas-based auction house by his widow, Susie Morton.

She is now locked in a battle with Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill, the daughter of Ball and her first husband and I Love Lucy co-star, Desi Arnaz, who want some of the items and her mother’s awards returned.

Susie Morton sued Luckinbill on Monday to seek a judge’s ruling that the auction can proceed.

Luckinbill said Wednesday through her attorney, Ronald J. Palmieri, that if the items she requested are not returned, she will go to court Friday morning to try to stop the auction.

Luckinbill wants the return of seven love letters, Ball’s address book, some portraits and several lifetime achievement awards being offered for sale, Palmieri said.

“It is clear these are personal effects earned by a lifetime of work by someone of great stature in the entertainment community,” Palmieri said in a statement. “To demean their true nature, and prostitute their value in monetary terms, is insulting to Ms. Ball’s memory and contravenes her express desire that these items were to belong to her daughter after her death.”

Both Luckinbill and Susie Morton say Luckinbill was entitled to her mother’s personal effects as part of the comedienne’s estate planning. But Susie Morton’s lawsuit contends Luckinbill abandoned the items when they were distributed after Ball’s death.

A phone message left for Susie Morton’s attorney was not immediately returned Wednesday.

Palmieri said the items would go to either a museum named after her mother and father in New York, or another museum where they could be shown.

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Old Toy Soldier Auctions chalks up ‘best sale to date’

Courtenay figure Le Borge de Prie, numbered XX1, $1,062. Old Toy Soldier Auctions image.
Courtenay figure Le Borge de Prie, numbered XX1, $1,062. Old Toy Soldier Auctions image.
Courtenay figure Le Borge de Prie, numbered XX1, $1,062. Old Toy Soldier Auctions image.

PITTSBURGH – Ray Haradin’s Old Toy Soldier Auctions operates in a world of miniature antiques, but prices on top lots were strictly big league in the company’s May 1 auction featuring the collections of John Graham (part III), brothers Bill and Don Thompson, and other consignors.

“At $229,000 with 99 percent of the lots sold, it was, by far, our best sale to date,” said Haradin. “I was thrilled with the result.”

The 645-lot auction inventory featured an extraordinary toy soldier collection that was established in the 1940s by two brothers from Chicago, Don and (the late) Bill Thompson. When their family moved to California in 1947, the boys’ carefully wrapped and boxed toys made the journey as well, but they would remain in quiet storage until 2009, when they were unwrapped and assessed for auction purposes.

“We got terrific prices on the Thompsons’ soldiers because they were very desirable, early pieces in fabulous condition,” Haradin said. “I think condition was the reason there were so many new bidders for this sale. I suspect many of them were younger people, too, since 47 percent of the purchases were made online through LiveAuctioneers.”

Among the highlights from the Thompson collection was an exceptionally rare version of Britains’ 1937 Coronation Coach Set #1476 containing a single figure of the uncrowned King Edward VIII. The 28-piece boxed set, which also included grooms, footmen and Yeomen of the Guard, topped its high estimate to settle at $5,015 (all prices quoted in this report are inclusive of 18% buyer’s premium).

Another lot with an Edward VIII connection consisted of a figure of the British monarch in his purple, ermine-trimmed Coronation robes. Made by Britains prior to the King’s abdication, the figure came in a box with both a yellow manufacturer’s label marked “King Edward VIII” and a Marshall Field department store $1 price sticker. In Old Toy Soldier’s sale, it concluded its bidding run majestically at $3,422.

There was widespread interest for a Haffner (German) 21-piece military set featuring Frederick the Great with mounted troops, two drummers, a flag bearer and other figures. The very rare ensemble mustered a winning bid of $3,186 against a presale estimate of $1,200-$1,500.

Competition was keen, as well, for knights produced by the British firm Courtenay. A signed and numbered (XX1) hand-painted figure known as “Le Borge de Prie” was pushed well beyond its $400-$600 estimate to close at $1,062.

An early production by the still-active British company King and Country depicted a dashing corps of Seaforth Highlanders in foreign active service dress, complete with piper and mounted officer. The 26-piece set garnered a within-estimate price of $590.

Unlike W. Britains, whose origins date to the mid-Victorian era, King and Country was a late entry on the toy soldier playing field, Haradin said. “They started in the early 1980s but didn’t become popular till the mid-1990s. Now they rival Britains in sales and maybe even surpass them. There’s a very dedicated following for this brand when it’s offered in our auctions. Newer collectors want to buy the pieces that came out before they got into the hobby.”

Speaking of the playing field, bidders came from all directions to pursue a seldom-seen Cherilea postwar baseball set featuring 11 figures, including a black-suited umpire. In its original, colorfully lithographed box and with each of the pieces still tied in place, the like-new set estimated at $1,800-$2,400 crossed home plate in championship style at $4,425.

Other notable boxed sets in the auction included a Britains 8-piece prewar “Los Rurales de la Federaction” Mexican Infantry Set #186, $1,770; a 1937-1941 British Army Active Service Display Set #1328, also by Britains, $1,298; and a postwar Mignot (French) 6-piece “Gardes du Corps du Roi” set #294 featuring an officer, trumpeter and standard bearer, $325.

“What impressed me most about this sale was that it was strong across the board. We made sure we catered to every type of collector, and we didn’t note softness in any category,” Haradin said.

Old Toy Soldier Auctions is expanding its operations. Joe Saine of Toledo, Ohio, an expert in both new and old toy soldiers, is joining the company’s staff to assist with future sales. Additionally, OTSA will conduct its first-ever two-day sale over the weekend of Nov. 20-21, with Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers.com. The auction will feature part I of the late Fred Wehr’s collection, which contains many rare, early Britains, approximately 140 King and Country sets, German-made Heyde figures, and an extensive selection of figures by Bill Hocker, a boutique manufacturer from California whose contemporary toy soldiers are often favorably compared to Britains.

To contact Ray Haradin and Old Toy Soldier Auctions, call 412-343-8733 (tollfree: 800-349-8009) or e-mail raytoys@aol.com.

View the fully illustrated catalog and register to bid absentee or live via the Internet as the sale is taking place by logging on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

Britains Mexican Infantry Set #186, pre-World War II, $1,770. Old Toy Soldier Auctions image.

Britains Mexican Infantry Set #186, pre-World War II, $1,770. Old Toy Soldier Auctions image.
Britains Set #1328, British Army Active Service, second version, 1937-1941, $1,298. Old Toy Soldier Auctions image.

Britains Set #1328, British Army Active Service, second version, 1937-1941, $1,298. Old Toy Soldier Auctions image.
Britains Set #1473, King Edward VIII in Coronation robes, in original box with Marshall Field department store $1 price sticker, $3,422. Old Toy Soldier Auctions image.

Britains Set #1473, King Edward VIII in Coronation robes, in original box with Marshall Field department store $1 price sticker, $3,422. Old Toy Soldier Auctions image.
Extremely rare version of Britains Set #1476, Coronation Coach with single figure of uncrowned King Edward VIII, made in 1937, $5,015. Old Toy Soldier Auctions image

Extremely rare version of Britains Set #1476, Coronation Coach with single figure of uncrowned King Edward VIII, made in 1937, $5,015. Old Toy Soldier Auctions image
Cherilea 22-piece postwar baseball set, $4,425. Old Toy Soldier Auctions image.

Cherilea 22-piece postwar baseball set, $4,425. Old Toy Soldier Auctions image.
Haffner Frederick the Great and troops, prewar, 21 pieces, $3,186. Old Toy Soldier Auctions image.

Haffner Frederick the Great and troops, prewar, 21 pieces, $3,186. Old Toy Soldier Auctions image.
Mignot Set #294, Gardes du Corps du Roi, 6 pieces, original box, $325. Old Toy Soldier Auctions image.
Mignot Set #294, Gardes du Corps du Roi, 6 pieces, original box, $325. Old Toy Soldier Auctions image.

Wyoming resumes sales tax collections at gun shows

Wyoming State Flag. Public domain image.

Wyoming State Flag. Public domain image.
Wyoming State Flag. Public domain image.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) _ The state of Wyoming has resumed collecting sales taxes at gun shows after temporarily suspending the collections when one of its field representatives got into a verbal confrontation with vendors.

Several people who participated in a gun show at Pine Bluffs in April said a dispute occurred there when a state tax official was rude to vendors.

The agency released a statement Tuesday through the governor’s office saying it reviewed the incident and is instructing its field representatives to maintain “positive interactions with vendors.”

The department did not release the name of the tax official.

Dan Noble, director of the state Revenue Department’s excise tax division, declined Tuesday to blame anyone but said his employees would be as “nonintrusive as we can possibly be and still collect the tax that’s due.”

The agency will provide gun show vendors packets with instructions on how to comply with state sales tax laws, and agency field representatives will be available to answer questions.

Duncan Philp, of Carpenter, said he was among those involved in the Pine Bluffs encounter.

Philp said he was selling or giving away T-shirts to promote a group called the Wyoming Tyranny Response Team, which he described as a leaderless “street protest organization” that protests against government erosion of people’s rights.

Philp and others at the show say the tax official had a “bad attitude” in confronting vendors about collecting sales taxes.

Philp and Noble said they met Monday and cordially discussed the incident.

Philp said he suggested to Noble that the state tax collectors be “less intrusive, use common sense and don’t get in a guy’s face.”

The spat also has raised debate over what items are subject to sales tax and who should be responsible for collecting it.

Noble said he discussed Wyoming sales tax laws with Philp and “the way we ended up the whole conversation is that we just agreed to disagree.”

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WS-07-13-10 2052EDT

 

Colonial Williamsburg 2009 revenue down 9 percent

Public speaker re-enacts an event leading up to the American Revolutionary War. Taken in Colonial Williamsburg, Va., outside the Raleigh Tavern.

Public speaker re-enacts an event leading up to the American Revolutionary War. Taken in Colonial Williamsburg, Va., outside the Raleigh Tavern.
Public speaker re-enacts an event leading up to the American Revolutionary War. Taken in Colonial Williamsburg, Va., outside the Raleigh Tavern.
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) – Colonial Williamsburg says ticket sales and donations fell in 2009, contributing to an overall decline in revenue for the living history museum.

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation said visitors purchased 660,000 general admissions in 2009, down 7 percent from the previous year. Gifts to the Colonial Williamsburg Fund, which supports the operating budget, declined 4.5 percent to $14 million over the period.

Revenue totaled $192 million, down nearly 9 percent from $210 million in 2008. Expenses declined from $249 million to $216 million over the period. The result was an operating loss of $24 million, smaller than the $39 million loss the previous year.

The foundation’s net assets increased by $115 million to $843 million, largely on stronger performance of its endowment, which reflected improvements in the financial markets.

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-ES-07-14-10 0914EDT

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

Colonial Williamsburg fife and drum corps re-enactment at Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia.
Colonial Williamsburg fife and drum corps re-enactment at Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia.

Vintage postcard illustrating the Old Capitol Building and a Colonial coach, Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia.
Vintage postcard illustrating the Old Capitol Building and a Colonial coach, Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia.

Artwork of Mickey Mouse with Nazi symbol ignites Polish anger

WARSAW, Poland (AP) – A huge outdoor art poster that blends Mickey Mouse’s image with that of a swastika and a nude woman’s body is causing a stir in Poland, where memories of the suffering inflicted by Nazi Germany remain strong.

The poster, which went up in June in the western city of Poznan just steps from a synagogue, is an Italian artist’s take on what he calls the “horrors” of the American lifestyle and is one piece of artwork in a contemporary art exhibition opening in the fall.

But the reaction shows that there is little appetite in Poland for satirical or artistic uses of images linked to Nazi Germany, which invaded Poland in 1939 and built ghettoes and death camps across the country in which millions were murdered.

“This art provocation is a form of violence against the sensitivity of many people,” said Norbert Napieraj, a city council member who asked prosecutors to ban the poster.

Prosecutors, however, determined that the poster is art and does not violate the country’s laws against glorifying Nazism.

The poster has been vandalized twice since it first went up, and on Tuesday was no longer stretched across a building in the city center. Despite the uproar, gallery director Maria Czarnecka said she plans to put it back up.

“Art should be provocative and controversial,” she told The Associated Press, insisting that the poster does not seek to propagate Nazism but instead wants to explore “symbols and how they work.”

“The Mickey Mouse head and swastika are on the same level _ they don’t mean anything and they are both part of the globalized world,” Czarnecka said.

Jewish leaders, who have been outraged at the poster, would disagree, saying the swastika still means something very real to many Poles, Jews and non-Jews alike.

Poland was once home to Europe’s largest Jewish community, which numbered close to 3.5 million people before it was nearly wiped out in the Holocaust. The Nazis also committed atrocities against the non-Jewish population, and killed some 6 million Polish citizens, about half Jewish and the other half Christian.

The head of Poznan’s Jewish community, Alicja Kobus, 64, described being overwhelmed by revulsion when she first saw the poster. She had just been with Jewish visitors from Holland to the synagogue, which the Nazis turned into a swimming pool.

“It is a shock for people who still scarred by the hell of the Holocaust,” she said.

The work – NaziSexyMouse by Italian artist Max Papeschi – is part of a series works that blend iconic American cartoon figures with images of warfare or destruction.

Papeschi explains on his website that the series – which he dubs “Politically-Incorrect” – is meant as commentary on the United States, revealing “all the horror of this lifestyle.”

His images – Mickey Mouse as a Nazi or Ronald McDonald as a machine-gun bearing soldier in Iraq – lose “their reassuring effect and change into a collective nightmare,” Papeschi said.

“NaziSexyMouse” also went on show this week in Berlin as part of an exhibition at a sister gallery. But the image has not been displayed publicly there and has sparked no outcry.

A Berlin art gallery manager said older people often do not understand that the combination of pop culture icons like Mickey Mouse and historical symbols like the swastika are meant to be satirical.

“For the younger generation, this painting is just a joke; older people sometimes don’t like it or don’t find it funny, but nobody has taken any offense so far,” said Agnes Kaplon, manager of the Abnormals Gallery in Berlin.

A Russian art exhibition that also used Mickey Mouse’s image has also been at the center of a legal case in Russia. Two Russian curators who angered the Russian Orthodox Church with an exhibition that included images of Jesus Christ portrayed as Mickey Mouse and Vladimir Lenin were convicted Monday of inciting religious hatred and fined, but not sentenced to prison.

_____

Associated Press Writer Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this story.

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-ES-07-14-10 0753EDT