In Auction Dispute, China Loses To YSL Estate

“The Yves Saint Laurent estate can go ahead with the sale of two Qing Dynasty bronze sculptures on Feb. 25, a Paris court ruled today. China’s government had urged the estate of the late French fashion designer to return the bronzes being auctioned by Christie’s International in Paris. … The two animal heads — a rabbit and a rat — were severed from a water fountain at Beijing’s Imperial Summer Palace when British and French troops plundered and burned the palace in October 1860.”

Regretting Withdrawal, Atwood May Video-Link To Dubai

“After pulling out of the Dubai literature festival last week, Margaret Atwood is now hoping to take part in a debate on censorship to be hosted at the festival via video link-up. … Atwood, a vice president of International PEN, withdrew from the festival after learning that [Geraldine Bedell’s novel, ‘The Gulf Between Us,’] which features a gay sheikh, had apparently been blacklisted by festival organisers.” But appearances were deceiving.

Death Threats Force Heavy Security For Play’s Opening

“Police are to guard tonight’s Vienna premiere of a controversial stage comedy inspired by the saga of Josef Fritzl, the Austrian man who imprisoned and abused his daughter, after protests and appeals for it to be banned. Hubsi Kramar, the production’s director and star, has been forced to change its title from Pension Fritzl – a Cellar Soap to Pension F because of the outcry. Tickets for tonight’s opening have sold out.”

With Shades of Bentham, David Rockwell Redesigns Oscars

“The slim credit that flashed by at the end of the broadcast — ‘Production Designer: David Rockwell’ — hardly hinted at the deep, sometimes very odd architectural symbolism that piled up during Sunday night’s Academy Awards. … Complicating matters was the fact that Rockwell designed the existing stage setup — and the rest of the Kodak Theatre.”