Christie's auction house is next month to sell a nude portrait of French first lady Carla Bruni.

   NEW YORK, March 25, 2008  - Christie's auction house is next month to
sell a nude portrait of French first lady Carla Bruni, taken more than a
decade ago when the now wife of President Nicolas Sarkozy was working as a
model.
   The gelatin silver print, taken by photographer Michel Comte in 1993,
depicts Bruni in a standing pose, apparently in reference to the paintings of
French neo-impressionist artist Georges Seurat depicting models.
   Christie's defended its decision to put on sale a nude image of a serving
first lady, describing Bruni as "one of the most beautiful women in the world."
   "It's a work of art. It was shot in 1993 when Miss Bruni was a model and
it's a tasteful nude portrait executed by a well known, respectable
artist,"    Milena Sales, spokeswoman from Christie's, told AFP.
   "Christie's stands by the works it represents to its clients, it doesn't
censor or pass judgement on any content or subject matter. It's a perfectly
respectable work of art," she added.
   The photograph comes from a collection of photographs that includes works
by Helmut Newton, Herb Ritts, Richard Avedon and Leni Riefenstahl, featuring
among other images, nudes of British models Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell.
   It is expected to fetch up to 4,000 dollars when it goes under the hammer
on April 10.

AFP