Ferran Adria dinner sells for $28K at HK auction

HONG KONG (AP) — A rare chance to dine with world-famous Spanish restaurateur Ferran Adria sold at auction Wednesday for 220,500 Hong Kong dollars ($28,270).

Bidding started at HK$40,000 ($5,000) for the meal with Adria, often cited as the planet's most talented and imaginative chef. His now-closed restaurant elBulli was rated the world's best five times by British magazine The Restaurant.

An online bidder beat out four others at the Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong with a winning bid of HK$180,000, not including a buyer's premium of more than 20 percent.

The winner and three friends will eat with Adria and his brother at a restaurant in Barcelona and visit the premises of the elBulli restaurant, in Catalonia, Spain.

Another meal with the chef known for his creations in molecular gastronomy will be auctioned off April 26 in New York.

"Everybody knew there was just one chance to get this lot of spending time with the great chef Ferran Adria, in his hometown of Barcelona. And this will probably never happen again," said Serena Sutcliffe, international head of wine at Sotheby's.

After maintaining an exceptional Michelin three-star status for more than a decade, elBulli closed in July 2011.

Adria, who was in charge of the elBulli kitchen for 27 years, says the dinner offers a rare opportunity to discuss food and cooking ideas with him.

The proceeds of the auction will go to the elBulli Foundation, a project set up by Adria and business partner Juli Soler, which will turn the restaurant into an experimental center looking at the process of culinary innovation and creativity.

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Ferran Adria dinner sells for $23K at HK auction

HONG KONG (AP) — A rare chance to dine with world-famous Spanish restaurateur Ferran Adria sold at auction Wednesday for 180,000 Hong Kong dollars ($23,200).

Bidding started at HK$5,000 for the meal with Adria, often cited as the planet's most talented and imaginative chef. His now-closed restaurant elBulli was rated the world's best five times by British magazine The Restaurant.

An online bidder beat out four others at the Sotheby's auction in Hong Kong.

The winner gets the chance to dine with Adria and his brother at a restaurant in Barcelona and visit the premises of the elBulli restaurant, in Catalonia, Spain.

Another ticket to the dinner will be auctioned off April 26 in New York.

"Everybody knew there was just one chance to get this lot of spending time with the great chef Ferran Adria, in his hometown of Barcelona. And this will probably never happen again," said Serena Sutcliffe, international head of wine at Sotheby's.

After maintaining an exceptional Michelin three-star status for more than a decade, elBulli closed in July 2011.

Adria, who was in charge of the elBulli kitchen for 27 years, says the dinner offers a rare opportunity to discuss food and cooking ideas with him.

The proceeds of the auction will go to the elBulli Foundation, a project set up by Adria and business partner Juli Soler, which will turn the restaurant into an experimental center looking at the process of culinary innovation and creativity.

View the original article here

Mexico demands Sotheby's halt auction of artifacts

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican government demanded Wednesday that the Sotheby's auction house halt the planned sale of 51 pre-Colombian Mexican artifacts, arguing they are protected national historical pieces.

The National Institute of Anthropology and History said Mexico has sent a diplomatic note to the French government seeking assistance in heading off the auction scheduled in Paris for Friday and Saturday.

It also implied that some of the artifacts offered in what is known as the 300-piece Barbier-Mueller Collection of Pre-Colombian Art are fakes or imitations.

"Of the 130 objects advertised as being from Mexico, 51 are archaeological artifacts that are (Mexican) national property, and the rest are handicrafts," the institute said in a statement.

Still, the genuine pieces are important to Mexico.

"In light of their importance for the people of Mexico, the director of the auction company has been asked to withdraw the pieces from sale," the institute said.

Sotheby's did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A description of the pieces listed on Sotheby's Paris website said that the collection's pieces have "been widely exhibited and published" and that "many possess historic provenance."

It describes the collection as containing pre-Hispanic sculptures in wood and stone, ceramics, textiles and ritual objects from Mexico, Central America and South America, saying the collection is "representative of all the leading pre-Columbian cultures."

The Sotheby's website says the collection was started by Josef Mueller in 1920. "He became attracted by important works of pre-Columbian art, his first purchase being an Aztec 'water goddess' in Paris in 1920," it says.

The description says Mueller's son-in-law, Jean Paul Barbier-Mueller, augmented and broadened the collection.

While Sotheby's described Barbier-Mueller as "a great aesthete and man of culture," Mexico said such collections trivialize archaeological pieces.

"The Mexican government has consistently expressed its objections to the international trade in protected cultural objects, particularly archaeological artifacts, and stresses that such practices strip these unique objects of their invaluable cultural, historical and symbolic essence, converting them into mere merchandise and curios," the institute said.

Under a 1972 law, Mexico prohibited the purchase and sale of archaeological pieces, but allowed some previously existing collections to remain in private hands if they were registered with the government.

While the French collection may have been assembled prior to that time, Mexico has had laws prohibiting the export of such artifacts since at least 1827.

Photos of the artifacts on the Sotheby's site show two seated depictions of god-like figures carved in stone that appear to come from Mexican pre-Hispanic cultures. The description says the collection contains Aztec, Mayan and Tarascan pieces.

View the original article here

Mexico demands Sotheby's halt auction of artifacts

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican government demanded Wednesday that the Sotheby's auction house halt the planned sale of 51 pre-Colombian Mexican artifacts, arguing they are protected national historical pieces.

The National Institute of Anthropology and History said Mexico has sent a diplomatic note to the French government seeking assistance in heading off the auction scheduled in Paris for Friday and Saturday.

It also implied that some of the artifacts offered in what is known as the 300-piece Barbier-Mueller Collection of Pre-Colombian Art are fakes or imitations.

"Of the 130 objects advertised as being from Mexico, 51 are archaeological artifacts that are (Mexican) national property, and the rest are handicrafts," the institute said in a statement.

Still, the genuine pieces are important to Mexico.

"In light of their importance for the people of Mexico, the director of the auction company has been asked to withdraw the pieces from sale," the institute said.

Sotheby's did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A description of the pieces listed on Sotheby's Paris website said that the collection's pieces have "been widely exhibited and published" and that "many possess historic provenance."

It describes the collection as containing pre-Hispanic sculptures in wood and stone, ceramics, textiles and ritual objects from Mexico, Central America and South America, saying the collection is "representative of all the leading pre-Columbian cultures."

The Sotheby's website says the collection was started by Josef Mueller in 1920. "He became attracted by important works of pre-Columbian art, his first purchase being an Aztec 'water goddess' in Paris in 1920," it says.

The description says Mueller's son-in-law, Jean Paul Barbier-Mueller, augmented and broadened the collection.

While Sotheby's described Barbier-Mueller as "a great aesthete and man of culture," Mexico said such collections trivialize archaeological pieces.

"The Mexican government has consistently expressed its objections to the international trade in protected cultural objects, particularly archaeological artifacts, and stresses that such practices strip these unique objects of their invaluable cultural, historical and symbolic essence, converting them into mere merchandise and curios," the institute said.

Under a 1972 law, Mexico prohibited the purchase and sale of archaeological pieces, but allowed some previously existing collections to remain in private hands if they were registered with the government.

While the French collection may have been assembled prior to that time, Mexico has had laws prohibiting the export of such artifacts since at least 1827.

Photos of the artifacts on the Sotheby's site show two seated depictions of god-like figures carved in stone that appear to come from Mexican pre-Hispanic cultures. The description says the collection contains Aztec, Mayan and Tarascan pieces.

View the original article here