The Independent's Molly McGuinnes reports from Paris:
A descendant of France's King Louis XIV is seeking a court order to halt a radical contemporary exhibition by Takashi Murakami in the royal apartments at Versailles because it sullied "supreme good French taste".
Prince Sixte-Henri de Bourbon-Parme launched his legal action to rid the palace's ornate halls of the fiberglass cartoon figures and giant Buddha statues, calling for "respect of the château and of his ancestors".
"There are puppets in that exhibition that are frankly grotesque," he said. "Versailles was conceived with the idea of displaying the essence of supreme good French taste. (read full story)
There are some who might think the ostentatiousness of Versailles is grotesque, given that it sucked all the money out of the treasury for pure Narcissistic self-indulgence. And, there are some, like me, who think Prince Sixte-Henri's 2007 support of far-right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen, is even more grotesque. Seriously, if you're going to cling to your title, go race cars or grow organic vegetables like a normal, modern prince, and stop picking fights with cartoon characters. It's unseemly.
P.S. Prince Sixte-Henri's nephew, Charles-Emmanuel de Bourbon-Parme wasn't keen on Jeff Koons's dog at Versaille either. Remember that story?
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