The current uproar over the Jeff Koons pop-art exhibition at Versailles has been topped this week by an official letter to French President Sarkozy from Charles-Emmanuel de Bourbon-Parme, a direct descendent of Louis XIV.
There are, according to Wikipedia, 121 in the line of succession to the throne, and Charles-Emmanuel ranks 65 on the list of official descendents. The current pretender to the throne is Louis Alphonse, Duke of Anjou.
(Thanks to Carolyne Lee’s blog post on the exhibition at Versailles.)
I am reading, right now, a book on theatrical history, and am reminded of the furor over the first performance Molière‘s comedy “Tartuffe” in 1664 at Versailles. In spite of Louis XIV’s personal delight in the play, the King was forced to have it banned due to pressure from the religious right. There would continue to be, at Versailles, a number of “uproars” over the centuries, but few having to do with art.
