That nudie auction that we've been so excited about for, like, months finally happened on Thursday, and it, well... it was basically a success. That Brigitte Bardot shot we liked went for about $100,000 more than estimated, and the Michel Comte snap of French First Lady Carla Bruni (remember the dustup a few weeks back?) went for $91,000 --20 TIMES more than expected.
So what's the bad news? Well, a Cambodian children's hospital apparently didn't notice the word "nude" plastered all over every aspect of the auction, so they're refusing their share of the profits.
Dr [Beat] Richner told French publication Le Matin Dimanche that his decision
was made out of respect for his patients and their mothers, and said
accepting the money would have been perceived as an insult.
He also criticised the photographer for using his hospitals to gain publicity.
The
money will now instead be donated to a Swiss research institute
developing the recycling of used water into fresh drinking water in
poor countries.
The classy thing, of course, would be for Madame First Lady to find a way to match the profits... Anyone else care to hold their breath for that one?
