Belgian carnival removed from UNESCO list over racism row

A  famous Belgian carnival was removed from the U.N.’s cultural heritage list on Friday following complaints that its most recent edition contained blatant displays of anti-Semitism.

The Aalst carnival was taken off UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list during a meeting in Colombia’s capital city, becoming the first cultural tradition stricken from the U.N.’s global inventory of cultural practices.

The festivity was criticized by anti-discrimination groups after this year’s edition included a float depicting Jews with sidecurls and oversized noses atop piles of money. A document filed by UNESCO’s secretariat said the event goes against the organization’s principles, including a clause stating that cultural expressions included in the list should foster respect among communities.

“They can continue to do the festival. We are not opposing that” said Ernesto Ottone, UNESCO’s assistant director-general for culture. “What we don’t want is the brand of UNESCO on a festival that for (some) may be humor, but for us is mockery of some communities.”

Belgium’s government requested that the carnival to be taken off the UNESCO list following several complaints by groups that the event was permissive of displays of anti-Semitism.

Ottone said that town officials were warned several times about anti-Semitic symbolism in previous versions of the carnival but failed to take actions that would “draw a line” on what kind of floats and displays were acceptable.

The Aalst Carnival was included in the UNESCO list in 2010, and is described in the organization’s website as an event with a “slightly subversive atmosphere” that celebrates the unity of the Flemish-speaking town.

The final decision to remove the carnival from the cultural heritage list was made by a 24-nation committee that meets each year to review nominations, and new ways to safeguard traditions.

Couple who bought $120k banana art sense it will be iconic

A  Miami couple who bought a headline-grabbing banana duct-taped to a wall have acknowledged the absurdity of the artwork, but say they believe it will become an icon and plan to gift it to a museum.

Billy and Beatrice Cox said in a statement that they spent more than $100,000 on the “unicorn of the art world” after seeing “the public debate it sparked about art and our society.”

The conceptual artwork — “Comedian,” by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan — was the talk of last week’s Art Basel Miami. The artist sold three editions, each in the $120,000 to $150,000 range, according to the Perrotin gallery.

“We are acutely aware of the blatant absurdity of the fact that ‘Comedian’ is an otherwise inexpensive and perishable piece of produce and a couple inches of duct tape,” the Coxes said. “Ultimately we sense that Cattelan’s banana will become an iconic historical object.”

The piece became such a focus of gawking that the gallery removed it Sunday for the final day to encourage viewers to see the rest of the art fair.

The Miami couple — whose purchase included a “certificate of authenticity” along with the banana and the piece of tape — said they plan to loan and later gift the work to an unspecified art institution in hopes of attracting new generations to the museum.

The couple compared the artwork to Andy Warhol’s now iconic “Campbell’s Soup Cans,” which said was initially “met with mockery.”

Critics reasoned they could easily recreate the pricey art following a quick trip to the grocery store, but the gallery said in a statement that certificates of authenticity are crucial in conceptual art.