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PEOPLE & ARTS Tuesday 4 sepTember 2018
Brad Pitt foundation faces lawsuit over New Orleans homes

Associated Press of color and the solar pan- ten statement.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — An els," Pitt told The Times-Pic- "Our homeowners' well-be-
attorney plans to sue actor ayune in 2015 . "I drive into ing and privacy are some
Brad Pitt's foundation over the neighborhood and I of our top priorities and
the degradation of homes see people on their porch, we work closely with them
built in an area of New Or- and I ask them how is their to address their concerns,"
leans that was among the house treating them? And the statement read. "Each
hardest hit by Hurricane Ka- they say, 'Good.' And I say situation is different and we
trina. 'What's your utility bill?' And are currently coordinating
The forthcoming lawsuit they'll throw something out the necessary follow up
against Pitt's Make It Right like, '24 bucks' or some- with the appropriate par-
foundation will be filed on thing, and I feel fantastic." ties to address any areas of
behalf of some Lower Ninth Earlier this summer, Make concern."
Ward residents, who attor- It Right hit the headlines in The report didn't indicate
ney Ron Austin told WWL-TV New Orleans again with the how many residents would
have reported sicknesses, demolition of one of the join Austin's lawsuit, and
headaches, and infrastruc- houses. Having been unoc- many residents quoted in
tural issues. cupied for years, the mold- news articles this year said
Enlisting award-winning ar- ering house demolished in that despite some prob-
chitects, Pitt founded the June was described by The lems, they were apprecia-
venture in 2007, two years Times-Picayune as "a tat- tive of the foundation's
after Katrina devastated tered loaf of rotting wood, work. Fowler herself told
the city and essentially In this Dec. 1, 2008, file photo, Brad Pitt walks in the Lower 9th fraying tarpaulin and omi- The Times-Picayune that
washed away what would Ward between a home built by the Make It Right Foundation nous open doorways." Fed without Make It Right, she
become the Make It Right and a FEMA trailer in New Orleans. up, resident Constance might never have been
enclave. Associated Press Fowler made City Hall able to afford a house.
Construction began in 2008, aware of several building Another resident, Neal Du-
working toward replacing and some homes are fall- ing TimberSIL lumber, which code violations, and The par, told WWL-TV that he's
the lost housing with 150 ing apart. Residents have was billed as environmen- New Orleans Advocate re- not a part of the forthcom-
avant-garde dwellings that reported sagging porches, tally friendly, weatherproof ported that Make It Right ing lawsuit, and echoed
were storm-safe, solar-pow- mildewing wood and leaky and durable, NOLA.com/ paid for the demolition, cit- Fowler's sentiments about
ered, highly insulated, and roofs. The Times-Picayune re- ing a contract. affordability. He said that
"green." The homes were "Essentially, Make It Right ported . Make It Right then Make It Right did not re- Make It Right has respond-
available at an average was making a lot of prom- sued TimberSIL for $500,000, spond to WWL-TV's request ed to his complaints, send-
price of $150,000 to resi- ises to come back and fix but it's unclear whether for comment this week, ing an inspector to look
dents who received reset- the homes that they initial- that dispute was settled. nor to The Times-Picayune's at his house, though he's
tlement financing, govern- ly sold these people and Despite that expenditure, request for comment fol- heard nothing in the month
ment grants and donations have failed to do so," Aus- a year later, Pitt expressed lowing the demolition. But since. "I don't know what
from the foundation itself. tin said. satisfaction with what had when station WDSU-TV re- the future is going to bring
But 10 years and more than The foundation in 2014 turned into a proper Cres- ported on the blighted with this house or every-
$26 million later, construc- did spend an average of cent City neighborhood. house and other residential body else's house, but it's
tion has halted at around $12,000 each on 39 homes "I get this swell of pride problems in April, the foun- going downhill now," Dupar
40 houses short of Pitt's goal, to replace the deteriorat- when I see this little oasis dation did provide a writ- said.q

Abu Dhabi delays exhibition of da Vinci's 'Salvator Mundi'

By JON GAMBRELL World," sold for a record- behalf of the museum in
Associated Press breaking $450 million at Abu Dhabi, which opened
DUBAI, United Arab Emir- an auction in New York at just days before the auc-
ates (AP) — The unveil- Christie's in November. The tion.
ing of Leonardo da Vinci's painting depicts a blue- The display of the painting
painting "Salvator Mundi" robed Jesus holding a crys- would be a major draw for
at the Louvre Abu Dhabi tal orb and gazing directly the new museum, which
has been indefinitely post- at the viewer. has sought to distinguish
poned, authorities said It was to be displayed from itself from its namesake in
Monday. Sept. 18. The National, a Paris since opening after
Abu Dhabi's Department state-aligned English-lan- a decade of delays. Abu
of Culture and Tourism an- guage newspaper in Abu Dhabi has agreed to pay
nounced the delay on Twit- Dhabi, wrote online Mon- France $525 million for the
ter, saying "more details will day that "speculation sug- use of the "Louvre" name
be announced soon." gests the museum might In this Oct. 24, 2017 file photo, an employee poses with Leon- for the next 30 years and
The department declined be waiting for its one-year ardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi" on display at Christie's auction six months, plus another
to answer any questions anniversary on Nov. 11" to rooms in London. $750 million to hire French
from The Associated Press, unveil it. Associated Press managers to oversee 300
saying: "At this stage, we Mystery has swirled around loaned works of art.
do not have any further in- the museum's acquisition of Crown Prince Mohammed hyan, was the buyer. The Authorities have not said
formation." the painting. bin Salman, who is close Saudi Embassy in Wash- how much it cost to build
The Renaissance oil paint- Western diplomats say a to Abu Dhabi's powerful ington and officials in Abu the museum, located
ing of Christ, whose title in Saudi royal acting as a Crown Prince Sheikh Mo- Dhabi say the Saudi royal on Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat
Latin means "Savior of the proxy for Saudi Arabia's hammed bin Zayed Al Na- purchased the painting on Island.q