“You have to systematically create confusion, it sets creativity free. Everything that is contradictory creates life.”-
- Salvador Dali
Melange
Picasso, Andrew Webber, the Nazis and a court case
Finally the long and expensive court case fought by Andrew Lloyd Webber over the sale of Picasso’s ‘Portrait de Angel Fernandez de Soto’ a.k.a. ‘The Absinthe Drinker’, has been concluded with an out of court settlement with the heir of Paul Von Mendelssohn Bartholdy, a Jewish banker from Berlin. The painting was bought by Webber in 1995 for £19.3million and subsequently exhibited at various prominent art galleries until the composer decided to auction it through Christies to raise funds for his art charity, The Andrew Lloyd Webber Art Foundation. The auction process was dramatically disrupted when a prof Julius Schoeps revealed that the Jewish owner Bartholdy, sold the painting in 1934 under duress by the Nazis in a slumped art market. However after much legal wrangling, an out of court undisclosed settlement saw the heir of the Jewish owner Bartholdy relinquish his claims over the painting.
Hermès launches Shang Xia to woo Chinese Lux consumers
The French luxury brand Hermès, not really having made much of a dent in the ever expanding luxury market in China is now all set to launch a special tailor-made format to lure the Orientals. Coming up in the Spring of 2010 in Shanghai is their new store called Shang Xia, which translates in Mandarin to mean ‘topsy-turvy’, with Miss Qiong-Er Jiang as the creative director. The Shang Xia stores will have ready-to-wear apparel and decorative arts inspired by Chinese culture and traditions of craftsmanship. Interesting to note is that this is the first time ever that Hermès has launched a brand from the grassroots level. To give credibility to the new brand Shang Xia, a store will also be simultaneously launched in Paris.
Rusty and old Bugatti to fetch £85,000
Yes that’s right. Built in 1920, this 1925 open top Type 22 model rare Bugatti was a motor sport icon nicknamed the Bugatti Brescia, which had created motor sporting history on the Italian Track in 1921. Its last owner was a Swiss-Polish architect called Max Schmuklerski, who decided to park it at the bottom of the Lake Maggiore in 1936 since he was unable to pay the import duty on it. There it sat in its watery grave 43 meters deep, lending grist to local lore, myths and stories until discovered in 1963. Finally in 2009 the local sub-aqua club decided to dredge it up and sell it for charity. The legendry 1.5 liter, four-cylinder tourer capable of reaching 100 mph is now going to be sold this month in Paris by Bonhams in its
retromobile sale. The debate now is whether to restore the wreck or make a replica.
For Sale – Islands in Bahamas and Japan
For those unable to find appropriate properties within Delhi and willing to commute, now have the option of buying up an entire island, of which there seems to be a glut. Going cheap is an island in the Bahamas for only $80million. This 850 acres property will also include a lighthouse, a private airstrip and a church along with lovely private beaches and a waterfront house. Barely 50 minutes away by flight from Florida and 10 minutes from Nassau, it is a steal.
Closer home is the Northern Mitsuko Island located just one kilometer from Hiroshima in Japan. Nearly 7,600 sq meters in size, it used to have a naval hospital before WW II. Since than it has lain unoccupied and is overrun with weeds and wild trees. In a first of its kind initiative, the Japanese government is selling such unused assets. It will be sold by The Chugoku Local Finance Bureau and interested parties should look out for the tenders due out next month.
Sculptor Bernar Venet on Château Mouton Rothschild
This may sound misleading, as if the artist is hitting the bottle, while in reality it is one of his works that has been portrayed on the Château Mouton Rothschild bottle. This is merely in keeping with their annual tradition of the French wine brand from the Bordeaux region, of paying accolades to great artists by putting the picture of their works on their bottle label. This time, the brand’s 2007 vintage bottle will display a work by the French sculptor Bernar Venet, who is known for his arch shaped sculptors of precise mathematical form. In exchange the wine maker will present the artist with 10 crates of the stuff. Some of the other greats whose works have graced the brand’s label are Picasso, Francis Bacon, Andy Warhol and Lucien Freud.
This nickel is worth $3million
And it is no ordinary nickel too. To be auctioned this month in Orlando, Florida, this coin is one of a rare five ever made in 1913 by the US mint that were discarded for faulty design. Seeking to launch a new nickel back than, the US mint had planned for the new version to have a Native American head on one side and a bison on the other. However a goof up resulted in five coins having a bison on the tail side and Statue of Liberty on the head. While the pre auction estimates stand at $3million, its previous journey through various ownerships was less exorbitant. King Farouk of Egypt owned the coin when it was touted to be worth $100,000. Subsequently in 1978 Dr Jerry Buss, the owner of LA Lakers, paid $200,000 for it. Changes of hands since have inflated the price many fold.
Of the previous five, only three are owned by private collectors while two are with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, and the American Numismatic Association Money Museum in Colorado Springs respectively.
Burj Khalifa - the new ‘tallest building’ claimant – open
On Monday, 4th January, the £1-billion Burj Khalifa of Dubai was finally declared open amidst a spectacular display of sound, light, water and fireworks. Not only has it surpassed Taipei 101 in Taiwan by more than 1000ft in height, it has also set all kinds of new records, the details of which we will not be able to fit into this space. The ongoing fanfare almost made one forget that parent Dubai World is choking with a $59bil debt crisis. People booked in advance to buy Dh100 tickets for an ear-popping ride to the top. There was more to it than merely stepping into a high speed elevator and pressing ‘floor 124’ to get to the sun deck. The crowds are let in every 30 minutes. The reception area offers two multimedia presentations glorifying the Burj as one waits for a ride on the 65 meter long travellator, which educates further about the city’s history with more multimedia displays. Special music composed by Canada’s Katia Makdissi-Warren plays on. This ride ends in the sunlit atrium and one has now to ride up on a long escalator, all the while gathering more info on construction woes, hurdles and inspirations. Finally it is the turn of the high-speed elevator that takes all of 60 seconds to reach the 124th floor. You guessed it – there are LED displays and foot-wide monitors in the lift too. The stunning effect of the view is much to talk about. There is also the option of shopping at this height, to sooth jangling nerves before heading earthwards.
Vatican publishes limited edition book -‘The Vatican Secret Archives’
This is going to create a huge buzz, coming as it is from the vaults of the very secretive and intriguing world of the Vatican. The book ‘The Vatican Secret Archives’ is 252 pages long and will cost $100 for its general version. Those able to afford the collectors edition costing €4,950, will get the opportunity to visit the archives and authenticate the contents for themselves – a rare privilege made to justify the price difference. Only 33 copies are being made of the collector’s edition that will be printed on felt, hand stitched with leather ties and bound in the studio of the Vatican’s secret archives itself. Each of these will be numbered, stamped and certified. The buyer can opt for any of the languages, English, Italian, French or Dutch, and personalise the copy too.
The contents of the book start with the Liber Diurnus Romanorum Pontificum (a book of formulas used by the Papal Chancellory towards the end of the ninth century) and travels down time. There are such treasures as a letter from Mary Queen of Scots to Pope Sixtus V and works from a number of saints including St. Teresa of Avila. There is also a letter from Pius X to Hitler. What are the chances that its pirated versions will start selling at Delhi’s traffic lights aka Dan Brown’s works?
Picasso, Andrew Webber, the Nazis and a court case 
The French luxury brand Hermès, not really having made much of a dent in the ever expanding luxury market in China is now all set to launch a special tailor-made format to lure the Orientals. Coming up in the Spring of 2010 in Shanghai is their new store called Shang Xia, which translates in Mandarin to mean ‘topsy-turvy’, with Miss Qiong-Er Jiang as the creative director. The Shang Xia stores will have ready-to-wear apparel and decorative arts inspired by Chinese culture and traditions of craftsmanship. Interesting to note is that this is the first time ever that Hermès has launched a brand from the grassroots level. To give credibility to the new brand Shang Xia, a store will also be simultaneously launched in Paris.
And it is no ordinary nickel too. To be auctioned this month in Orlando, Florida, this coin is one of a rare five ever made in 1913 by the US mint that were discarded for faulty design. Seeking to launch a new nickel back than, the US mint had planned for the new version to have a Native American head on one side and a bison on the other. However a goof up resulted in five coins having a bison on the tail side and Statue of Liberty on the head. While the pre auction estimates stand at $3million, its previous journey through various ownerships was less exorbitant. King Farouk of Egypt owned the coin when it was touted to be worth $100,000. Subsequently in 1978 Dr Jerry Buss, the owner of LA Lakers, paid $200,000 for it. Changes of hands since have inflated the price many fold. 
This is going to create a huge buzz, coming as it is from the vaults of the very secretive and intriguing world of the Vatican. The book ‘The Vatican Secret Archives’ is 252 pages long and will cost $100 for its general version. Those able to afford the collectors edition costing €4,950, will get the opportunity to visit the archives and authenticate the contents for themselves – a rare privilege made to justify the price difference. Only 33 copies are being made of the collector’s edition that will be printed on felt, hand stitched with leather ties and bound in the studio of the Vatican’s secret archives itself. Each of these will be numbered, stamped and certified. The buyer can opt for any of the languages, English, Italian, French or Dutch, and personalise the copy too.