Painting problem

New York, Dec. 8 (Reuters): Two New York museums asked a judge yesterday to declare that they are the legitimate owners of two Picasso paintings whose ownership has been challenged by a man who says they were sold under duress in Nazi Germany.

The 1935 sale of Boy Leading a Horse and Le Moulin de la Galette was legitimate, the Museum of Modern Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation said in a suit filed in a Manhattan court.

The two museums are suing Julius Schoeps, a scholar at the University of Potsdam, who says he is the heir of wealthy German Jewish art collector and banker Paul Robert Ernst von Mendelssohn-Bartholdy. He says the banker was forced to sell the paintings in Nazi Germany before his death in 1935.

Ray honour

Albany, Georgia (AP): Singer Ray Charles is back in his hometown. Albany, Georgia, unveiled a revolving, bronze statue of Charles on Friday in the middle of a new downtown plaza that bears the R&B legend’s name. Family members attended the musical ceremony honouring the city’s most famous native son, born in 1930. “I can’t tell you how overwhelming it is for me to experience the love that you have for my father,” Sheila Raye Charles told the crowd. Charles was born in Albany but moved to Florida with his mother when he was young.

Akon party

Burbank, California (AP): A day after earning four Grammy nominations, Akon performed at a New Year’s Eve party. “Wattup! Happy New Year!” the singer called out to a young crowd decked out in party hats and “2008” glasses. Hold it. A New Year’s party in early December? That’s television. Specifically, Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. Inside a soundstage decorated like a club, the show on Friday taped concerts with Akon, Natasha Bedingfield and Sean Kingston. They will be mixed in with live segments and air on December 31 on ABC.

Lust award

Taipei (AP): Ang Lee’s spy thriller Lust, Caution dominated the Golden Horse Awards in his native Taiwan on Saturday, winning best film, best director and best actor. Tony Leung Chiu-wai won for his portrayal of a calm, ruthless Japanese-allied spy chief in World War II-era Shanghai. Female lead Tang Wei, however, lost to veteran Joan Chen, who won best actress for portraying the struggles of a Hong Kong nightclub singer in The Home Song Stories.