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Lebanese Painter Says Christie's Withdrawal of His Works from Auction is 'Discrimination'

Lebanese artist Ayman Baalbaki - Reuters
Lebanese artist Ayman Baalbaki - Reuters
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Lebanese Painter Says Christie's Withdrawal of His Works from Auction is 'Discrimination'

Lebanese artist Ayman Baalbaki - Reuters
Lebanese artist Ayman Baalbaki - Reuters

Christie's auction house has removed two paintings by Lebanese artist Ayman Baalbaki from its London sale this week following complaints, according to emails seen by Reuters, with the artist criticizing the decision as a form of "discrimination".

"Al Moulatham", which stands 2 meters tall, features a figure wrapped in a red-and-white scarf resembling a keffiyeh, the headscarf worn commonly around the Middle East.

"Anonymous", part of a series by Baalbaki on protesters around the Arab world, depicts a figure in a gas mask and a red bandana with the Arabic word for "revolutionaries" written on it.

Both are no longer available on the website for Christie's auction on modern and contemporary Middle Eastern Art. A third piece by Baalbaki, depicting red flags seemingly on fire, remains on sale.

A Christie's spokesperson said: "Decisions relating to sales remain confidential between Christie's and our consignors."

An email dated Oct. 30 from Christie's and seen by Reuters said the "decision to remove" the two pieces was "based on complaints", without specifying what the complaints were or who they were from.

The email said it was "normal policy" to remove pieces "if a work receives multiple complaints" in order to avoid "damaging press".

Baalbaki, 48, said he suspected a link between the decision and the unfolding war between Israel and Hamas. Israeli bombardment has killed more than 10,000 people in Gaza since Oct. 7.

"Unfortunately, it's beyond sad that it would get to this point of violating freedom of expression – that there would clearly be this type of racial discrimination between one community and another," he told Reuters at his Beirut home.

Baalbaki drew comparisons with a move last month to postpone an award ceremony in Frankfurt for a Palestinian author. It said it had decided to hold the award ceremony at a different time in a "less politically charged atmosphere".

"When we start to mess with freedom of expression in art, in novels, in anything that has cultural significance, it snowballs fast," Baalbaki said.

"People feel it's their image that's been withdrawn ..."

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Youngest Female to Climb 14 Tallest Peaks Says Novice Climbers Should be Regulated

Adriana Brownlee, 23, youngest woman to scale all the world's 14 highest peaks, poses for a photograph at the summit of Shishapangma Tibet, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AGA Adventures via AP)
Adriana Brownlee, 23, youngest woman to scale all the world's 14 highest peaks, poses for a photograph at the summit of Shishapangma Tibet, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AGA Adventures via AP)
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Youngest Female to Climb 14 Tallest Peaks Says Novice Climbers Should be Regulated

Adriana Brownlee, 23, youngest woman to scale all the world's 14 highest peaks, poses for a photograph at the summit of Shishapangma Tibet, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AGA Adventures via AP)
Adriana Brownlee, 23, youngest woman to scale all the world's 14 highest peaks, poses for a photograph at the summit of Shishapangma Tibet, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AGA Adventures via AP)

A British mountaineer who set the record as the youngest female to climb all the 14 tallest mountains in the world said Thursday that inexperienced climbers should not be allowed to climb the highest peaks because they run the risk of endangering their lives and others.

Adriana Brownlee, 23, climbed Mount Everest at 20 in 2021 and earlier this month climbed Mount Shishapangma in China, completing her endeavor to scale all 14 peaks over 8,000 meters high.

She said she has seen numerous climbers who lack training in basic skills and in coping with the unpredictable slopes of the high peaks.

“I have seen many examples of people in the mountains that should not really be there, that should have more training beforehand,” Brownlee told The Associated Press in Kathmandu on Thursday. “We have had to support them and have had to help with like small things like how to put on crampons, how to put on harness.”

She said that mountaineering authorities should ensure that climbers attempting to scale the highest peaks have at least climbed smaller mountains to ensure they can handle the altitude and have the proper skills.
Brownlee flew to Nepal this week alongside other climbers from Tibet including Nima Rinji Sherpa, who is now the youngest person to climb the 14 peaks at age 18.
There are generally no rules besides age restrictions on people who want to climb mountains as long as they are able to pay their permit fees. In Nepal, climbers need to be at least 16 years old.
Brownlee said she was just 8 years old when she began dreaming of becoming a mountaineer like her father, who she said was her main inspiration.
She said she now wants to scale unclimbed peaks in Nepal and explore mountains in other parts of the world.
Brownlee and her partner have opened a mountaineering company in Nepal focusing on helping customers who are skilled and experienced enough to handle the harsh condition of the mountains.
She said she hopes to inspire other young people to pursue their dreams.
“For me the message is that in life ... you can take any path you like to reach your goal,” she said. “That goal might be totally unique to you and it's very important to keep at that and not to listen to rest of society what they have to say.”