#237 22 february 2016

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Leading institution specialized in historical sciences and 

preservation of cultural heritage, the École des chartes 

inaugurates in 2016 high level speakers conference-din-

ners. The first conference-dinner will take place at the 

Club de la chasse et de la nature at the Hôtel Guénégaud in 

Paris. 

The first guest will be Michel Pastoureau, professor of 

medieval history and author of numerous books on symbo-

lic of colors and heraldic. He will give a lecture in French 

on Friday 18

th

 of March 2016 on the following theme : 

“Bear : a Cultural History” . 

The program of future conference-dinners will cover 

various topics like “Diamonds of the French monarchy”, 

“Women and landscapes in the 19

th

 century”, “Could 

animal become the future of human being ?”, “Animals, 

human and plants in Amazonia : a network of history”.

École des chartes’ official 

conference-dinners

Inaugural date : 18

th

 of March 2016, 8 p.m.

Bear : a Cultural History

With Professor Michel Pastoureau

Contact

École nationale des chartes

Lifelong Learning Department 

01 55 42 21 53 

[e-mail]

Conference-dinner fees

from 95 euros and upwards

All greater amounts will contribute to the 

creation of an endowment for a student 

scholarship.

Location

Hôtel de Guénégaud

Comité culturel du Club de la chasse 

et de la nature

60, rue des Archives - 75003 Paris

Registration

http://www.enc-sorbonne.fr/fr/actualite/

ours-histoire-culturelle-michel-pastoureau

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134 New Bond Street, London W1S 2TF   T [phone]   [e-mail]   operagallery.com

Bernard Buffet 

L’AteLier

ONLiNe CAtALOGUe

February 19

March 4, 2016

Marseille, le Vallon des Auffes, 1957 - Oil on canvas

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 forgery 

 could eric spoutz have sold fakes? 

a

 

new forgery affair rocking the world of art 

may even affect the Smithsonian Institute in 

Washington, D.C.

The forger, Eric Ian Hornak Spoutz, who claims 

to be the nephew of American artist Ian Hornak, 

is being accused of swindling, apparently having 

sold a dozen fakes to trusting buyers in the last 

five years. While Spoutz seems to be a bona fide 

relative of the American artist, it wasn’t by using 

this identity that he managed to cheat his clients. 

Indeed, Eric Spoutz used multiple pseudonyms 

such as Robert Chad Smith, John Goodman or 

James Sinclair to cover up his tracks. On his web 

site, Spoutz describes himself as “freelance mu-

seum exhibition curator, private art dealer”. In 

2013, he apparently helped the Smithsonian Ins-

titute to acquire several works by Eugene Alain 

Seguy and Franz Kline. But according to autho-

rities, the Klines are fakes. A Danish web site 

suggests that Spoutz may even have started his 

swindling by selling Picasso, Kandinsky, Chagall 

or Matisse imitations before devoting himself to 

great American masters.

This new forgery affair is shaking up the US art 

world after the Knoedler affair in New York. 

 project 

 france launches two initiatives for 

developing artistic creation 

t

he city of Paris will be launching, on 1 April, “Les 

oeuvres d'art investissent la rue” (Artworks in the 

Streets), financed by the 2014 participatory bud-

get, envisaging the creation of a Street Art fresco 

for each arrondissement in the French capital.

The artists selected for the project include Noe 

Two, Hopare, 2shy, Shaka, Marko93, Da Cruz, Psy-

ckoze, Alex, Zenoy, Astro and Lazoo.

This is not an isolated project. On a national level, 

on 16 December 2015, Fleur Pellerin, then Minis-

ter of Culture and Communication, launched the 

“1 immeuble 1 oeuvre” (1 Building 1 Work) charter 

aimed at encouraging building developers to com-

mission or acquire an artwork from an artist for all 

building construction or renovation programmes. 

Companies such as Accor, BNP and Vinci have 

signed the charter. According to the then minister, 

“over a thousand works will thus be created or ac-

quired every year and exhibited in all French terri-

tories”. This project was launched at the instigation 

of Laurent Dumas, CEO of the Emerige group.

 nomination 

 audrey azoulay named minister of 

culture by françois Hollande 

F

rench president François Hollande has chosen 

Audrey Azoulay to take over the helm of the 

French Ministry of Culture and Communication, re-

placing Fleur Pellerin.

The former presidential culture counsellor is therefore 

being given the opportunity to replace her previous 

supervising minister – a boon for the ex-number two 

at the Centre National du Cinéma (CNC) who main-

tains good relationships with the world of culture.

Unlike her predecessor, Audrey Azoulay can claim 

special knowledge about the creative world, na-

mely thanks to her training in film. This appoint-

ment comes at a time when the Senate is exami-

ning the Pellerin Bill on the “freedom of creation, 

architecture and heritage”, aiming to establish and 

guarantee the freedom of creation and to update 

the protection of heritage. 

top stories

 cuLturaL war 

 exact replicas of timbuktu mausoleums reconstructed 

ding of the Koran and a collective prayer session, the mausoleums’ keys were 

handed over to the families in charge of the sanctuaries.

The “City of 333 Saints” was occupied by Jihadists in 2012 before the latter 

were dispelled by an international military operation initiated by France. The 

“Pearl of the Desert” nonetheless remains under threat because an attack car-

ried out by presumed Jihadists took place in February this year, on the base of 

the UN Mission in Timbuktu. This attack caused the death of one soldier and “at 

least four terrorists” according to the Malian army.

t

hree years after the destruction of Timbuktu 

mausoleums by Jihadists, Mali declares that it 

has regained possession of its sanctuaries, repro-

duced identically and completed on 4 February.

The replicas of these mausoleums were produced 

thanks to the traditional knowhow of Timbuktu ma-

sons, using the remains of the original walls. After 

a ritual sacrifice and ceremony including a full rea-

Djingareyber Mosque, Timbuktu

© Ka Tzetnik

Audrey Azoulay

via Gouvernement.fr  

 10 

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#

237

 • 22 february 2016

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