GUARDIAN EUROPE: Italian former PM estimated to have spent €20m on artworks, often buying through TV auctions
The heirs of Silvio Berlusconi inherited billions from his empire but now they are faced with a dilemma: what to do with his vast collection of mostly worthless artwork, including paintings of nude women and the Madonna, stored in a warehouse opposite his home near Milan.
The former prime minister, who died in June at the age of 86, reportedly amassed the 25,000 works during the final years of his life, buying the majority from late-night shopping channels in his quest to become a top collector.
Vittorio Sgarbi, an undersecretary at the culture ministry, art critic and close friend of Berlusconi, said the compulsion for buying art sold through TV auctions began in earnest in 2018 as a result of “sleepless nights”. » | Angela Giuffrida in Rome | Thursday, October 19, 2023
Showing posts with label Silvio Berlusconi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Silvio Berlusconi. Show all posts
Friday, October 20, 2023
Thursday, July 06, 2023
Silvio Berlusconi Leaves €100m to Partner Marta Fascina in His Will
THE GUARDIAN: Three-time Italian prime minister leaves overall control of family holding company to two eldest children
The late Silvio Berlusconi left €100m (£85.4m) to his partner, Marta Fascina, in his will and control of the family holding company, Fininvest, to his two eldest children, a source has confirmed.
The three-time Italian prime minister, who died last month and whose empire is estimated to be worth more than €6bn, also left €100m to his brother, Paolo, and €30m to Marcello Dell’Utri, a former senator with his Forza Italia party who served jail time for association with the mafia.
Marina and Pier Silvio – his children with his first wife, Carla Elvira Dall’Oglio – will hold a combined stake of 53% in Fininvest, according to details of the will which was unsealed on Wednesday night and first reported by Ansa, an Italian news agency.
Fascina, 33, a Forza Italia deputy, began a relationship with Berlusconi in 2020. The pair held a “symbolic” marriage ceremony in March 2022 and Berlusconi reportedly referred to her as his “wife” on his deathbed. » | Angela Giuffrida in Rome | Thursday, July 6, 2023
The late Silvio Berlusconi left €100m (£85.4m) to his partner, Marta Fascina, in his will and control of the family holding company, Fininvest, to his two eldest children, a source has confirmed.
The three-time Italian prime minister, who died last month and whose empire is estimated to be worth more than €6bn, also left €100m to his brother, Paolo, and €30m to Marcello Dell’Utri, a former senator with his Forza Italia party who served jail time for association with the mafia.
Marina and Pier Silvio – his children with his first wife, Carla Elvira Dall’Oglio – will hold a combined stake of 53% in Fininvest, according to details of the will which was unsealed on Wednesday night and first reported by Ansa, an Italian news agency.
Fascina, 33, a Forza Italia deputy, began a relationship with Berlusconi in 2020. The pair held a “symbolic” marriage ceremony in March 2022 and Berlusconi reportedly referred to her as his “wife” on his deathbed. » | Angela Giuffrida in Rome | Thursday, July 6, 2023
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
Silvio Berlusconi : des milliers de personnes ont rendu hommage au « Cavaliere » à Milan
LE MONDE : A Milan comme partout en Italie, les drapeaux étaient en berne sur les édifices publics. Le président de la République, Sergio Mattarella, la cheffe du gouvernement, Giorgia Meloni étaient notamment présents.
Les milliers de personnes ont rendu un ultime hommage mercredi 14 juin à Milan Silvio Berlusconi, mort lundi à 86 ans d’une leucémie, lors de funérailles d’Etat organisées en présence de nombreux responsables politiques du pays. Selon les médias italiens, l’homme politique avait choisi la crémation, demandant l’inhumation de ses cendres dans sa luxueuse demeure à Arcore, près de Milan.
Couvert de fleurs blanches, rouges et vertes, aux couleurs du drapeau italien, le cercueil est arrivé à 15 heures devant la majestueuse cathédrale de la ville, en présence de milliers de personnes et sous les chants des supporters de l’AC Milan, club dirigé pendant trente et un ans par l’ancien chef du gouvernement. Il a ensuite fait son entrée dans l’église, sous les applaudissements de l’assemblée, en présence de la première ministre, Giorgia Meloni, ainsi que de très nombreux dignitaires politiques. (+ vidéo) » | Le Monde avec AFP | mercredi 14 juin 2023
Les milliers de personnes ont rendu un ultime hommage mercredi 14 juin à Milan Silvio Berlusconi, mort lundi à 86 ans d’une leucémie, lors de funérailles d’Etat organisées en présence de nombreux responsables politiques du pays. Selon les médias italiens, l’homme politique avait choisi la crémation, demandant l’inhumation de ses cendres dans sa luxueuse demeure à Arcore, près de Milan.
Couvert de fleurs blanches, rouges et vertes, aux couleurs du drapeau italien, le cercueil est arrivé à 15 heures devant la majestueuse cathédrale de la ville, en présence de milliers de personnes et sous les chants des supporters de l’AC Milan, club dirigé pendant trente et un ans par l’ancien chef du gouvernement. Il a ensuite fait son entrée dans l’église, sous les applaudissements de l’assemblée, en présence de la première ministre, Giorgia Meloni, ainsi que de très nombreux dignitaires politiques. (+ vidéo) » | Le Monde avec AFP | mercredi 14 juin 2023
Monday, June 12, 2023
Silvio Berlusconi May Be Gone, But Trump’s Still Here. The Rotten Populist Legacy Is Everywhere
THE GUARDIAN: The former Italian PM, who combined celebrity antics with rightwing populism, laid the groundwork for Trumpism
Silvio Berlusconi on the set of TV show Porta a Porta on Rai 1, in Rome, 2018. Photograph: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images
When he hurriedly left the prime minister’s official residence, Palazzo Chigi, for the last time on 16 November 2011, Silvio Berlusconi looked like a humiliated man. Italy’s finances were in trouble, with international investors betting against the country’s treasury bonds; prosecutors were on his heels due to the infamous “bunga bunga” scandal, which involved an underage sex worker; European allies Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel had made their displeasure with him public. Few would have guessed at the time how much future politics would follow Berlusconi’s populist template.
Berlusconi has died at 86 – he had been in hospital in Milan, undergoing treatment for a lung infection. Yet look around, and you can see his legacy everywhere. In fact, the years that followed Berlusconi’s exit from office vindicated his political style, which combined extreme personality politics, a skilful use of visual media and an unashamed demagogy – all to tap into voters’ disillusionment and cynicism about the status quo. It is hard to think of another politician more prefigurative of politics to come. » | Paolo Gerbaudo* | Monday, June 12, 2023
* Paolo Gerbaudo is a sociologist at Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, Italy, and King’s College London, and the author of The Great Recoil
Silvio Berlusconi obituary: Media tycoon and Italy’s longest-serving postwar prime minister whose period in power ended in sex scandals, a debt crisis and convictions for tax fraud »
When he hurriedly left the prime minister’s official residence, Palazzo Chigi, for the last time on 16 November 2011, Silvio Berlusconi looked like a humiliated man. Italy’s finances were in trouble, with international investors betting against the country’s treasury bonds; prosecutors were on his heels due to the infamous “bunga bunga” scandal, which involved an underage sex worker; European allies Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel had made their displeasure with him public. Few would have guessed at the time how much future politics would follow Berlusconi’s populist template.
Berlusconi has died at 86 – he had been in hospital in Milan, undergoing treatment for a lung infection. Yet look around, and you can see his legacy everywhere. In fact, the years that followed Berlusconi’s exit from office vindicated his political style, which combined extreme personality politics, a skilful use of visual media and an unashamed demagogy – all to tap into voters’ disillusionment and cynicism about the status quo. It is hard to think of another politician more prefigurative of politics to come. » | Paolo Gerbaudo* | Monday, June 12, 2023
* Paolo Gerbaudo is a sociologist at Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, Italy, and King’s College London, and the author of The Great Recoil
Silvio Berlusconi obituary: Media tycoon and Italy’s longest-serving postwar prime minister whose period in power ended in sex scandals, a debt crisis and convictions for tax fraud »
Silvio Berlusconi, Former Italian Prime Minister, Dies Aged 86
THE GUARDIAN: Health of flamboyant media tycoon who led three Italian governments had deteriorated markedly in recent years
Silvio Berlusconi was often considered the ‘kingmaker’ in Italian politics. Photograph: Antonio Masiello/Getty Images
The former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has died aged 86, according to the country’s leading news agency, Ansa.
The media tycoon, who led three Italian governments between 1994 and 2011 and whose Forza Italia party is a junior partner in the current ruling coalition, had been suffering from leukaemia for some time.
Berlusconi was one of Italy’s most flamboyant politicians, making a political comeback in 2017 despite a career tainted by sex scandals, countless allegations of corruption and a tax fraud conviction.
He died at the San Raffaele hospital in Milan, where he had spent six weeks this spring undergoing treatment for a lung infection linked to a chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia before being readmitted. » | Angela Giuffrida in Rome | Monday, June 12, 2023
Silvio Berlusconi, a Showman Who Upended Italian Politics and Culture, Dies at 86: He introduced sex and glamour to Italian TV, and then brought the same formula to politics, dominating the country and its culture for more than 20 years. »
Silvio Berlusconi, figure majeure de la droite italienne, est mort : Le Cavaliere, parvenu à trois reprises à la tête du gouvernement italien, entrepreneur de médias, longtemps propriétaire du club de football Milan AC, a vu sa carrière marquée par une série de scandales publics et privés. Il est mort à Milan, le 12 juin. »
Silvio Berlusconi gestorben: Der frühere italienische Ministerpräsident Silvio Berlusconi ist tot. Er starb am Montag im Alter von 86 Jahren. Wegbegleiter würdigen ihn als „großen Italiener“, der sich um viele Bereiche verdient gemacht habe. »
The former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has died aged 86, according to the country’s leading news agency, Ansa.
The media tycoon, who led three Italian governments between 1994 and 2011 and whose Forza Italia party is a junior partner in the current ruling coalition, had been suffering from leukaemia for some time.
Berlusconi was one of Italy’s most flamboyant politicians, making a political comeback in 2017 despite a career tainted by sex scandals, countless allegations of corruption and a tax fraud conviction.
He died at the San Raffaele hospital in Milan, where he had spent six weeks this spring undergoing treatment for a lung infection linked to a chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia before being readmitted. » | Angela Giuffrida in Rome | Monday, June 12, 2023
Silvio Berlusconi, a Showman Who Upended Italian Politics and Culture, Dies at 86: He introduced sex and glamour to Italian TV, and then brought the same formula to politics, dominating the country and its culture for more than 20 years. »
Silvio Berlusconi, figure majeure de la droite italienne, est mort : Le Cavaliere, parvenu à trois reprises à la tête du gouvernement italien, entrepreneur de médias, longtemps propriétaire du club de football Milan AC, a vu sa carrière marquée par une série de scandales publics et privés. Il est mort à Milan, le 12 juin. »
Silvio Berlusconi gestorben: Der frühere italienische Ministerpräsident Silvio Berlusconi ist tot. Er starb am Montag im Alter von 86 Jahren. Wegbegleiter würdigen ihn als „großen Italiener“, der sich um viele Bereiche verdient gemacht habe. »
Thursday, January 20, 2022
Silvio Berlusconi Angles for Italy’s Presidency, Bunga Bunga and All
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The billionaire former prime minister is working hard to persuade lawmakers to vote for him next week, despite an unusual résumé for a job resting on moral authority.
Silvio Berlusconi in Milan in October. | .Claudio Furlan/LaPresse, via Associated Press
ROME — Early this month, Silvio Berlusconi sat at a dining room table in his mansion with his girlfriend, more than a half-century younger, and an old political ally. As they feasted on a pumpkin souffle and truffle tagliatelle, the 85-year-old Italian former prime minister and billionaire made hours of phone calls, working his way down a list of disaffected lawmakers he hoped to persuade to elect him president of Italy next week.
“‘We are forming the Bunga Bunga party and we want you with us,’” Christian Romaniello, a lawmaker formerly with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement, recounted Mr. Berlusconi as saying, referring to the sex-fueled bacchanals that Mr. Berlusconi has deemed merely “elegant dinners.” According to Mr. Romaniello, Mr. Berlusconi then added, “‘But I’ll bring the ladies.’”
The Italian presidency, the country’s head of state, is a seven-year position usually filled by a figure of unimpeachable integrity and sobriety whose influence flows from moral authority. The current holder, Sergio Mattarella, is a quiet statesman whose brother was murdered by the mob. Another contender is Mario Draghi, the prime minister and a titan of European politics who has led the country to a period of unusual stability.
Then there is Mr. Berlusconi, who despite his recent bad health, waxen appearance and weakened political standing, is making an unabashed push to win a career-culminating position that he hopes will wash away decades of stains — his allies say unjustly thrown mud — and rewrite his legacy. » | Jason Horowitz | Wednesday, January 19, 2022
ROME — Early this month, Silvio Berlusconi sat at a dining room table in his mansion with his girlfriend, more than a half-century younger, and an old political ally. As they feasted on a pumpkin souffle and truffle tagliatelle, the 85-year-old Italian former prime minister and billionaire made hours of phone calls, working his way down a list of disaffected lawmakers he hoped to persuade to elect him president of Italy next week.
“‘We are forming the Bunga Bunga party and we want you with us,’” Christian Romaniello, a lawmaker formerly with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement, recounted Mr. Berlusconi as saying, referring to the sex-fueled bacchanals that Mr. Berlusconi has deemed merely “elegant dinners.” According to Mr. Romaniello, Mr. Berlusconi then added, “‘But I’ll bring the ladies.’”
The Italian presidency, the country’s head of state, is a seven-year position usually filled by a figure of unimpeachable integrity and sobriety whose influence flows from moral authority. The current holder, Sergio Mattarella, is a quiet statesman whose brother was murdered by the mob. Another contender is Mario Draghi, the prime minister and a titan of European politics who has led the country to a period of unusual stability.
Then there is Mr. Berlusconi, who despite his recent bad health, waxen appearance and weakened political standing, is making an unabashed push to win a career-culminating position that he hopes will wash away decades of stains — his allies say unjustly thrown mud — and rewrite his legacy. » | Jason Horowitz | Wednesday, January 19, 2022
Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Silvio Berlusconi rêve de la présidence italienne
LE FIGARO : DÉCRYPTAGE - Âgé de 85 ans, l’ex-président du Conseil fait campagne dans l’espoir d’être élu président de la République en janvier prochain.
Alors que Silvio Berlusconi, 85 ans, est dit mourant à chaque convocation devant le juge pour ses affaires de mœurs, l’élection du président de la République fin janvier par les 1 008 grands électeurs a réveillé ses ambitions et sa vitalité. Il n’est pas encore officiellement candidat, pour ne pas se faire «griller».
«Mais les opérations séduction qu’il lance depuis des semaines à l’égard de tous les partis, y compris vers le Mouvement 5 étoiles (M5S) dont il a toujours dit le plus grand mal, sont bien le signe qu’il s’y prépare très activement», décode Giovanni Orsina, politologue spécialiste de la droite italienne et du président de Forza Italia à l’université Luiss. Il ajoute: «Silvio Berlusconi, qui estime être l’homme politique italien le plus important de la fin du XXe et du début du XXIe siècle, considère que l’Italie n’a pas reconnu son importance dans l’histoire. Se faire élire président de la République en fin de carrière serait pour lui une réhabilitation de son rôle et de sa personne.» » | Par Valerie Segond | lundi 13 décembre 2021
À LIRE AUSSI :
La famille Berlusconi: les cinq héritiers du Cavaliere : SUCCESSIONS (5/6) - Entre les enfants de l’ancien premier ministre italien, issus de ses deux premiers mariages, c’est l’entente cordiale. Au nom du père. »
Saturday, March 03, 2018
Brexit: Theresa May Pressed on Future Relationship with Europe
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Un prince saoudien s'intéresse à la villa de Berlusconi
La famille royale saoudienne pourrait racheter la luxueuse villa de 2.500 m2 de Silvio Berlusconi en Sardaigne, où l'ancien chef du gouvernement italien a reçu chefs d'Etat et demoiselles peu vêtues, selon les médias italiens.
La «villa Certosa» - une trentaine de chambres, un amphithéâtre, un volcan artificiel, sept piscines, une grotte semi-souterraine, des courts de tennis et un parc de 120 hectares composé de plantes et de fleurs rares - est située sur la Costa Smeralda, la partie «chic» de l'île sarde.
C'est dans cet immense domaine que, du temps où il dirigeait le gouvernement italien, le milliardaire recevait Tony Blair, George W. Bush ou Vladimir Poutine. Il y a aussi été photographié en compagnie de jeunes femmes aux seins nus. » | afp/Newsnet | lundi 10 août 2015
CORRIERE DELLA SERA: Saudi Prince Interested in Berlusconi’s Villa Certosa »
CORRIERE DELLA SERA: Berlusconi mostra Villa Certosa E arriva l’offerta del principe saudita: L’ex premier ha mostrato il complesso all’erede al trono di re Salman. La richiesta è di 500 milioni. Mohammed bin Nayaef potrebbe aver trattato per conto del sovrano » | di Alberto Pinna | Venerdì 7 agosto 2015
Wednesday, November 06, 2013
Berlusconi Says His Kids Feel Persecuted Like Jews by Hitler
Berlusconi's comments came from an advance excerpt, released on Wednesday, of an interview with him by Italian television journalist Bruno Vespa for his latest book.
Replying to a question about whether his five children had asked him to sell his media empire and leave Italy to escape his legal troubles, Berlusconi said: "My children say that they feel like Jewish families in Germany under Hitler's regime. Truly, everyone is against us." » | Steve Schere | Reuters | Wednesday, November 06, 2013
Saturday, August 03, 2013
Berlusconi Convicted for Tax Fraud
Verwandtes Video »
Friday, August 02, 2013
The Heiress-apparent: Silvio Lines Up Daughter to Take Control of His Political Party
Videobotschaft nach Urteil: Verbitterter Berlusconi gibt sich uneinsichtig
Thursday, August 01, 2013
Ex-Italy PM Silvio Berlusconi Jail Term Confirmed
However, the court ordered a review of a five-year ban on public office that was part of the sentence.
Berlusconi faces house arrest or community service instead of going to jail because of his age - he is 76.
His lawyers had asked judges at Rome's Court of Cassation to overturn a one-year jail sentence and political ban.
When Berlusconi was convicted in October last year, he was sentenced to four years in prison but this was automatically reduced to one under a 2006 pardon law.
The supreme court's ruling came after a three-day hearing.
The judicial review of the five-year ban from public office will enable Berlusconi to remain as a senator and as leader of his centre-right People of Freedom Party (PDL) for the moment. » | Thursday, August 01, 2013
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Mr Berlusconi, 76, is in a steady relationship with Francesca Pascale, who at 27 is nearly a third his age, supporters of the former premier said.
There had been rumours of the relationship for months, and the pair was photographed together recently while watching Mr Berlusconi's football team, AC Milan.
But the romance was confirmed by one of the media tycoon's most vocal cheerleaders, Daniela Santanche, an MP in his People of Freedom party, as well as the Italian press, with one newspaper describing the young woman as Italy's new "first lady".
"Berlusconi introduces her as his girlfriend, and for me it is a beautiful thing. I know her as his girlfriend," said Miss Santanche.
"Let's say she is a person who is very close to him," said Licia Ronzulli, a Euro MP in his party. "She's more than a friend." » | Nick Squires, Rome | Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Saturday, October 27, 2012
WIENER ZEITUNG: Ex-Premier kündigte bereits an, doch weitermachen zu wollen.
Rom. Empört und verbittert reagiert Italiens Ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi auf die Verurteilung zu vier Jahren Haft wegen Steuerbetrugs. In einer ersten Stellungnahme nach der Urteilsverkündung sprach der Medienunternehmer von einem "politischen" Urteil und griff die verantwortlichen Richter scharf an. Er habe Lust, alles liegen und stehen zu lassen und auszuwandern, berichtete die römische Tageszeitung "Il Messaggero".
Doch dann machte der Ex-Premier, wie so oft, einen Schwenk. Er wolle weiterhin in der Politik bleiben, gewissermaßen aus selbstlosen Motiven: "Dieses Urteil wird Folgen haben. Ich fühle mich verpflichtet, weiterhin in der Politik zu bleiben, um die Justiz zu reformieren, damit anderen Bürgern nicht das geschieht, was ich erlebt habe", sagte Berlusconi im Interview mit seinem TV-Sender "Canale 5" am Samstag. » | Samstag, 27. Oktober 2012
Friday, October 26, 2012
FOX NEWS: MILAN – A court in Italy has convicted former Premier Silvio Berlusconi of tax fraud and sentenced him to four years in prison.
The conviction Friday was the 76-year-old media mogul's first in a long series of trials, but it did not mean he was going to prison right away. Cases in Italy must pass two levels of appeal before the verdicts are final.
His lawyers declined to comment immediately, but the billionaire businessman is expected to appeal. Berlusconi wasn't in the courtroom for the verdict on the case stemming from dealings in his Mediaset business empire.
A total of 11 people were on trial. Prosecutors had alleged that the defendants were behind a scheme to purchase the rights to broadcast U.S. movies on Berlusconi's private TV networks in his Mediaset empire through a series of offshore companies and had falsely declared the payments to avoid taxes.
Berlusconi's designated political heir as the head of the center-right party he leads, Angelino Alfano, blasted the verdict Friday as "incomprehensible" and said he was confident an appeals court would throw out the conviction. » | Associated Press | Friday, October 26, 2012
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Silvio Berlusconi sentenced to four years in jail: Silvio Berlusconi, the former Italian prime minister, has been sentenced to four years in prison after a court in Milan convicted him of tax evasion. » | Friday, October 26, 2012
THE WASHINGTON POST: The 3 reasons Silvio Berlusconi might never see prison: » | Max Fisher | Friday, October 26, 2012
CHANNEL NEWS ASIA: Clooney absent from Berlusconi sex trial: ROME: Hollywood star George Clooney failed to appear Friday to give evidence in the trial of former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi on sex charges, leading the prosecutor to accuse the defence of seeking to slow down the proceedings. ¶ Clooney and his former fiancee Elisabetta Canalis have been named as defence witnesses and Clooney was due to testify Friday but did not appear. » | AFP/al | Friday, October 26, 2012
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Silvio Berlusconi four-year sentence quickly cut to one year: Silvio Berlusconi, the former Italian prime minister, was sentenced to four years in prison for tax evasion, only for the prison term to be reduced swiftly to one year. » | Nick Squires, Rome and Alex Spillius | Friday, October 26, 2012
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