Sarkozy's Father Debuts Art Exhibit

Nepotism may be more of a hindrance than a help for artist Pal Sarkozy, father of French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The 82-year-old painter is debuting his work, including a bare derriere and a portrait of first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, in his first ever exhibit in Paris. Pal Sarkozy’s gift for the president’s wedding in 2008—a portrait of his wife perched atop a piano with a guitar on her lap—has already caused a bit of a media firestorm. The elder Sarkozy and his German creative partner, Werner Hornung, have decided to stop displaying the works of Sarkozy’s son and daughter-in-law. “I’m fed up, I can’t take it anymore,” Hornung told Reuters. “They aren’t our masterpieces—we have 70 paintings and everyone only talks about these two.” Sarkozy senior also published an autobiography earlier this year, revealing himself in a less subtle manner. “He prefers it when I paint rather than write,” Pal Sarkozy said of the French president’s response to his recent works.