A | Christie's has canceled the second auction of jewels belonging to an Austrian billionaire, whose German husband made his fortune under the Nazis, following "intense scrutiny," it said Friday. The auction house held a first controversial online and in-person sale in Geneva of part of the large stash of more than 700 jewels in May, and had been scheduled to hold a second round in November.But in a statement it said "Christie's has taken the decision not to proceed with further sales of property from the Estate of Heidi Horten."This photograph taken on May 8, 2023, shows Christie's international head of jewellery, Rahul Kadakia, speaking on his phone behind a display case of jewels during a press preview of the "World of Heidi Horten" sales in Geneva. FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty With just a portion of the collection sold, the auction eclipsed previous records set by Christie's in sales of properties that belonged to actress Elizabeth Taylor in 2011 and the "Maharajas and Mughal Magnificence" collection in 2019, both of which exceeded $100 million. Hopes had been high for similar results from the second round. But following an initial report in the New York Times, Christie's sent a statement to AFP confirming that it had canceled the second round, acknowledging that "the sale of the Heidi Horten jewelry collection has provoked intense scrutiny.""The reaction to it has deeply affected us and many others, and we will continue to reflect on it," it said.
A large number of Jewish groups had asked Christie's to halt the initial Horten sale in May, describing it as "indecent" and demanding that the auction house do more to determine how much of it came from victims of the Nazis.
The extraordinary collection belonged to Horten, who died last year aged 81 with a fortune of $2.9 billion, according to Forbes.A report published in January 2022 by historians commissioned by the Horten Foundation said Horten's husband Helmut Horten, who died in Switzerland in 1987, had been a member of the Nazi party before being expelled.
"The Nazi Conspiracy": The WWII plot to kill FDR, Churchill and Stalin07:31In 1936, three years after Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany, Horten took over textile company Alsberg, based in the western city of Duisburg, after its Jewish owners fled. He later took over several other shops that had belonged to Jewish owners before the war.Christie's in May defended its decision to go ahead with the sale, with Christie's international head of jewelry Rahul Kadakia telling AFP that all of the proceeds would go towards charities.
"Christie's separately is making a significant donation towards Holocaust research and education," he said at the time, stressing that the "proceeds of the sale is going to do good."
C | “社区健身场地比较少，下班后就近锻炼不方便，希望能增设专业健身房。”一位居民率先开口。话音刚落，旁边的邻居接过话头：“我们还需要一个篮球场，能在家门口打球。”社区工作人员赵一萌把意见和建议逐一记下。原来，青年夜校每次下课后，学员们总爱聚在一起接着聊，从舞蹈动作聊到小区设施，话题越聊越实在。社区顺势引导开展“啡”常青年议事会。如今，议事会每周至少开展一次，话题涵盖社区大事小情。
D | 为了精准响应居民诉求，社区还在各楼栋微信群开通了“24小时民情直通车”。水管渗漏、车位被占、楼道灯损坏等问题，居民在线上一键反馈，网格员即时回应，物业第一时间上门解决。小事当日办结，大事限时闭环。
E | 民情线上快速响应，办事线下就近搞定。走进易安社区便民服务大厅，9台自助终端机24小时不间断“工作”。记者探访时，正巧遇到疏解职工家属尹娜前来办理驾驶证换证业务。她此前定居天津，去年一家四口随丈夫搬迁至雄安。
F | “以前换证得专程赶回老家，排队、体检、拍照，一整天都搭进去。现在在社区自助机前刷证、测视力、拍照，全程不到十分钟。”便捷的换证体验，让尹娜由衷点赞。生活的便捷舒适，远不止这些。尹娜居住的社区周边幼儿园、小学、中学一应俱全，步行十分钟内即可抵达；图书馆、足球场、环湖步道等文体设施齐备。她介绍，过去她在天津，丈夫在北京，每周往返奔波，聚少离多。如今定居雄安，一家人朝夕相伴，心有了归处。
G | 为做好承接北京非首都功能疏解服务，易安社区秉持“易地而来、安居心安”的服务初心，将精细化治理融入日常，把暖心服务落到实处。
H | 一系列接地气的治理创新，一桩桩暖民心的民生举措，有效破解了疏解群众的融入难题，让初到新城的疏解人员褪去陌生感，收获满满的归属感。
I | （日报记者 郝金钰）。
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