Art Declared Legally Dead In France

A French judge has ruled that art is officially dead in France. The ruling allows an eyesore that the village of Saint-Romain au Mont d'Or wanted razed to remain. Because the "Abode of Chaos" is, the judge says, art.

Since 2001, businessman Thierry Ehrmann and a group of artists have been turning a 17th-century post office in Saint-Romain au Mont d'Or, on the outskirts of the southeastern city of Lyon, into a open-sky art gallery and a dark meditation on terrorism and warfare.

Ehrmann says he was inspired by the constant use of the word "chaos" in the media, in the wake of the September 11 attacks in 2001 and the US-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, to turn his home into a war theatre.

Scorched black or daubed blood-red, the building's outer walls are plastered with esoteric signs. Inside, there are media stills of Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, references to arms proliferation and terrorism.

Amid a tangle of twisted metal, burnt-out cars, bunkers, camouflage gear and artificial meterorites, stands a sculpture representing the burning twin towers in New York, one of many visual references to the September 11 attacks.

A precious artwork for some — the culture ministry is considering making the "Demeure du Chaos", or "Abode of Chaos" a listed monument — others see it as an unwelcome eyesore. The mayor of Saint-Romain took legal action in 2004 to have it ripped down for violating local planning rules.

On Wednesday, however, an appeal court in Lyon ruled that the building in its current form was a work of art and could remain standing — though it fined Ehrmann 200,000 euros (255,000 dollars) for breach of planning regulations.

Long time readers know I am not a fan of modern art in general, but this is, I think, worse than usual. That is, of course, my opinion, you can go form your own over here. Or take a shortcut to the photo slide show here. Ann Althouse discussed the pending legal case before the latest ruling here. (Found that one when I Googled the place.)