Yves Saint Laurent and the lacking sketches

It seems the residence of Yves Saint Laurent are unable to preserve alone out of the headlines.

Subsequent the seemingly never ever -ending feud between journalist Cathy Horyn and YSL's new creative director Hedi Slimane, Pierre Bergé, the extended - term enterprise accomplice of the house's eponymous founder, has now claimed that a four hundred - merchandise portfolio of will work by the late designer was unlawfully taken by just one of Saint Laurent's previous lovers.

The portfolio contains some 290 sketches - some of which are erotic - a journal, individual letters, a self portrait, a painting by Andy Warhol of YSL's pet dogs and a Helmut Newton photograph, and is mentioned to be worthy of up to €12 million.

Bergé statements that Fabrice Thomas, who labored as the designer's driver in advance of later becoming his lover, stole the selection of performs from Saint Laurent's Paris apartment in the Nineties, later portion -gifting, element - offering it to an unidentified German businessman who gave him "a career, a auto and a new lifetime " adhering to the conclusion of his connection with YSL. The German businessman now needs to display or provide the performs, to which Bergé objects.

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Thomas, the accused, says that when he and Saint Laurent finished their relationship, Saint Laurent informed him he could hold the performs as prolonged as they have been no lengthier essential be the atelier.

Bergé does not imagine this clarification. " Think me, it would have been impossible for Yves to have offered another person 300 sketches. Probably one or two, but 300? Undoubtedly not," Bergé told WWD. "The point is, they were being stolen."

Ludwig Geiger, a Swiss- based mostly agent for the German businessman who claims to be the collection's present proprietor, insists that Thomas legitimately transferred all rights and ownership to his client and that almost everything was accomplished over board. "The collection was not stolen. Pierre Bergé instructed that story, but it is complete nonsense. He knows extremely nicely it was not stolen," Geiger mentioned. " It really is poor theater, what they do."

Bergé filed a police report previous November proclaiming that the portfolio was stolen. He has allegedly been approached a range of periods by a number of various functions - like Fabrice Thomas - about buying the works, but refuses to do so. "I am not prepared to pay for some thing that was stolen. But I intend to vacant every risk I have to steer clear of any exhibitions and publication of the sketches," he explained.