ONE of the greatest pieces of modern art, Edvard Munch's Madonna, will be auctioned for the first time since it was painted in 1895.
The official estimate values it at more than UKPounds:7 million, but collectors are likely to go well beyond that to acquire such an epochal image. Munch's more famous work, The Scream, was valued at UKPounds:30 million when it was stolen in 1994 from an Oslo museum. Earlier this year, a Degas pastel was given a similar figure and went for UKPounds:17.6 million, making it the most expensive work on paper. Munch (1863-1944) was one of the most influential painters in modern times; his work addressed man's most intense emotions and he is revered as a forefather of the great avant-garde movements of the 20th century. Apart from producing lithographs of the Madonna, he painted five versions of the composition: three of them are in leading public collections, in Oslo and Hamburg. They reflect his lifelong obsession with love, death and sex. He once said he wanted to paint "more than a mere photograph of nature" and to create "an art that gives something to humanity". Jussi Pylkkannen, senior director of Christie's Impressionist and 19th-century department, said: "What a picture. It's an icon of modernity. It's rather like [Van Gogh's] Sunflowers in that it is one of those images that everyone knows. Once you're into an iconic picture that's in beautiful condition and never seen on the market, collectors want it. They need it. I'd sell all my worldly goods for this one. It is the most breathtaking picture." Interpretations of the picture have varied from a representation of a woman at the climax of sexual love, to a defenceless creature suggested by her arm appearing to be fastened behind her. Historians have long debated who Munch chose as his model for Madonna. Mr Pylkkannen said: "It is generally assumed to be the daughter of a Norwegian doctor friend of his, Dagny Juell, whom Munch was obsessed with and who became his muse. An independent modern woman and an advocate of free love who reputedly drank absinthe by the litre without getting drunk, Dagny had captured the hearts of most of Munch's friends." He said that when one of theMadonnas now in Oslo was sold in 1906, it fetched twice the price of The Scream at the same exhibition. Parallels have been drawn between the two images: rippling waves of colour in the Madonna are reminiscent of the swirling clouds of The Scream.
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ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) -- Authorities launched an international search Friday for a 15th century Koran stolen from Turkey's Topkapi Palace, alerting museums, galleries and collectors. With no sign of forced entry and even more valuable items left behind, some suspected the theft may have been commissioned by a connoisseur of Islamic art. "The Koran may have been a missing piece in someone's collection," said Ozgen Acar, an expert on Turkish antiquities. Thieves got away with the handwritten Islamic holy book sometime between closing time Wednesday and opening Thursday at the museum. The Koran was removed from a sealed glass case at the palace. A number of old Turkish miniature paintings and calligraphy on display in the same room were not taken. Police were questioning museum officials. Authorities put out alerts with Interpol and in the art world. "We have asked everyone to be vigilant," said Abdullah Dortlemez of the Culture Ministry. Authorities broadly estimated the holy book's value between $5,000 and $50,000. The Koran is not the most valued item at the palace. Its imperial treasury room houses rubies, emeralds and one of the world's largest diamonds. "This suggests that the thieves were looking for that Koran in particular," Acar said. He said the missing book was probably destined for a buyer abroad, where Islamic art can fetch a lot of money.
former UCLA assistant vice chancellor, a self-described book and art collector who has been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, pleaded guilty Thursday to stealing about $475,000 from the university to finance a three-year spending spree. Jeffrey Marc Hirsch, 46, of West Los Angeles, collected so many antiques, artworks and tchotchkes that he needed to keep them in a storage locker he rented near the Westwood campus, authorities said. Hirsch, who ran UCLA's publications and news operations, managed to have the university pay for the art and collectibles by making sure most invoices and other bills remained under the $2,500 threshold that would trigger greater scrutiny from the university's general purchasing office, court papers show. "He was able to do that by making them look like they were purchases for his department," said Richard A. Wilson, a deputy district attorney. "Sometimes he falsified invoices from vendors, and sometimes he changed or truncated the name of the vendor to disguise what was being purchased." The spending spree from 1995 to 1998 was finally discovered when UCLA auditor Ellen Feldgreber received a telephone call from a furniture vendor who was suspicious of an invoice for a $2,200 chair, court papers show. Once confronted, Hirsch admitted misappropriating the money and turned over the keys to the storage unit, records show. He also resigned from his job and sent letters of apology to his superiors, saying that he was sorry and embarrassed to have disappointed them. On Thursday, Hirsch pleaded guilty to four counts of grand theft by embezzlement. Hirsch faces a maximum of eight years in prison. But under a plea agreement, he would serve up to 365 days in County Jail followed by five years on probation--provided that he makes full restitution and continues psychotherapy. He would be eligible to serve his time through work-furlough or on house arrest with electronic monitoring. Hirsch, a first-time offender, was released on his own recognizance until his sentencing Oct. 6. Defense attorney Peter Morris said his client "deeply regrets his conduct and the pain he has caused his family and his former colleagues at UCLA." "Jeffrey has been diagnosed with an obsessive-compulsive disorder, which compelled him to acquire objects," Morris said. "Since acknowledging his misconduct, he has made extraordinary efforts to deal with his disorder. He has been and continues to be in extensive treatment." University officials had a high opinion of Hirsch, who had risen from the manager of various campus publications to oversee all of UCLA's publications, marketing and public affairs as an acting assistant vice chancellor. Some UCLA officials said Hirsch had impeccable taste and suggested that they could turn a profit on the Hirsch collection--if they are smart about selling the items. For instance, Hirsch spent $4,530 for a pair of prints from Harry Callahan, a renowned photographer who died in March. The value of the prints has probably increased since his death. All told, authorities inventoried 203 purchases from 52 art dealers and other vendors around the country. The eclectic collection includes oil paintings, books, vases, $1,200 worth of Louis Vuitton luggage and a $2,900 drafting table. Hirsch also spent $2,900 for a phrenology head, $11,325 for three Sally Mann photographs and $18,975 for artworks by Adam Fuss. Joseph D. Mandel, vice chancellor for legal affairs, said the auditors have determined that UCLA's internal controls remain adequate. "No internal control system is fail-safe," Mandel said. "To operate effectively, we rely on the integrity of highly placed managers, of which Jeffrey was one."
THE owner of a stately home who held a crisis sale of its contents last year to help pay his bills has been ordered to reinstate seven paintings on the grounds that they were fixtures and part of the house. A government planning inspector, who investigated complaints about their removal from Noseley Hall, a Grade II* Listed house in Leicestershire, has supported claims that the building was left "visually bereft". The octogenarian Lord Hazlerigg, whose family owns the hall, expressed outrage at the outcome yesterday, describing the decision as "madness". But heritage watchdogs welcomed it as a landmark in listed building law. The artworks which must be returned are classical landscapes after the style of Giovanni Pannini and were installed in Noseley about 270 years ago by a Hazlerigg ancestor on his return from the Grand Tour. They were auctioned by Sotheby's in September last year, together with a huge amount of furniture, objets d'art and bric-a-brac. But, because of doubts surrounding consent, they have remained in a Sotheby's store ever since. The hall and 2,000-acre Noseley estate is unusual in having been owned by the same family for 600 years. Putting the house contents under the hammer was said to be necessary to save the family's property heritage. The two-day auction made UKPounds:2.6 million, roughly double the predicted figure. The seven paintings attracted bids totalling UKPounds:177,000. Harborough District Council, which served enforcement notices on Lord Hazlerigg's son, Arthur, to whom ownership of the house and estate has been transferred, said their removal contravened Listed Buildings legislation and demanded their return. Mr Hazlerigg, 47, who farms his lands, dismissed the council's "interference" at the time as "a really nasty way to behave", pointing out that he needed the money to pay for house maintenance. He appealed against the notices but the council's conservation officer, Rosalind Willatts, affirmed the authority's view that the paintings have "strong and special associations" with the hall. At the appeal hearing Mr Hazlerigg called expert witnesses including Anthony Blee, a listed buildings consultant. One of the issues raised was whether a painting fixed to the wall by screws rather than hangers automatically becomes a fixture and subject to listed building consent. If that is so, Mr Blee said, it would be "disastrous" for other owners of fine houses. Mr Hazlerigg was unavailable yesterday to comment on the outcome. He faces a substantial bill to cover the costs of the appeal hearing. Michael Wilson, chief executive of Harborough District Council, welcomed the decision which he said "will hopefully make the law in this area clearer for everyone". Mr Wilson said that the council acted in accordance with its responsibility to safeguard the architectural and historical environment within its area. He said: "That duty is a heavy burden and in this case I believe we have discharged that duty fairly and impartially." The inspector decided that Mr Hazlerigg was entitled to sell two paintings of Ring Tail, a favourite horse of the 7th baronet, on which the council had also served enforcement notices. It is understood that Mr Hazlerigg has plans to use Noseley as a centre for conferences, product launches and wedding parties. He lives in a house on the estate.