Beijing puts new pressure on France over Yves Saint-Laurent bronzes

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Beijing puts new pressure on France over Yves Saint-Laurent bronzeshttp://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article5798487.ece

From Times Online February 24, 2009


The bronze rat head was taken from the Imperial Summer Palace in Beijing in 1868


A hare bronze which, with the rat figure, was used as a fountain head. They are expected to fetch 10 million euros each in the Paris sale

China today raised the stakes over the sale in Paris of two Chinese bronzeanimal heads, threatening a deeper chill in its already strained ties withFrance if their auction goes ahead tomorrow.

A formal warning from the Foreign Ministry followed the rejection by a Pariscourt of a Chinese attempt to halt the sale of the rat and harefountainheads that are part of the collection of the late Yves Saint-Laurentand Yves Bergé, his partner.

The two items, which were plundered from the Imperial Summer Palace by Britishand French troops in the Second Opium War in 1868, have been estimated tofetch 10 million euros each.

The sale of the items was "in contravention of the basic spirit of therelevant international treaties", the Chinese State Administration ofCultural Heritage said. "It has formally informed the auctioneer of ourstrong opposition to the auction, and clearly demanded its cancellation,"said Ma Zhaoxu, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry.

The fresh pressure from Beijing makes clear that China aims to put PresidentSarkozy on the spot over the sale just as the French leader is seeking tomend fences after a year of tension over his actions around the issue ofTibet and human rights.

The French Government said that the sale was a private matter but it has beenembarrassed by a statement from Mr Bergé, 79, that he would willingly returnthe sculptures "when China restores human rights to its people".

The Saint-Laurent-Bergé sale has caused a sensation by breaking records forart prices despite the economic downturn. The takings from the three-dayauction are expected to exceed the 300 million euros that was the initialhigh-end forecast by Christie's auction house.
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Comments

1. Do you all know they don't permit Chinese journalists to have cameras in but others can during the auction? Where is "human right"? This is disgusting.

LP, Sydney

2. To Trevor:

Stuff in British museums and the V&A are permitted to be exhibited. Chinese museums have donated many items for show in these museums.

Andy, London, England

3. The arts belong to Chinese people, Doesn't matter who is governing China. The heads are Stoled from China. they have to be returned. All the stolen arts and antiques should be returned to the original countries no matter how many centuries.

EM, Vancouver

4. To HC London: So that is why Bagdad is ransacked with the treasures taken out. They will then become legalised items to be kept in others museums after 100 years. Good one! But others can do the same though. Is it a not a dangerous suggestion to encourage all out invasions?!

William Gint, Glasgow

5. The heads were taken when, a hundred and fifty years ago in a time of war? From an imperial dynasty that ceased to exist in the early 20th century. The China today is not the China of the 18th century, or else China would be ruled by an emperor. This is a fight over the spoils of war.

Arthur , San Francisco

6. To be honest, these items are of no artistic merit whatsoever. They are kitsch in the extreme and what is commonly known as "architectural salvage". I am Chinese, but I wish we would go after something that was actually worth having. Let the French pay for this overpriced rubbish and good riddance!

Arthur, Beijing

7. A spurious claim - it would be impossible to overturn millenia of history & return conquered items to their original owners. What point in history would you draw the line? Should Aquitaine return to England or Scotland to the Picts? All museums would cease to exist if we took this course

HC, London

8. Doesn't Victoria and Albert houses thousands and thousands of objects stolen from China? Why don't the Brits and the French do the right thing? Imperialists!

trevor, Champaign, USA

9. Would you buy something a thief stole from someone else who is now selling for ten times the original purchase price ?
Who said there was any morality in the marketplace?
It is like selling a stolen Matisse from France in Beijing.

DC, Taipei

10. This is ridiculous to auction something plundered. This is a shame. This is telling the history..

LP, Sydney,

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