Britney Spears stage-worn faux fur coat for her HBO Special ‘Britney Live’ and also worn on her Dream Within A Dream tour from November 2001 to January 2002, studded with sequins and studs. Image courtesy of Premiere Props. EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – Premiere Props will be auctioning iconic Hollywood memorabilia once owned by Michael Jackson, Ringo Starr, Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, Jimi Hendrix and other stars on Saturday, July 30, and Sunday, July 31.
The 1,000-lot auction will begin at 11 a.m. at the company’s headquarters. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding. There will be a preview from 9-11 a.m.
Items include:
Michael Jackson’s signature Swarovski crystal glove from his “Thriller” era; a stage-worn Swarovski crystal helmet from his Triumph tour (1981) and a black fedora from his stage performance of Billie Jean.
Ringo Starr’s 1968 Ford Mustang, originally owned and customized by the Beatles drummer with original signed pink slip.
Britney Spears’ custom coat from Live from Las Vegas.
Justin Bieber’s autographed Levis 501 gray denim jeans.
Jimmy Hendrix’s vest that was given to Johnny Cash.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines – The Terminator’s (Arnold Schwarzenegger) breakaway sunglasses worn in the finale of the film where he fights the female Terminator. (The glasses are broken and in pieces.)
Star Wars – original pieces of the Death Star and other props from the trilogy.
Star Trek – Dr. Spock’s (Leonard Nimoy) original set of Vulcan ears worn in various films.
The Ten Commandments – A throne chair that was used by many of the leads.
Planet of the Apes – full size figures of Charlton Heston and Apes with original costumes from the 1968 film and a Charlton Heston Flight Jacket.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid – Robert Redford’s hat.
Sex and the City – Carrie Bradshaw’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) dress.
Batman and Robin – Batgirl’s (Yvonne Craig) costume from the iconic television series.
“We have such a huge array of important and very recognizable costumes and props from some of the biggest stars in the world,” said Dan Levin, vice president of marketing for Premiere Props. “From Michael Jackson, Ringo Starr and Britney Spears to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Charlton Heston and Leonard Nimoy, there is something for everyone.”
Fans can starting bidding now, placing bids online at www.liveauctoneers.com or calling to set up phone bidding with a Premiere Props representative.
For details go to http://www.premiereprops.com or http://www.hollywoodliveauctions.com or call 310-322-PROP / 888-761-PROP.
Michael Jacksons’ stage-worn performance belt, decorated with intricate beading and crystals, 25 1/2 inches, given to one of his security guards. Image courtesy of Premiere Props.Rare Michael Jackson stage-worn ‘Billie Jean’ black fedora, worn during his 55-concert Victory tour, tossed to a fan during a concert in Montreal on Sept. 17, 1984. Image courtesy of Premiere Props.‘Fantastic Four’ (2005) Dr. Doom concept art, hand-drawn costume design sketch, 11 inches x 18 inches. Image courtesy of Premiere Props.‘Where the Wild Things Are’ (2009) three concept drawings, original hand-drawn sketches from the production of the movie, 11 x 17 inches, 14 x 17 inches and 17 x 11 inches. Image courtesy of Premiere Props.‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’ (2003), screen-used cursed Aztec gold coin, 1 1/2 inches diameter, metal painted gold, includes documentation. Image courtesy of Premiere Props.
Frans Hals (Antwerp, 1582/83-1666), Young Man and Woman in an Inn, 1623, oil on canvas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913. NEW YORK – The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds the most important collection of paintings in America by the celebrated Dutch artist Frans Hals (1582/83-1666), whose portraits and genre scenes were famous in his lifetime for their immediacy and dazzling brushwork. “Frans Hals in the Metropolitan Museum” – on view from July 26, through Oct. 10 – will present 13 paintings by Hals, including two lent from private collections and several works by other Netherlandish masters.
Frans Hals is one of the most familiar and accessible of the Old Master painters. His name is second only to Rembrandt’s in the Netherlands and equals Vermeer’s in its evocation of the golden age of Dutch art. After falling out of favor in the 18th century, Hals’s work was championed from the 1860s onward by Realist and Impressionist masters such as Courbet, Manet and Sargent, and collected by several of the Metropolitan Museum’s major benefactors.
The exhibition will focus primarily on the Metropolitan Museum’s 11 autograph paintings by Hals, which represent the full range of his work apart from large group portraits. Several of the museum’s paintings by Hals are famous, especially the early Merrymakers at Shrovetide (circa 1616) and the so-called Jonker Ramp and His Sweetheart (1623), both bequeathed to the museum by Benjamin Altman in 1913. The Metropolitan Museum has two other genre scenes by Hals, as well as seven fine portraits dating from the 1620s through the 1650s.
Also included in the exhibition will be two loans from private collections in New York – the small, exquisite Portrait of Samuel Ampzing (1630), on copper, and the well-known Fisher Girl (1630-32). A selection of other Netherlandish paintings from the museum’s collection by artists including Rubens, Van Dyck, Steen and Brouwer will set Hals’s work in the context of his native Haarlem and will help clarify how exceptional his animated poses and virtuoso brushwork were at the time.
Frans Hals in the Metropolitan Museum is organized by Walter Liedtke, Curator in the Metropolitan Museum’s Department of European Paintings.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a bulletin written by Walter Liedtke, which will be devoted to Frans Hals’s life and work, and which will also consider in detail each of the Metropolitan Museum’s paintings by Hals. The bulletin will be on sale in the museum’s book shops.
The exhibition is made possible by Bernard and Louise Palitz.
The bulletin is made possible through the generosity of the Lila Acheson Wallace Fund for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, established by the cofounder of Reader’s Digest.
Frans Hals (Antwerp, 1582/83-1666), Young Man and Woman in an Inn, 1623, oil on canvas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – Military history enthusiasts and fans of football great Eddie Robinson can explore museums celebrating their interests only three days each week. Children on summer vacation will have less time to splash and swim in state-run pools. Visitors to Louisiana’s historic sites and a trail of small museums crisscrossing the state will find trimmed-down schedules.
In the heart of the summer tourism and vacation season, Louisiana’s state-run recreational areas, parks and educational pastimes are shrinking visitors’ hours and cutting staff time to cope with lessened funding as the new budget year began July 1.
“This is certainly the busiest of times,” said Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, who oversees the state Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. “We’re trying to be smart and careful in the changes that we’re implementing so as to minimize the impact to the customer. We’re trying to do the best we can in the most reasonable manner.”
With the start of the 2011-12 fiscal year, Dardenne’s office announced limitations to operating hours at state parks and pools. Historic sites will be open five days a week, instead of seven days a week, pools at a half dozen state parks will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and entrance stations at all state parks will have shorter hours.
The combined budget of the lieutenant governor’s office and his Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism fell from $113 million in the just-ended budget year to $95 million this year, about a 16 percent reduction. Last year, the parks raised fees to fill some gaps, but Dardenne said no further increases are planned.
Worsening the parks’ money difficulties, the budget backed by lawmakers and the Jindal administration shifted $7 million from a facility maintenance fund to operations, meaning if Dardenne uses all of the dollars to operate the parks, the facilities won’t be able to make repairs or do general maintenance when the needs arise. So, Dardenne is trying to lessen operational spending by cutting park hours and reducing staff.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Tom Schedler announced a dozen small museums around Louisiana will slash their hours next week, including the Delta Music Museum in Ferriday, the Shreveport Water Works Museum, the Louisiana Military Hall of Fame and Museum in Abbeville and the Eddie G. Robinson Museum honoring the legendary Grambling State University football coach.
The museums will each be open three days a week, either Wednesday through Friday or Thursday through Saturday, to shrink work hours for museum employees and cut costs.
Schedler called the museum hour reductions a difficult decision, but said it was the best way to cope with an $862,000 cut to museum funding without laying off workers or closing facilities entirely.
Image courtesy of The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) – A new bronze statue of former President Gerald R. Ford has been installed at the presidential museum that bears his name in Grand Rapids.
The replica of a work dedicated in May in Washington, D.C., was installed Monday outside the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, The Grand Rapids Press reported. The installation came ahead of the funeral for former first lady Betty Ford, who died Friday at age 93.
“The Ford family is delighted with the artist’s rendition of President Ford. They believe it captures him perfectly,” said Matt McLogan, a spokesman for the Gerald R. Ford Foundation.
Funeral services for Betty Ford took place on Tuesday in California. Another service will be held on Thursday in Michigan. She will be buried Thursday next to her husband on the museum grounds.
The 450-pound, 7-foot tall casting depicts Ford as if in motion, holding papers in his left hand and looking off into the distance. The statue is by Michigan native J. Brett Grill, who formerly lived near Grand Rapids. He said he is proud to see his work on display at the museum.
“I think it’s especially meaningful to me. It’s my hometown,” Grill said. “I grew up with all the lore of the Ford family.”
On Thursday, workers made way for the Ford statue as they lifted out the bronze spaceman sculpture, known as “Man in Space,” by crane. It is to be refurbished before being installed after the conclusion of the ArtPrize competition this fall at the museum.
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Information from: The Grand Rapids Press, http://www.mlive.com/grand-rapids
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Image courtesy of The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – The attorney for a New Jersey man accused of snatching a Picasso drawing off the wall of a San Francisco art gallery says his client will plead not guilty.
Mark Lugo appeared in court Monday for the first time since his arrest last week on suspicion of stealing the 1965 sketch, which was on sale at the Weinstein Gallery for more than $200,000.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that a judge agreed to a request from Lugo’s attorney, Douglas Horngrad, to postpone his arraignment until Friday. Horngrad said he wants Lugo’s $5 million bail reduced.
The 30-year-old sommelier from Hoboken, N.J., is charged with grand theft, possession of stolen property and second-degree burglary.
Police on Wednesday arrested Lugo in Napa, Calif., where they found the undamaged drawing stripped from its frame.
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Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Topping Matthews Auctions’ recent sale was a rare Texaco Home Lubricant counter-top display rack that sold for $7,425. Image courtesy of Matthews Auctions LLC.
DUBLIN, Ohio – A rare Texaco Home Lubricant counter-top display rack made of painted metal, rated 9-plus on a scale of 1-10 for overall condition, sold for $7,425 at an auction held June 25 by Matthews Auctions LLC. The auction was held on the second day of the annual Check the Oil Show.
The Texaco display rack was the top lot of the more than 400 lots of petroliana and automobilia that crossed the block that day. The sign, measuring 12 inches by 13 1/2 inches by 5 inches, was “the best of example of this piece I have ever sold at auction,” said Dan Matthews of Matthews Auctions, Nokomis, Ill. “Condition is what drove the price up, for this and other lots,” he added.
Over 200 people packed the sale room at Embassy Suites Hotel in Dublin, where the auction was held, to bid on porcelain, tin and cardboard signs, globes, great display pieces and other examples of gas station and automotive collectibles.
“Many of the top earners were cardboard displays and other display pieces, not signs, and that runs counter to what we’ve seen in previous sales,” Matthews observed. “Display pieces are becoming more and more sought after by collectors and are an up-and-coming category. Of course, condition is what matters most. Items rated 8.5 or 9 and above all brought high dollars.”
Online bidding was facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com. Following are additional highlights from the auction. All prices quoted include a 10 percent buyer’s premium.
The second top lot was a Ford Genuine Parts single-sided tin countertop (or hanging display) neon sign, circa late 1920s, rated 8.5 with good color and original neon tubing, switch and transformer. It knocked down at $6,050. In third place was a tin flange sign reading “Stop Here for Silver Edge Raybestos Brake Service” boasting great graphics. It commanded $4,675.
A Johnson Sea Horse Outboard Motors single-sided tin self-framed sign (“Bailey Service Inc.”), with sea horse logo, 32 inches by 56 inches, rated 8.9 with great color and shine, brought $3,850; and a Stanley Garage Door Holders single-sided tin wood-back sign (“Hold Your Garage Doors Open!”), with great graphics, rated 8, 26 inches by 34 inches, made $3,520.
Two lots coasted to identical hammer prices of $3,300. One was a single-sided porcelain oval sign having “Power With Race Horse & Jockey” graphics (and meant to have neon around the perimeter), rated 9 with great gloss and color. The other was a set of 15-inch lenses in a metal globe body for Associated Green Gold Gasoline, with original body and the display lens, rated 9.
A single-sided tin embossed sign for Kelly-Springfield Automobile Tires / Consolidated Rubber Tire, 14 inches by 20 inches, rated 8.75 with good color and shine (marked H.D. Beach Co., Coshocton, Ohio), fetched $3,190; and a double-sided tin tombstone-shaped sign for Reo Sales & Service, Heavy Duty Trucks, Safety Buses, 30 inches by 20 inches, rated 9, hit $2,970.
A Spectral Ford Radio three-piece cardboard stand-up display with great graphics went for $2,420. The cardboard easel-back signs measured 61 inches by 40 inches, 61 inches by 20 inches and 37 inches by 19 inches. All were rated 7.5-8. Also, a single-sided cardboard sign for Splitdorf (“Pep!”) Spark Plugs, 30 inches by 22 inches, rated 7.75, changed hands for $2,200.
A Goodyear Service Station porcelain flange sign with tire-around-the-world logo, 30 inches by 26 inches and rated 8.9 for the display and 8.5 for the reverse, with great gloss and color, breezed to $2,200; and a Union Gasoline 15-inch single lens in a metal body, rated 8 and in overall good condition, with the “Ethyl” logo and the original (repainted) body, made $2,035.
An Off ’n’ On Tire Chains die-cut cardboard trifold display, 12 inches by 22 inches by 6 inches, rated 9, sold for $1,760; a Dreadnaught Chains “Always Grip, Never Slip” die-cut cardboard easel-back sign, with battleship and chained tire graphics, rated 9.5, garnered $1,650; and a Mapco Speedway Coil single-sided tin embossed sign, rated 9, also topped out at $1,650.
Rounding out the day’s top lots, an Oak Motor Oil double-sided porcelain sign with tree graphic and good gloss and color, rated 8.25 for the display, demanded $1,650; an “Ask For Veedol Motor Oils, 100% Pennsylvania Supreme Quality” double-sided porcelain tombstone-shaped sign with the display rated 9.5 went for $1,540; and an “X Liquid Repairs Leaky Radiators” single-sided tin self-embossed sign, marked Burdick and rated 9, realized $825.
Matthews Auctions LLC accepts high-quality consignments. To consign a single item, an estate or an entire collection, call them toll-free at 877-968-8880, or send an email Dan Matthews at danm@matthewsauctions.com.
Matthews recently completed writing a book about petroliana titled The Fine Art of Collecting Petroliana. For information on how to order a copy log on to the Matthews Auctions LLC website at www.matthewsauctions.com.
Ford Genuine Parts single-sided tin counter-top, or hanging display, neon sign: $6,050. Image courtesy of Matthews Auctions LLC.Raybestos Brake Service “Stop Here For Silver Edge” tin flange sign, rated 8: $4,675. Image courtesy of Matthews Auctions LLC.Stanley Garage Door “Hold Your Garage Doors Open!” single-sided tin sign: $3,520. Image courtesy of Matthews Auctions LLC.Kelly-Springfield Automobile Tires, Consolidated Rubber Tire, tin embossed sign: $3,190. Image courtesy of Matthews Auctions LLC.Splitdorf Spark Plus (“Pep!”) single-sided cardboard sign with great graphics: $2,200. Image courtesy of Matthews Auctions LLC.Union Gasoline 15-inch single lens in metal globe body, with Ethyl logo, rated 8: $2,035. Image courtesy of Matthews Auctions LLC.
Pasha de Cartier watch. Estimate: $16,000-$20,000. Image courtesy of Morton Kuehnert.
HOUSTON – Morton Kuehnert’s summer catalog auction event featuring beautiful antiques, fine art, fine rugs, estate jewelry and art d’objets from Europe and around the globe will begin at 1 p.m. Central on Sunday, July 24. The auction day preview reception begins at 11 a.m.
Beginning Monday, July 18, the items may be previewed in the auction house at 4901 Richmond Ave., in Houston, TX, 77027. Participation is open to the public; also available are absentee bids, phone bids and online bidding at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
More than 200 lots from seven estates are on the block. They include: the estate of Mildred Crocker, Ruidoso, N.M.; property of Escondido Ranch, Magnolia, Texas; the Houston Junior Forum Endowment; the collection of an international oil executive; the estate of La Grand Trunk Gallery, Houston; personal collection of the late Jay Silver, a Houston antique dealer; and a 50-year personal collection of an international gentleman from Houston.
Origins of the lots include: Morocco, North Africa; Luango, Central Africa; Borneo, Bali and Sumatra, Indonesia; Costa Rica; Mexico; Teke Turkman; India; Russia; Iran; Italy; France; England; China; Korea and the United States.
Europe: Italy/France/England
Lot 60, a lovely painting by Italian artist Antonio Casanova, his 1877 oil on canvas The Courtship, estimated at $3,000-$4,000, defines the overall elegance of the European offerings. Very grand is Lot 130, an early Victorian Garrard sterling water kettle on burner stand, 1841, England, estimated at $1,500-$3,000. The Houston Junior Forum Endowment consigned eight paintings; three of the French paintings include Francoise Brochet’s: Lot 75, Lorelee et Fils, signed oil on canvas, mid 20th century, estimate $2,000-$4,000; Lot 74, another 20th-century oil on canvas Jouer de Cartes by Gabriet Dauchot, estimated at $4,000-$6,000; and Lot 77, Michel-Henry’s Toubillon de Reine-Marguerites, 20th-century oil on canvas, estimated at $3,000-$4,000. Lot 98, a pair of French dueling pistols is estimated at $4,000-$6,000. Lot 64 is a finely carved giltwood three-panel room screen, estimated at $2,500-$3,000. Lot 21 is school of Rene Lalique’s Crystal Sea fishes from his animal collection, estimated at $600-$800, signed Lalique France.
Americana
Examples of wonderful Americana include five hand-colored lithographs of American artist George Catlin (1796-1872). Lots 25-30 include lithographs from his North American Indian Portfolio. Hunting Scenes and Amusements of the Rocky Mountains and Prairies of America, London: C. and J. Adlard for George Catlin, 1844. Each is estimated at $2,000-$3,000. Lot 167, an 18th-century scrimshaw corset busk, affectionately called a “sailor’s valentine,” is estimated at $400-$800; Lot 52, a collection of three early 19th-century framed silhouette portraits, is estimated at $1,000-$2,000; and Lot 34, Autumn Landscape, an early 20th-century oil on canvas by Robert Wood, is estimated at $6,000-$9,000.
Costa Rica and Mexico
Heading south of the border, we are auctioning five carved jadeite pendants from northwestern Costa Rica dating to the first century, including Lot 168, $1,500-$2,500; Lot 169, estimated at $500-$750, Lot 170, estimated at $750-$1,000; Lot 171, estimated at $1,500-$2,500 and Lot 172, estimated at $750-$500. Lot 173, a carved jadeite monkey plaque, A.D. 300-700, is from the eastern coast of Costa Rica, with an estimate $500-$700. The oldest antiquity in the auction is Lot 175, a Mezcala carved stone figure, dating 300-100 B.C., found in Guerrero, Mexico, estimated at $500-$700. Lot 174 consists of three small carved Mexican stone celts indigenous to Lago de Chipala, central West Mexico, 100 B.C. -A.D 950, and estimated at $500-$700.
Indonesia/China/Korea/SE Asia
Lot 136 is an ancient Southeast Asian rain drum, estimated at $400-$800. Lot 162, a 20th-century Kayan rattan baby carrier, beaded and decorated, Borneo, Indonesia, promises to be a popular auction item. It is estimated at $300-$600. Three carved wood and bone ritual containers attributed to the Batak people in Sumatra, Indonesia, will be sold in three different lots: 163, estimated at $250-$500; Lot 164, estimated at $250-$500 and Lot 165, estimated at $250-$500. Lot 141, a 19th-century Chinese garden stool or pedestal table, is estimated at $500-$1,000. Lot 144, a Ming Dynasty glazed pottery roof tile, is estimated at $400-$800 and Lot 143, a Chinese jade and semiprecious stone 19th-century peach tree in a Famille Verte porcelain pot, is estimated at $500-$1,000. A Korean elmwood cabinet over chest, circa late 19th century, Lot 137, is estimated at $400-$600. Lot 158, two Indonesian Iban Ikat shawls, 49 x 21 inches and 62 x 19 inches, are estimated at $250-$500 and Lot 159, an 84- x 44-inch Indonesian Ikat Hinggi, is estimated at $350-$500.
Teke Turkman
The Teke tribe was the dominant Turkman tribe in Central Asia the second half of the 19th century. On the auction block are four Teke Turkman silver cuff bracelets: Lot 176 with two, estimated at $1,000-$2,000; Lot 177 with one, estimated at $250-$500 and Lot 178, estimated at $400-$600. Lot 179, a silver double-headed eagle pendant, is estimated at $500-$750. Of the two silver diamond-shaped pendants, Lot 180 is estimated at $400-$600 and Lot 181 is estimated at $300-$500. Also, Lot 182, a silver four-tiered bird figural necklace, is estimated at $250-$500.
Africa: Morocco/Luango
Lot 156, a Moroccan red and black goat-hair Berber akhnif, a hooded cape, 19th century, has intricate design work and $1,500-$3,000 estimate. Also from Morocco is Lot 188, with two mid-20th century tooled and embroidered leather bags decorated with star and geometric patterns, estimated at $350-$500. A special Moroccan tufted wool rug, Lot 153, 53 by 93 inches, circa 1850, will also be auctioned with an estimate of $400-$800. From Luango, West Africa, is Lot 166, a carved elephant tusk, circa 1860. The high relief carving interestingly depicts life in 19th-century West Africa and is estimated at $2,500-$5,000.
Iran/India/Russia/Turkey/Afghanistan
This category has a number of unusual treasures from our collectors, such as seven Afghani/Pakistani Kutch silver dangle rings in Lot 183, estimated at $250-$500; a late 19th-century Iranian/Persian hand-stitched table cover with a boteh (paisley) motif, estimated at $250-$500; and Lot 149, a Kohistani woman’s ceremonial tunic with silk pattern designs and tiny white beads, estimated at $1,000-$2,000. Rugs include Lot 89, a fine central Persian silk Qum rug, 11 x 8 feet, estimated at $4,000-$5,000; Lot 154, a Turkish Anatolian early 20th-century wool prayer rug, estimated at $400-800; and Lot 127, a fine Turkish Hereke rug, 4 feet 9 inches x 3 feet 4 inches, estimated at $1,000-$2,000.
Jewelry and Coins
Sure to bring international interest is Lot 94, an 18K gold Pasha de Cartier watch with a 5.00-carat diamond bezel, estimated at $16,000-$20,000. Lot 114, an 18K Rolex President wristwatch, is estimated at $4,000-$6,000. A man’s sapphire and diamond ring, Lot 115, is estimated at $700-$1,000, and a ruby and diamond bracelet is estimated at $300-$500. Lot 92 is a 19K yellow gold pair of signed Henry Dunay earrings, estimated at $1,500-$2,500. Lot 91, estimated at $1,500-$2,500, is a 1745 Peruvian 8 Escudos coin from the Kingdom of Spain-Spanish Colonial empire, Vice Royalty of Peru, Lima Mint.
For details contact Lindsay Davis, Fine Art Specialist, at ldavis@mortonkuehnert.com; David Baker, Jewelry Specialist, at dbaker@mortonkuehnert.com and Luis Arce, at larce@mortonkuehnert.com.
Items may be viewed online at www.liveauctioneers.com and http://bit.ly/m0dOKi.
The Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount, an important Islamic mosque and Jerusalem landmark, as viewed through Bab al-Qattanin (Cotton Gate). Dec. 17, 2006 photo by Gilabrand, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic license.
JERUSALEM (AFP) – Israel has approved the start of work on a controversial Museum of Tolerance that will be built on the site of an old Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
The project, organized by the Nazi-hunting Simon Wiesenthal Centre, was the subject of a lengthy legal battle, with Palestinians and some Israeli supporters arguing the museum would desecrate the burial site.
Israel’s courts rejected the argument, saying the site was deconsecrated decades ago, and the project has received planning approval from local authorities despite the protests.
On Tuesday, the interior ministry’s district planning committee gave the final go-ahead for work to begin on digging the foundations for the museum, interior ministry spokeswoman Efrat Orbach told AFP.
“The permit was officially approved long ago, yesterday what was approved was only the first step towards the building itself,” she said. “Yesterday it was the first step towards building, which means that they have the permission to start digging. From yesterday they can start digging for that project. But the project itself was already approved about 10 years ago.”
Palestinians and Arab-Israelis, including some whose ancestors were buried at the Mamun Allah cemetery in Jerusalem, have expressed outrage at plans to build a museum dedicated to tolerance on a former burial site.
But Israel’s Supreme Court in 2008 ruled that the site was no longer a burial ground, pointing out no objections were lodged in 1960 when the municipality put a parking lot over part of the graveyard.
Lawyers for the project’s promoters, backed by Jerusalem city authorities, have offered to transfer any graves to a section of the graveyard that will not be affected by the construction, but Muslim leaders rejected the suggestion.
Huda al-Imam, director of the Centre for Jerusalem Studies and a leading campaigner against the museum’s construction, said activists would continue to push for the project’s cancellation.
“We are trying as much as possible to do this with efforts not only on the United Nations level but also on the Israeli court level, on the international court level,” she told AFP.
“We’re trying also to put some pressure on certain Arab leaders, such as Jordan King Abdullah to try to intervene and see whether it is possible to put some pressure on the Israeli side.”
Imam said the cemetery represents “Palestinian cultural heritage and it is supposed to be a protected place or site.”
“They should respect human heritage and human dignity and not build this museum of tolerance on a Palestinian cultural site and try to delete our identity.”
It was not clear when ground would be broken on the project. Plans unveiled in 2010 call for a six-story structure with three floors above ground and three below, at an estimated cost of $100 million.
The new design was created by an Israeli architecture firm after famed architect Frank Gehry pulled out of the project last year.
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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
The Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount, an important Islamic mosque and Jerusalem landmark, as viewed through Bab al-Qattanin (Cotton Gate). Dec. 17, 2006 photo by Gilabrand, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic license.
