Chandigarh heritage chairs withdrawn from Paris auction after MEA intervention: Here’s the reason | Today’s news
Heritage chairs associated with Chandigarh, which were to be auctioned in Paris today, have been withdrawn from sale following the intervention of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
The MEA’s intervention came at the behest of Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, who took up the matter with the ministry and sought urgent diplomatic intervention.
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The Chandigarh administration’s cultural department, under the supervision of chief secretary H. Rajesh Prasad, took up the matter with the center after learning about the proposed auction.
MEA informs that the chairs have been withdrawn
The MEA informed the administration that the items were withdrawn from the auction following efforts by the Embassy of India in France, officials said on June 24.
The Chandigarh administration termed the development as a great success in conserving Chandigarh’s heritage and thanked the MEA, Indian Embassy in France and other authorities for their timely support, news agency PTI reported.
“The MEA was informed today that following the intervention of the Indian Embassy in France, the relevant items have been withdrawn from the auction,” the Chandigarh administration said in a statement dated 24
The administration said it will continue to take all necessary steps to verify, restore and repatriate heritage items. Officials said the move reflects the government’s commitment to preserve Chandigarh’s cultural and architectural heritage.
what line is that?
Two pieces of furniture associated with Chandigarh institutions were due to be auctioned in France today, with auctioneer François Epin listing them at an estimate of €5,000-€7,000 and €4,000-€5,000. The sale was halted after the Chandigarh administration urged the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to intervene, following which the Indian Embassy in France took up the matter with the auction house, officials said.
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Two chairs bear inventory markings that link them to public institutions in Chandigarh. One teak and cane chair by Pierre Jeanneret is marked ‘PU Chem/55’, indicating its association with Panjab University’s Department of Chemistry. The second chair bears the designation “PGI/W/CH-0202” which associates it with PGIMER Chandigarh.
The designation creates a direct institutional link, raising suspicions that the items were illegally removed and smuggled abroad, the administration said.
In its communication to the MEA, the Chandigarh city administration emphasized that the chairs form an integral part of Chandigarh’s modernist heritage created under the vision of Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret. Since Chandigarh’s Capitol complex has UNESCO World Heritage status, officials said the preservation of original furniture associated with the city’s architectural history is a matter of national and international importance.
What is Chandigarh Chair?
The Chandigarh Chair is an iconic mid-century modernist chair designed in the 1950s for public buildings in Chandigarh, India. Crafted from local teak wood and hand-woven cane, it is celebrated worldwide for its minimalist aesthetic, particularly its striking inverted V-shaped legs.
On June 23, the Chandigarh police registered two FIRs under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and launched an investigation into the alleged theft, illegal removal, export, sale and trade of the furniture.
The withdrawal of the items from the auction reflects the government’s commitment to preserve Chandigarh’s cultural and architectural heritage.
Their sale and export of heritage items is prohibited as per the Union Home Ministry order of 2011. Despite the ban, heritage items have repeatedly appeared at auctions abroad. Over the past ten years, more than 50 such auctions have taken place around the world, with artifacts worth almost ₹According to recent media reports, 30 million crowns were sold.
