Re: Meridianafly: Gentile lascia
Come vi ha già detto Nicolap qualche risposta sul perché potrete intuirla in questa intervista.
How the Fourth Aga Khan Balances Spiritual Muslim Leadership with a Multi-billionaire LifestyleDenied the power to make history, he bought it. Aumale devoted himself to assembling a collection of art, books, and manuscripts that was unmatched in his era. Many of these objects had been seized from his family during the French Revolution. Today, in France, his collection of paintings—including works by Raphael, Van Dyck, Poussin, and Ingres—is considered second only to that of the Louvre. In an oration given in 1862, Benjamin Disraeli extolled Aumale: “Happy the prince, who, though exiled from his palaces and military pursuits through no fault of his own, finds a consolation in books and an occupation in the rich domain of Art.”In 1871, when he was finally able to return to Chantilly, he arranged all these treasures majestically in the Renaissance-style grand château, which would be more or less completely rebuilt by the architect Honoré Daumet to Aumale’s specifications, starting in 1875. (Daumet also designed the grandstands of the Hippodrome.) With no direct heirs—all of his children had died by 1872—Aumale reconstructed the château to stand as a monument to his family and their lost world.In the 1880s another political upheaval threatened Aumale with exile yet again. To thwart seizure of the property and preserve it, he bequeathed the entire Domaine de Chantilly to the Institut de France, with the stipulation that almost nothing could be altered. In 1898 it was opened to the public by appointment, two days a week.The Institut de France, which is virtually synonymous with the Académie Française—the oldest and most prestigious of its five learned societies—is arguably the world’s most exclusive institution. Once elected, the 40 members of the Académie, known as “the Immortals,” keep their fauteuils for life, and it is their primary task to guard the purity of the French language.But as the 20th century progressed, the institute’s ability to maintain the Domaine declined. As a result, the little-visited château became “one of the world’s best-kept secrets,” according to Gary Tinterow, the director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Then serious maintenance issues developed, prompting the World Monuments Fund in 1998 to put Chantilly on its watch list of endangered monuments. Things were even worse at the Hippodrome. In 1994, its state of deterioration prompted the government to announce that it would be closing the facility.“Forgive the expression,” says His Highness, “but all hell broke loose.” (Not every day does one get to hear a “pope” say “hell.”)The heads of France Galop, the governing body of French horse racing, which had long leased the Hippodrome from the Institut, made an emergency visit to the Aga Khan, to ask for his help.“I’m not going to restore just the racecourse, ” he recalls telling them. “My interests are much wider.” He subsequently scheduled meetings with the various other stakeholders—primarily the Institut de France, but also with local, regional, and national officials. “Why don’t we think of the bigger scheme of things?” he challenged them all.“The entire area has enormous economic potential, which has never been thought through. We are so close to one of the largest transportation hubs in the world,” he explains today.But it took two years of personal negotiations with the chancellor of the Institut, Prince Gabriel de Broglie, to hammer out the contract, signed in 2005, to create the Foundation for the Safe-Keeping and Development of the Domaine de Chantilly. A unique agreement, it has ambitious goals but a limited life span—20 years. During this period the Aga Khan pledges to restore the Domaine to its “princely lustre.” To accomplish this he has donated 40 million euros, more than half of the projected budget.Last fall saw the completion of significant linchpins in his plan to promote year-round tourism in the Domaine, including restoration of the Jardin Anglais and the Jeu de Paume, which now houses a major exhibition space. Just across the street, and a short walk from the château, a newly built, ultra-chic hotel—the Auberge du Jeu de Paume—opened its doors.“When the foundation has finished its work, everything goes back to the Institut, when I hope the Domaine will be a totally rethought, re-structured cultural asset and an economic unit that will stand on its own,” says the Aga Khan.“I did a lot of homework. I would never have dared to get involved in this unless I had enough experience,” he adds.Accomplishing all this has required something the French in general—and perhaps the Immortals in particular—are not so well known for: cooperation. Yet during an interview with the Institut’s chancellor in his stately paneled office, he is positively effusive. “It’s like a fairy tale!,” Prince de Broglie says. “The Institut de France very much approves of the way things are being conducted. We are profoundly happy.” A very formal gentleman, he is wearing his ceremonial*habit vert,*a long black coat richly embroidered in green, accessorized with his military decorations and a sizable sword.Joining forces with this organization, it’s obvious, is no lark. According to one person who has worked with the Aga Khan, it is his impeccable manners—combined with his regal bearing and confidence—that help him to prevail: “He imposes his will with the utmost grace. In meetings, for example, he will ask—so politely—‘I wonder whether it would be a good idea if we do such and such … ’ That means,*We’re doing it.*No one would dream of challenging him.”“Karim has a great deal of charm,” says an old friend, “but underneath he’s made of steel. He does exactly what he wants, when he wants.”A highly concise description of the Aga Khan comes from Betty Lagardère, the widow of French tycoon Jean-Luc Lagardère and a longtime friend. “He’s a god,” she declares straightaway (disregarding Prince Karim’s demurral of any immortality). His “divine” stature, she says, extends from his work to his personal style. “He is so elegant, so refined.”Notwithstanding his social skills, Aga Khan IV has never been “social,” however. “Parties are not his thing,” says a childhood friend. “He was never gregarious or outgoing, the way his father was.”“At this point, he is very reclusive,” says another friend. “He’s becoming a bit of a Howard Hughes. He sees few people.”And though he clearly seems to appreciate female beauty, the friend scoffs at the thought of Karim’s being labeled a playboy, like his dad: “Absolutely not. Karim is maniacal about work. He never drinks or smokes. He is extremely precise, serious, and hardworking.”Still, he has led a full life. In 1968 while in Gstaad, he fell in love with Sally Crichton-Stuart, a tall blonde model. They married the following year and produced three children. Today, all work within the imamate. Princess Zahra, 42, a Harvard graduate, heads the Social Welfare Department; Prince Rahim, 41, a Brown graduate, is executive director of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development; Prince Hussain, 38, educated at Williams College, works in the environmental sector. Three years after his divorce from Sally, in 1995, H.H. married the German-born Princess Gabriele zu Leiningen. After a brief career as a pop singer in Europe, she was working as a consultant to*unesco. In 2000 they had a son, Prince Aly Muhammad, but they separated a few years later, and are currently negotiating a divorce. For some time now, his companion has been the Danish-born Beatrice von der Schulenburg, 44, who was previously married to a business executive in London.While the apparent contradiction between the Aga Khan’s lifestyle and his role as a spiritual leader continues to puzzle some, it is more interesting to try to square his activities as a highly astute venture capitalist with his religious duties. But that, the Aga Khan says, is elementary. “It comes from a basic understanding of what an imam is required to do,” he says. “An imam is not expected to withdraw from everyday life. On the contrary, he’s expected to protect his community and contribute to their quality of life. Therefore, the notion of the divide between faith and world is foreign to Islam. The imamate does not divide world and faith. That’s very little understood outside Islam. In the West, your financial systems are all built around that divide.”For a moment, he speaks as though Muslims and Republicans actually might have more in common than either side would dream: “We have no notion of the accumulation of wealth being evil,” he says. But clearly he’s not going to be any poster boy for the R.N.C.: “It’s how you use it,” he continues, speaking about wealth. “The Islamic ethic is that if God has given you the capacity or good fortune to be a privileged individual in society, you have a moRalp responsability..."
link completo: http://m.vanityfair.com/society/2013/02/aga-khan-spiritual-leader-multi-billionaire
