Feathers fly over French cockerel statue in London's Trafalgar square

A view of Nelson's column in Trafalgar Square in London March 8, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/Kieran Doherty

LONDON | Wed May 1, 2013 10:15am EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - Plans to erect a statue of a giant, electric blue French cockerel in the shadow of Nelson's Column in London's Trafalgar Square have ruffled feathers among British heritage enthusiasts.

Never mind that Lord Nelson's greatest victory, the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, was against the French, the 4.7-metre (15-foot) high statue by Katharina Fritsch has been deemed "totally inappropriate" on aesthetic grounds by the campaigners.

The fiberglass cockerel, entitled "Hahn/Cock", will replace a sculpture of a boy on a rocking horse on the square's "fourth plinth", which since 1999 has hosted artworks including a marble carving of a pregnant woman with no arms or legs, and 2,400 selected members of the public posing over 100 consecutive days.

Fritsch described the project in a statement as "mischievously sitting the national symbol of France within a square that celebrates an historical victory over the French".

But the Thorney Island Society, a local group campaigning for the preservation of heritage in central London, feels such a big and garish object would be out of place anyway.

"It is unrelated to the context of Trafalgar Square and adds nothing to it but a feeble distraction," group leader, June Stubbs, said in a letter to local city council, Westminster.

The planning application notes the society's objections and also refers to the artist's statement in which she describes the statue as a "rude or welcome interruption to the grey, formal architecture of the square".

"The bizarre scale of the bird diminishes its surroundings and, among the endless flocks of pigeons, it is a species interloper too," the German artist said.

Westminster has recommended that the statue be approved at a planning committee meeting on May 7, after which it would be on the plinth from July 20 until February 2015.

(Reporting by Shadia Nasralla; Editing by Louise Ireland and Stephen Addison)

View the original article here

French president's ready-to-drink wine cellar up for auction

French President Francois Hollande walks back to the Elysee Palace in Paris, April 24, 2013.

Credit: Reuters/Philippe Wojazer

PARIS | Tue Apr 30, 2013 12:20pm EDT

PARIS (Reuters) - It's the most refined and thirst-quenching of diplomatic devices that has helped cement ties between France and its international allies.

But now, the all-French wine cellar of the Elysee presidential palace, which has helped fortify foreign kings, queens and heads of state throughout the decades, is being pared back, with 1,200 bottles to be auctioned to the highest bidders.

Many of the bottles to be offered at the prestigious Drouot auction house in Paris on May 30 and 31 are at the pinnacle of their shelf life and ready to be drunk immediately.

"These are wines that have figured at the presidential table for dinners or receptions," a Drouot spokesperson told Reuters. "Some of them have participated in events linked to the history of the Fifth Republic."

The auction, in which wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy will dominate, is expected to fetch around 250,000 euros ($327,500), some of which will go back into state coffers, according to President Francois Hollande's entourage.

It's the latest episode of belt-tightening as France struggles to lower its soaring deficit to appease euro-zone partners and find 60 billion euros in public savings over five years.

Some auction proceeds will be invested in younger, more modest wines that are still worthy of a president's table, especially one who during his election campaign dubbed himself a "Mr. Normal" who eschewed the excesses of his predecessors.

Organizers say prices may reach as high as 2,200 euros for a 1990 Petrus to as low as 15 euros for a more modest wine.

Called the "divine juice of September" by Voltaire, wine has been produced in France from pre-Roman times, and today it is an integral part of the national heritage.

The Elysee wine cellar is a closely guarded national treasure protected by an armored door. It contains a collection of 12,000 bottles overseen by head sommelier Virginie Routis.

"I choose the wines in terms of the menu, but also in terms of protocol," Routis told Le Monde daily in December. "For a head of state, there would be several big labels on the table."

Britain's government similarly auctioned off vintage French wine from its cellar last month as part of a national austerity drive.

Demand remains high for wine from France, the world's largest wine producer by value, especially from affluent buyers in China and the United States. China is the world's biggest importer of Bordeaux wines.

($1 = 0.7634 euros)

(Reporting by Chine Labbe and Julien Ponthus, Writing By Alexandria Sage, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith)

View the original article here