Art

Meghan Markle’s Mom Doria Ragland Steps Out at Beverly Hills Art Show

Published

1 year ago

July 22, 2023

Meghan Markle‘s mom, Doria Ragland, had an artsy outing in California.

Doria, 66, was spotted in Beverly Hills on Thursday attending an exhibition by artist Honor Titus followed by a dinner at a local restaurant. It appeared that her daughter, Meghan, and son-in-law, Prince Harry, did not join her on the outing.

Meghan and Doria share a close relationship and have given glimpses of their bond through the years.

“Meghan draws a lot of strength from her mother. Doria is classy, chic and confident, but not unapproachable,” Meghan’s longtime friend and makeup artist Daniel Martin told PEOPLE in 2018. “I definitely feel Meghan gets a lot of that from her mother.”

When Meghan and Prince Harry were living in the U.K., Doria often traveled from her home in California to visit her daughter and son-in-law during milestone moments like their 2018 royal wedding and the birth of their first child, son Archie, in 2019. Doria stayed with the couple at Frogmore Cottage to assist them during their early days as parents.

Doria also supported her daughter at a celebration marking the publication of Together: Our Community Cookbook, which Meghan helped create to benefit those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy. The proud mom stood next to Prince Harry and watched as Meghan gave an off-the-cuff speech about the project, at one point exchanging a smile with her son-in-law.

Since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved to California in 2020, Doria is a fixture in the lives of Meghan and Harry as well as their two children, Prince Archie, 4, and Princess Lilibet, 2.

Doria spoke out publicly for the first time in the Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, which debuted in December.

Recalling how Meghan, 41, first told her she was dating the member of the royal family, Doria said, “We were on the phone and she says, ‘Mommy, I’m going out with Prince Harry,’ and I start whispering, ‘Oh my God.’ “

“And so it was from the beginning, it was very sort of, ‘Oh my God, nobody can know,’ ” she continued.

Of Prince Harry, 38, Doria said she noticed he was “handsome” and “really nice” upon first meeting him, with “really great manners.” She added, “And they looked really happy together.”

However, Doria also admitted that it had been “challenging.”

“I felt unsafe a lot. I can’t just go walk my dogs. I can’t just go to work. There was always someone there waiting for me,” she explained.

Doria Ragland, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May 2023.
Kevin Mazur/Getty

In May, Doria joined Meghan and Prince Harry at the Ms. Foundation’s Women of Vision Awards at Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City. (A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told PEOPLE the following day that Prince Harry, Meghan and her mother were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” while being pursued by “a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi” following the ceremony.)

During her speech at the event, Meghan recalled seeing the diversity in the pages of Ms. magazines. Her mom, Meghan said, “had a subscription and having these pages in our home, it signaled to me that there was just so much more than the dolled-up covers and the images that you would see on the grocery store covers.”

“It signaled to me that substance mattered,” the Duchess of Sussex added.

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Art

A misspelled memorial to the Brontë sisters gets its dots back at last

Published

4 weeks ago

September 26, 2024

Anne Joseph

LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.

More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.

The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.

They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.

“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”

It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.

Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”

Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.

“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.

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Art

Calvin Lucyshyn: Vancouver Island Art Dealer Faces Fraud Charges After Police Seize Millions in Artwork

Published

1 month ago

September 13, 2024

Harry Miller

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.

Alleged Fraud Scheme

Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.

Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.

Massive Seizure of Artworks

In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.

Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.

Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed

In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.

Court Proceedings Ongoing

The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.

Impact on the Local Art Community

The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.

For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.

As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.

While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.

Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.

As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.