Why Did the World’s Richt Woman Give a Gay Artist Nearly a Billn Dollars?

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• WHY DID THE WORLD’S RICHT WOMAN GIVE A GAY ARTIST NEARLY A BILLN DOLLARS?ARISTOCRATS BEHAVING BADLYIT’S THE GREATT SNDAL 21ST CENTURY PARIS. BY ONE POLICE TIMATE, $1 BILLN WAS GIVEN BY THE L’ORéAL HEIRS TO FRANçOIS-MARIE BANIER, BUT ME WH A VERY HEAVY PRICE.TOM SANCTONUPDATED AUG. 12, 2017 7:06AM EDT / PUBLISHED AUG. 12, 2017 12:00AM EDT GETTYTO FRANIS-MARIE BANIER’S CRICS, HIS ONLY AIM WAS TO TAKE THE L’ORéAL HEIRS LILIANE BETTENURT FOR AS MUCH MONEY AS POSSIBLE. GREED WAS DOUBTLS PART OF THE MIX, BUT THEIRS WAS A PROFOUND AND PLEX RELATNSHIP. WHATEVER MATERIAL TERTS MOTIVATED HIM, BANIER HAD A EP AND GENUE AFFECTN FOR THE HEIRS. SHE APPARENTLY FELT SOMETHG STRONGER FOR HIM. AS LILIANE SCRIBED THE RELATNSHIP A 2008 LETTER TO BANIER: “WH YOU, I AM LIKE A MOTHER, A LOVER, ALL THE FEELGS PASS THROUGH ME. IT MAK ME TREMBLE.” GIVEN THE AGE DIFFERENCE AND BANIER’S SEXUAL PREFERENC, THERE WAS APPARENTLY NO PHYSIL TIMACY BETWEEN THEM—“GOOD THG I NEVER TEND TO SLEEP WH FRANçOIS-MARIE BANIER,” SHE QUIPPED TO HER FANCIAL ADVISER. BUT ACRDG TO BANIER’S NFISTED NOTEBOOKS (NOW PART OF THE URT RERD), LILIANE LONGED FOR MORE PHYSIL CLOSENS AND WONRED WHY THEY ULDN’T AT LEAST HOLD HANDS. FOR NEARLY A QUARTER OF A CENTURY, THEY RRIED ON A PLATONIC LOVE AFFAIR.THAT LILIANE WAS LOVE WH BANIER SEEMED OBV TO SEVERAL OF HER CLOSE IENDS. LUCIENNE ROZIER, HER NEIGHBOR AND IEND FOR FIFTY YEARS, SAID LILIANE WAS LIKE A MIDETTE—A GIDDY TEENAGER—WHEN SHE WAS AROUND BANIER. “SHE FELL LOVE WH FRANçOIS-MARIE BANIER . . . SHE WAS FASCATED BY HIM TO THE POT OF STUPEFACTN.”BANIER’S CHILDHOOD IEND GILL BRüCKER, WHO ALSO VELOPED A CLOSE IENDSHIP WH LILIANE, SAYS SHE WAS “NOT ONLY LOVE WH BANIER, SHE WAS SOMEONE WHO NEED TO HAVE AFFECTNATE RELATNSHIPS AND SHE WAS SCTIVE WH A LOT OF PEOPLE. SHE FLATTERED MEN WH HER WORDS AND GTUR. SHE CULTIVATED AN IMAGE. SHE HAD AN EXTRAORDARY PHYSIQUE FOR A WOMAN OF HER AGE. SHE WAS A SCTIVE WOMAN WHO HAD A NEED TO SCE.” HER RELATNSHIP WH BANIER, HE SAYS, WAS “REAL, AFFECTNATE, AND LOVG.” BANIER HIMSELF SISTS THAT LILIANE WAS “NEVER LOVE” WH HIM, BUT IS DIFFICULT TO NY THAT THERE WAS A POWERFUL EMOTNAL ATTACHMENT BETWEEN THEM. THE NATURE OF THEIR RELATNSHIP IS DOCUMENTED BY THE 500-PL PAG OF SELECTED RRPONNCE, RANGG OVER TWO S, THAT BANIER’S LAWYERS WOULD LATER PLACE THE URT RERD. THEY WRE ABOUT LERATURE, TRAVELS, ART, MOVI, BANIER’S BOOKS AND EXHIBNS, LILIANE’S HEALTH. ON LILIANE’S SI, THERE ARE NUMERO REFERENC TO HER FATHER, CRICISMS OF HER DGHTER AND SON--LAW, AND EFFIVE WORDS OF AFFECTN FOR HER DACHSHUND TOMA—“MY BETIFUL CHILD,” SHE LLS HIM, SOMETHG THAT SHE WOULD NEVER SAY ABOUT HER DGHTER, FRANçOISE. (TOMA, BY THE WAY, WAS FED A DIET OF H FISH AND VOLVIC MERAL WATER AND SPORTED A SILVER DOG LLAR BY HERMèS.) THERE ARE EQUENT TERMS OF ENARMENT: BANIER LLS HER “MA PETE CHéRIE”; SHE WR “I KISS YOU TENRLY.”FRANçOISE’S LAWYERS WOULD LATER POT TO THEIR VOLUMO RRPONNCE—TOTALG ALL MORE THAN 2,000 LETTERS AND FAX—AS PROOF THAT BANIER WAS SEEKG TO MATA HIS FLUENCE OVER LILIANE THROUGH THE SHEER QUANTY OF THE EXCHANG AND THE FLATTERG LANGUAGE THAT HE OFTEN ED. JEAN-PIERRE MEYERS REUNTED THAT 1995, WHILE HIS FAY WAS VATNG WH THE BETTENURTS AT ARUT, LILIANE WOULD OFTEN LEAVE THE SWIMMG POOL BEFORE LUNCH AND DASH TO THE HOE TO CHECK FOR NEW FAX OM BANIER. “THAT’S WHEN WE REALIZED THAT THE RELATNSHIP BETWEEN MADAME BETTENURT AND MONSIR BANIER WAS EPENG.” IT WAS ED, BUT SEEMS STRANGE TO RCE THE EXCHANG TO A SIMPLE VEHICLE OF MANIPULATN BY BANIER. AFTER ALL, LILIANE WAS WRG HIM AS OFTEN, PERHAPS EVEN MORE, THAN HE WROTE HER. THE LETTERS AND FAX GIVE EVINCE OF A PLEX RELATNSHIP THAT NS THE GAMUT OM AFFECTN, HUMOR, AND TELLECTUAL CURSY TO FLATTERY, JEALOY, AND, Y, SELF-TERT. BUT ABOVE ALL, THEY ARE PROOF OF A POWERFUL BOND BETWEEN THE RRPONNTS.FOR LILIANE, WAS FAR MORE THAN A IENDSHIP: WAS A LIFELE. BEFORE SHE MET BANIER, HER SOCIAL WORLD WAS NFED TO L’ORéAL MEETGS, TEA WH THE SAME OLD IENDS, AND DNER PARTI WH IMPORTANT PEOPLE WHO TEND TO BE BS ASSOCIAT, BANKERS, OR ANDRé’S POLIL NNECTNS. THERE WAS LTLE TO STIMULATE HER CUR MD, NO ONE WHO SHARED HER UNFORMED BUT AVID TASTE FOR ART AND LERATURE. SHE WAS DROWNG WEALTH AND LUXURY, BUT SHE LONGED FOR SOMETHG MORE. “LILIANE WAS RICH, SHE WAS BETIFUL, AND SHE WAS BORED TO ATH,” SAYS HER FORMER LAWYER GE KIEJMAN. LUCIENNE ROZIER RELLS THAT THE HEIRS WAS A STATE OF “GRAVE PRSN” THROUGH MUCH OF THE 1980S, OFTEN STAYG BED AND PLAG OF VAR ILLNS “THOUGH THERE WAS NOTHG WRONG WH HER.” DE ROZIER THOUGHT HER IEND’S MALADI WERE PSYCHOSOMATIC, BUT TO LILIANE THEY WERE VERY REAL, PARTICULARLY THE BACK AND HIP PAS THAT RULTED OM NO FEWER THAN FOUR SEPARATE FALLS. “MY HEALTH WAS BAD FOR TEN YEARS,” SHE LATER RELLED. “I WAS VERY MUCH ALONE AND SPERATE AFTER THE FOURTH ACCINT, FEARG I WOULD NEVER WALK AGA.”WHEN BANIER ARRIVED ON THE SCENE, HE IMMEDIATELY PUT SOME SPICE TO HER LIFE.BRASH, PROVOTIVE, INOCLASTIC, HE HAD NONE OF THE KOWTOWG FERENCE THAT SHE WAS ACCTOMED TO. HE WOULD CRICIZE HER CLOTH, HER HAIRSTYLE, PLAYFULLY LL HER NAM AT TIM, EVEN AS HE FLATTERED HER AND PRAISED HER BETY, HER TELLECT, HER SENSIVY. BANIER ALSO TALKED TO HER ABOUT BOOKS AND PHILOSOPHY AND ART, THGS THAT WERE NOT PART OF ANDRé’S DNERTIME NVERSATN. AND HE BROUGHT HER OUT OF HER SHELL, TRODUCG HER TO ARTISTS, WRERS, AND ACTORS, RTG HER TO ART GALLERI, MMS, THEATERS, CTN HO. AS LILIANE PUT , “HE RENOVATED ME.”IN THE GREAT PARISIAN TRADN, THEY WOULD SPEND HOURS TALKG TOGETHER FéS OR DG FE RTRANTS. OVER TWENTY YEARS, THEY EQUENTED MOST OF THE PAL’S BT-KNOWN TABLISHMENTS, BUT THEY HAD THEIR PARTICULAR FAVOR. AMONG THEM WAS RECH, ON THE BOULEVARD S TERN, FOUND 1925 BY AN ALSATIAN WHO, LIKE EUGèNE SCHUELLER’S FATHER, HAD MIGRATED TO PARIS AFTER THE FIRST WORLD WAR ORR TO REMA FRENCH. LILIANE PECIALLY LIKED RECH (NOW OWNED BY SUPERSTAR CHEF ALA DUSSE) BEE HER FATHER HAD OFTEN TAKEN HER THERE AS A GIRL. LRENT, A FORMER ROYAL HUNTG PAVILN LOTED A PARK ALONG THE CHAMPS-ÉLYSé, WAS ANOTHER FAVORE, BOTH FOR S ELEGANT DéR AND S HTE-CUISE MENU. NOT LEAST AMONG THEIR REGULAR EATG SPOTS WAS LE GRAND VéFOUR, WH S ORNATELY PATED WALLS AND CEILGS, NTLED UNR THE LONNAS OF THE PALAIS ROYAL GARN. THE SUMPTUO TERR IS VIRTUALLY UNCHANGED SCE THE LATE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY, WHEN THE VéFOUR WAS A FAVORE MEETG PLACE OF THE PAL’S POLIL AND LERARY TELLIGENTSIA. ONE THG THE THREE TABLISHMENTS HAVE MON IS A PRICEY MENU, RANGG OM €100 TO MORE THAN €300 PER PERSON. (LILIANE UALLY PAID.)LILIANE’S “PATRONAGE” HAD BEGUN WH THE 250,000 ANCS SHE PAID FOR THE PHOTO BOOK THAT ACPANIED HIS POMPIDOU EXHIBN 1991. THOUGH THEIR IENDSHIP EPENED OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS, THE HEIRS DID NOT OFFER HIM ANY MORE FANCIAL HELP UNTIL SHE ME TO LUNCH ONE DAY AT BANIER’S PLACE ON THE E SERVANDONI. AT THAT TIME, HE OWNED THREE APARTMENTS THE FIVE-STORY BUILDG, HAVG BOUGHT OUT HIS FORMER PARTNER JACQU GRANGE THE MID-1970S. THE FIRST TIME LILIANE ME TO LUNCH THERE, SHE WAS A WHEELCHAIR SUFFERG OM BILATG BACK PAS. BANIER HAD SCE STALLED AN ELEVATOR THE STAIRWELL, LARGELY TO SPARE LILIANE THE FOUR-FLIGHT CLIMB TO HIS DG ROOM. SHE ME TWO OR THREE TIM A MONTH, AND THE RUAL WAS ALWAYS THE SAME: HER CHFFR WOULD PARK THE LIVERY ZONE JT ACROSS THE STREET AND OPEN THE REAR DOOR. LILIANE, ELEGANTLY IFFED, IMPECBLY DRSED, WOULD EMERGE OM THE R HOLDG HER PURSE ONE HAND AND A SMALL BAG THE OTHER. THE BAG NTAED THE GRILLED BREAD AND CHEE THAT SHE ALWAYS BROUGHT WHEN SHE LUNCHED WH THE ARTIST—UNTIL HE GOT FED UP ONE DAY AND TOLD HER WAS TO BRG HER OWN CHEE. ONE DAY 1994, OVER A SIMPLE MEAL PROVID BY BANIER’S OK, LILIANE LEANED BACK OM THE ROUND WOON TABLE AND PEERED THROUGH THE WDOW AT AN APARTMENT ACROSS THE URTYARD.“FRANçOIS-MARIE, YOU NEED MORE SPACE,” SHE SAID. “YOU LIKE FE THGS; ME TOO. I HAVE THE MEANS TO SU YOUR TAST. AND TO START WH, YOU’RE GOG TO BUY THAT APARTMENT ACROSS THE WAY.”“WHAT FOR?”“YOU’LL NEED . ONE DAY YOU WILL PUT YOUR ARCHIV THERE.”GOOD AS HER WORD, LILIANE SET UP A SOCIéTé CIVILE IMMOBILIèRE (SCI), A PRIVATE REAL-TATE VTMENT PANY, AND STARTED TO BUY PROPERTY FOR BANIER, WHO WAS THE TULAR -OWNER. SHE LATER SET UP TWO OTHER SCIS WH BANIER, PROVIDG THE SH FOR APARTMENTS THAT WERE ED BY THE ARTIST FOR ARCHIV AND STUDS. IN 1997, SHE GIFTED HER SHAR THE PANI TO BANIER, MAKG HIM OWNER OF THE ENTIRE BUILDG ON THE E SERVANDONI, THE SAME BUILDG WHERE I WOULD MEET HIM ALMOST TWENTY YEARS LATER.BETWEEN 1994 AND 1999, BANIER AND LILIANE CISED THE GALLERI AND CTN HO SEARCH OF MASTER PATGS TO ENLIVEN WHAT HE LLED HER “SISTER” HOE. THEIR PURCHAS—PAID BY LILIANE BUT CHOSEN ON BANIER’S ADVICE—HUNG THE RECEPTN ROOMS, ON THE WALLS ALONG THE CURVED STAIRSE, AND THE UPSTAIRS BEDROOMS. THE FAY’S LLECTN CLUD OTHER WORKS HERED OM LILIANE’S FATHER, CLUDG A LARGE MO THAT BANIER NSIRED “HIO,” BUT THE MORE RECENT ACQUISNS HAD A SPECIAL MEANG FOR LILIANE.ON FEBARY 23, 2001, SHE ACPANIED BANIER TO THE OFFIC OF HER NOTARY, JEAN-MICHEL NORMAND. IN THE DOWNSTAIRS HALLWAY OF NORMAND’S BUILDG, JT BEFORE ENTERG THE ELEVATOR, SHE TOLD HER IEND THE PURPOSE OF THE VIS. “I HAVE CID TO GIVE YOU THE PATGS THAT WE BOUGHT TOGETHER,” SHE SAID. “IT’S A ROAD WE HAVE TRAVELED TOGETHER, ’S OUR HISTORY.”NORMAND, SOMEWHAT SURPRISED, PROCEED TO REGISTER THE TWELVE PATGS AS NUE PROPRIéTé, MEANG THE HEIRS WOULD KEEP AND ENJOY THE WORKS DURG HER LIFETIME BUT BANIER WOULD HER THEM. THE LLECTN, WHICH CLUD NVAS BY PISSO, MATISSE, LèGER, MONDRIAN, BRAQUE, AND MUNCH, AMONG OTHERS, WAS VALUED AT SOME €17 LN AT THE TIME. (IT IS CURRENTLY TIMATED AT €90 LN.) LILIANE PAID AN ADDNAL 60 PERCENT OF THE CLARED VALUE THE FORM OF GIFT TAX SO THAT BANIER WOULD NOT BE BILLED WHEN THE WORKS ME TO HIS POSSSN. NORMAND LATER SAID THAT HE HAD NO DOUBT LILIANE WAS A LUCID AND WILLG DONOR: “SHE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT SHE WANTED, AND SHE STAYED ON URSE.”IN A DICIL TO HER WILL, THE HEIRS LLED THIS EXTRAORDARY GIFT A “TOKEN OF MY GRATU FOR THE MORAL AND AFFECTIVE AID THAT FRANçOIS-MARIE BANIER HAS OFFERED ME. I WILL ADD THAT I WOULD NEVER HAVE MA THIS LLECTN OF PATGS WHOUT HIM. I AM BTED TO HIM ON AN EMOTNAL LEVEL FOR HIS LONG AND NSTANT SUPPORT—I HAVE BEEN THROUGH SOME DIFFICULT MOMENTS. AS STRANGE AS MIGHT SEEM, HE HAS BEEN A GREAT HELP EVEN ON BS MATTERS.”LILIANE’S GRATU APPARENTLY KNEW NO BOUNDS. FROM 1997 TO 2002, SHE NAMED BANIER HER WILL AS THE BENEFICIARY ON FIVE ASSURANCE VIE NTRACTS. THIS TYPE OF NTRACT IS A SORT OF HYBRID BETWEEN A BROKERAGE ACUNT AND A US LIFE SURANCE POLICY. THE STMENTS TEND TO GA VALUE DRAMATILLY OVER THE YEARS, MEANG THAT THE POTENTIAL PAYOUT TO BANIER DOWN THE LE WAS THE HUNDREDS OF LNS. (IT DID NOT ENAR HIM TO FRANçOISE THAT ONE OF THE NTRACTS HAD ORIGALLY BEEN HER NAME.) MEANWHILE, LILIANE NTUED TO PROVI BANIER WH LNS OF ROS SH AND CHECKS TO “PERM HIM TO RRY OUT HIS PROJECTS.”AS ALWAYS, SHE PRENTED HER GIFTS AS A FORM OF PATRONAGE TO FURTHER BANIER’S ARTISTIC ENAVORS. BUT WAS MORE THAN THAT. THE MONEY SHE GAVE BANIER WAS THE EMBLEM OF HER PERSONAL LIBERTY, HER INTY, HER EE WILL. OVER TWO S, SHE MA CLEAR THAT THIS WAS HER OWN CISN AND SHE DREW ENORMO SATISFACTN OM . TO LILIANE, THE FORTUNE SHE GAVE BANIER WAS NOT JT MONEY: WAS AN ACT OF LOVE THAT SHE ULD NOT EXPRS OTHER TERMS. IT WAS ALSO A MEANS OF PUNISHG HER DGHTER FOR REAL AND IMAGED FLTS.LILIANE’S LARGSE FANCED MORE THAN BANIER’S ARTISTIC ACTIVI: ENABLED HIM TO ACQUIRE A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF REAL TATE ADDN TO HIS POUND ON THE E SERVANDONI. BETWEEN 1998 AND 2003, HE PURCHASED FOUR APARTMENTS ON THE E VGIRARD, A PRIME LEFT BANK LOTN OVERLOOKG THE STATELY LUXEMBOURG GARNS, THE FIFTY-SIX-ACRE PARK ADJOG THE PALAIS DU LUXEMBOURG, FORMER PALACE OF QUEEN MARIE ’ MEDICI (1575–1642) AND CURRENTLY THE HOME OF THE FRENCH SENATE.IN JUNE 2007, LILIANE SHED A LIFE-SURANCE NTRACT WORTH €82.9 LN (ON WHICH SHE PAID €49.7 LN TAX) AND GAVE THE PROCEEDS TO BANIER. HE IMMEDIATELY PUT THE FUNDS TO THREE NEW NTRACTS, ONE HIS NAME AND THE OTHER TWO THE NAM OF MART D’ORGEVAL AND PASL GREGGORY. USG HIS OWN POLICY AS A SORT OF SH MACHE, HE DREW LARGE SUMS OM TO BUY ARTWORKS, A HOE MARRAKH, AND IMPROVEMENTS ON HIS VILLA THE SOUTH OF FRANCE.IN ADDN TO HER PERSONAL SUPPORT, LILIANE ARRANGED FOR L’ORéAL TO GRANT TWO GENERO NTRACTS TO BANIER—ONE THAT SPONSORED HIS TERNATNAL PHOTO EXHIBNS AND BOOKS, ANOTHER THAT PAID HIM A HEFTY FEE AS AN “ARTISTIC ADVISER.” IT WAS THANKS TO L’ORéAL THAT BANIER HAD TWENTY-EIGHT PHOTO SHOWS OM TOKYO, ROME, AND MUNICH TO MILAN, BUDAPT, AND PARIS, AMONG OTHERS, EACH ACPANIED BY A GLOSSY TALOGUE. LILIANE AND ANDRé WOULD OFTEN ATTEND THE OPENGS. THE HEIRS LOOKED FORWARD TO THE EVENTS AND EVEN TOOK TANGO LSONS BEFORE FLYG TO BUENOS AIR FOR BANIER’S EXHIBN THERE 2000. ON THAT OCSN SHE SHOWED OFF HER FOOTWORK A NFERíA, ONE OF THE LOL PASTRY SALONS THAT OFFER TANGO DANCG ALONG WH FANCY SWEETS. THAT WAS A LONG WAY OM THE STUFFY DNER PARTI SHE HAD KNOWN BEFORE MEETG BANIER.THE L’ORéAL NTRACTS, FIRST SIGNED 1994, WERE EVENTUALLY WORTH €710,000 A YEAR TO BANIER. THE BS BENEF TO THE PANY WAS QUTNABLE, BUT LDSAY OWEN-JON, L’ORéAL’S CEO AT THE TIME, WENT ALONG WH THE SWEETHEART AL SENTIALLY TO PLEASE MADAME BETTENURT, ON WHOM HIS JOB PEND. “I MAKE MONEY FOR LILIANE, AND YOU MAKE HER LIVE,” HE TOLD BANIER.WHY DID THE HEIRS EM SO IMPORTANT TO SPONSOR THE WORK OF THIS LTLE-KNOWN PHOTOGRAPHER? PERHAPS WAS A MEANS OF SELF-VALIDATN. LILIANE WAS FASCATED BY CREATIVE PEOPLE, STARTG WH HER FATHER. BUT SHE WAS NOT CREATIVE HERSELF: SHE DIDN’T WRE POETRY OR PAT OR PLAY MIC, AND FACT HAD ONLY A SENDARY SCHOOL TN. WHEN SHE LATCHED ON TO BANIER (AND VICE VERSA), SHE FALLY SAW HER CHANCE TO BE CREATIVE: WH HER MONEY AND L’ORéAL’S SPONSORSHIP, SHE ULD “MAKE” BANIER AS AN ARTIST. “WHAT I WANT IS FOR YOU TO BE KNOWN,” SHE WROTE HIM. HIS SUCCS WOULD BE HER SUCCS, HIS CREATIVY WOULD BE A PROJECTN OF HER OWN—TO THE POT WHERE SHE WOULD TELL IENDS “WE” ARE PUTTG ON AN EXHIBN WHEN TALKG OF BANIER’S SHOWS.SOME OF LILIANE’S CLOSE IENDS WERE ASTOUND TO SEE HER SHOWER SUCH ENORMO SUMS ON HER PROTéGé. THEY FOUND TOTALLY OUT OF CHARACTER A WOMAN WHO ULD BE GENERO ON OCSN, BUT WHO WAS A NOTOR PENNY PCHER HER DAILY LIFE. MONIQUE LIBOUTON, WHO HAD KNOWN LILIANE SCE 1942, SCRIBED HER AS “STGY” AND SAID WAS ALWAYS “A BATTLE” TO GET HER TO ACCEPT THE SLIGHTT RAIS FOR HER EMPLOYE. LUCIENNE ROZIER, ANOTHER TIMATE, SAID, “LILIANE WAS QUE MISERLY. WHENEVER SHE HAD TO GIVE SOMEONE WEDDG PRENT, SHE WAS TURMOIL. THAT’S WHY I FD THE LEVEL OF THE DONATNS STAGGERG.” LILIANE HERSELF, HER FAMO 1987 TERVIEW WH EGOïSTE, ADMTED THAT SHE “TTS OVERPAYG” FOR ANYTHG. “IT MAK ME ILL. I DON’T LIKE TO WASTE MONEY.” YET WH A FEW YEARS OF GIVG THAT TERVIEW, SHE WAS SHOVELG LNS TO THE OPEN ARMS OF AN OBSCURE ARTIST. WHAT HAPPENED?IT WASN’T JT THAT BANIER STIMULATED HER, FLATTERED HER, AND MA HER LGH. AND WASN’T JT THAT HE OPENED DOORS TO THE WORLDS OF ART AND CULTURE. BEYOND ALL THAT, LILIANE WAS ENTHRALLED BY HIS PERSON, HIS GOOD LOOKS, HIS QUIRKY CHARACTER, HIS SCTILLATG NVERSATN. SHE WAS IMPRSED BY BANIER’S EARLY LERARY SUCCS AND HIS EXOTIC EQUENTATNS. EVEN HIS HOMOSEXUALY MT HAVE TRIGUED AND, SOME STRANGE WAY, ATTRACTED HER.THE FRENCH HAVE A LORFUL TERM—S’ENNAILLER—WHICH ROUGHLY MEANS SLUMMG, HANGG OUT WH RAKISH TYP OM A DIFFERENT SOCIAL I. THAT WAS UNDOUBTEDLY PART OF THE MAGISM THAT DREW HER TO FRANçOIS-MARIE. THERE WAS ANOTHER THG THAT MA BANIER IMMENSELY ATTRACTIVE TO LILIANE: HE REMD HER OF HER ADORED FATHER, EUGèNE SCHUELLER. OVER THE YEARS, THE INTIFITN BETWEEN BANIER AND SCHUELLER BEME A LEMOTIF OF THEIR NVERSATN AND RRPONNCE. BANIER PLAYED ON THIS, AND EVEN TOOK TO ENDG HIS LETTERS “HLC”—AN ACRONYM FOR ONE OF SCHUELLER’S FAVORE EXPRSNS: “HT L CœURS” (KEEP A STOUT HEART). “IT’S OBV THAT YOU’RE PART CRAZY,” SHE ONCE TOLD BANIER. “SO WAS MY FATHER. THAT’S ALSO A WAY TO BE FAR AHEAD OF THE OTHERS.” IN 2003, LILIANE WROTE TO HER NOTARY: “I SPOKE TO FRANçOIS-MARIE AS I SPOKE TO MY FATHER—WE WENT TO EP THGS—WHICH I NEED.”AT FIRST GLANCE, WOULD BE HARD TO FD TWO MEN MORE DIFFERENT OM EACH OTHER THAN FRANçOIS-MARIE BANIER AND EUGèNE SCHUELLER. BANIER IS TALL AND TRIM; SCHUELLER WAS SHORT AND SQUAT. BANIER, AT LEAST HIS YOUTH, WAS AN ADONIS; SCHUELLER, EVEN YOUNG, LOOKED MORE LIKE CHARLIE CHAPL THAN A GREEK GOD. BANIER IS AN ARTIST, WRER, AND ROMANTIC; SCHUELLER WAS A SCIENTIST, VENTOR, AND BSMAN. BANIER IS A HOMOSEXUAL HALF-JEW; SCHUELLER WAS HETEROSEXUAL, A STNCH CATHOLIC, AND ARGUABLY AN ANTI-SEME. LILIANE MIGHT SAY THAT THEY WERE BOTH CREATIVE TYP, BUT THERE IS A VAST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WRG A NOVEL OR TAKG A PHOTO AND BUILDG A PALIST EMPIRE. YET LILIANE’S EY, THE TWO MEN HAD SOME FUNDAMENTAL THGS MON: A PULSIVE WORK ETHIC, AN TELLECTUAL CURSY, A CHARISMATIC PERSONALY, AND AN OUTSIZE BELIEF THEMSELV AND THEIR STY. BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THG THEY SHARED WAS THE BLD ADMIRATN OF LILIANE BETTENURT.OF ALL THE THGS LILIANE SOUGHT TO GIVE BANIER, CERTALY THE MOST EXOTIC WAS THE SEYCHELL ISLAND OF D’ARROS, A 1.5-SQUARE-E OVAL OF SANDY BEACH, PALM GROV, AND LIMPID WATERS THAT FORMERLY BELONGED TO A NEPHEW OF THE SHAH OF IRAN. LILIANE AND ANDRé BOUGHT THE ISLAND 1997 FOR $18 LN THEN POURED SOME €50 LN TO UPGRADG S STALLATNS WH NEW BUNGALOWS, AN ENLARGED LANDG STRIP, AND HOG FOR 35 PERMANENT EMPLOYE. THE UPLE VISED D’ARROS THREE OR FOUR TIM A YEAR, OFTEN THE PANY OF BANIER, MART D’ORGEVAL AND OTHER IENDS. FRANçOISE AND HER FAY WERE NEVER ONCE VED THERE.LILIANE’S TERMATN TO KEEP D’ARROS OUT OF FRANçOISE’S HANDS WAS AT LEAST ONE MOTIVE BEHD THE PLITED TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP ENGEERED BY HER BS LAWYER FABRICE GOGUEL. “IN NO SE DID SHE WANT THE ISLAND TO GO TO HER DGHTER,” GOGUEL EXPLAED. “SHE WANTED TO GIVE TO FRANçOIS-MARIE BANIER.” ALONG WH A SWISS LLEAGUE, GOGUEL CREATED A LICHTENSTE-BASED FOUNDATN TO WHICH OWNERSHIP OF D’ARROS WAS TRANSFERRED NOVEMBER 2006. THOUGH THE BETTENURTS NTUED TO RENT THE ISLAND OM THE FOUNDATN, S ULTIMATE “BENEFICIARI” WERE ... FRANçOIS-MARIE BANIER AND THREE MEDIL ASSOCIATNS N BY HIS IEND GILL BRüCKER.BUT BANIER NEVER DID GA POSSSN OF THE ISLAND PARADISE, WHICH WAS FALLY SOLD 2011 TO A PANY OWNED BY A SDI BILLNAIRE. APART OM S MOARY VALUE, PERHAPS, BANIER DID NOT SEEM TO BE PECIALLY ATTACHED TO THE PLACE. QUTNED ABOUT HIS LKS TO D’ARROS JULY 2010, BANIER TOLD VTIGATORS: “I TT THIS ISLAND, IS FULL OF MOSQUO, IS TY, AND ’S VERY HUMID. ON TOP OF ALL THAT, THERE ARE SHARKS. I HATE ISLANDS.”ADAPTED OM THE BETTENURT AFFAIR: THE WORLD’S RICHT WOMAN AND THE SNDAL THAT ROCKED PARIS BY TOM SANCTON, PUBLISHED ON AUG. 8, 2017, BY DUTTON, AN IMPRT OF PENGU PUBLISHG GROUP, A DIVISN OF PENGU RANDOM HOE, LLC. COPYRIGHT © 2017 BY THOMAS A. SANCTON. TOM SANCTON
• A GAY GIRL’S GUI TO THE 2023 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

WHY DID THE WORLD’S RICHT WOMAN GIVE A GAY ARTIST NEARLY A BILLN DOLLARS?ARISTOCRATS BEHAVING BADLYIT’S THE GREATT SNDAL 21ST CENTURY PARIS. BY ONE POLICE TIMATE, $1 BILLN WAS GIVEN BY THE L’ORéAL HEIRS TO FRANçOIS-MARIE BANIER, BUT ME WH A VERY HEAVY PRICE.TOM SANCTONUPDATED AUG. 12, 2017 7:06AM EDT / PUBLISHED AUG. 12, 2017 12:00AM EDT GETTYTO FRANIS-MARIE BANIER’S CRICS, HIS ONLY AIM WAS TO TAKE THE L’ORéAL HEIRS LILIANE BETTENURT FOR AS MUCH MONEY AS POSSIBLE. GREED WAS DOUBTLS PART OF THE MIX, BUT THEIRS WAS A PROFOUND AND PLEX RELATNSHIP. WHATEVER MATERIAL TERTS MOTIVATED HIM, BANIER HAD A EP AND GENUE AFFECTN FOR THE HEIRS. SHE APPARENTLY FELT SOMETHG STRONGER FOR HIM. AS LILIANE SCRIBED THE RELATNSHIP A 2008 LETTER TO BANIER: “WH YOU, I AM LIKE A MOTHER, A LOVER, ALL THE FEELGS PASS THROUGH ME. IT MAK ME TREMBLE.” GIVEN THE AGE DIFFERENCE AND BANIER’S SEXUAL PREFERENC, THERE WAS APPARENTLY NO PHYSIL TIMACY BETWEEN THEM—“GOOD THG I NEVER TEND TO SLEEP WH FRANçOIS-MARIE BANIER,” SHE QUIPPED TO HER FANCIAL ADVISER. BUT ACRDG TO BANIER’S NFISTED NOTEBOOKS (NOW PART OF THE URT RERD), LILIANE LONGED FOR MORE PHYSIL CLOSENS AND WONRED WHY THEY ULDN’T AT LEAST HOLD HANDS. FOR NEARLY A QUARTER OF A CENTURY, THEY RRIED ON A PLATONIC LOVE AFFAIR.THAT LILIANE WAS LOVE WH BANIER SEEMED OBV TO SEVERAL OF HER CLOSE IENDS. LUCIENNE ROZIER, HER NEIGHBOR AND IEND FOR FIFTY YEARS, SAID LILIANE WAS LIKE A MIDETTE—A GIDDY TEENAGER—WHEN SHE WAS AROUND BANIER. “SHE FELL LOVE WH FRANçOIS-MARIE BANIER . . . SHE WAS FASCATED BY HIM TO THE POT OF STUPEFACTN.”BANIER’S CHILDHOOD IEND GILL BRüCKER, WHO ALSO VELOPED A CLOSE IENDSHIP WH LILIANE, SAYS SHE WAS “NOT ONLY LOVE WH BANIER, SHE WAS SOMEONE WHO NEED TO HAVE AFFECTNATE RELATNSHIPS AND SHE WAS SCTIVE WH A LOT OF PEOPLE. SHE FLATTERED MEN WH HER WORDS AND GTUR. SHE CULTIVATED AN IMAGE. SHE HAD AN EXTRAORDARY PHYSIQUE FOR A WOMAN OF HER AGE. SHE WAS A SCTIVE WOMAN WHO HAD A NEED TO SCE.” HER RELATNSHIP WH BANIER, HE SAYS, WAS “REAL, AFFECTNATE, AND LOVG.” BANIER HIMSELF SISTS THAT LILIANE WAS “NEVER LOVE” WH HIM, BUT IS DIFFICULT TO NY THAT THERE WAS A POWERFUL EMOTNAL ATTACHMENT BETWEEN THEM. THE NATURE OF THEIR RELATNSHIP IS DOCUMENTED BY THE 500-PL PAG OF SELECTED RRPONNCE, RANGG OVER TWO S, THAT BANIER’S LAWYERS WOULD LATER PLACE THE URT RERD. THEY WRE ABOUT LERATURE, TRAVELS, ART, MOVI, BANIER’S BOOKS AND EXHIBNS, LILIANE’S HEALTH. ON LILIANE’S SI, THERE ARE NUMERO REFERENC TO HER FATHER, CRICISMS OF HER DGHTER AND SON--LAW, AND EFFIVE WORDS OF AFFECTN FOR HER DACHSHUND TOMA—“MY BETIFUL CHILD,” SHE LLS HIM, SOMETHG THAT SHE WOULD NEVER SAY ABOUT HER DGHTER, FRANçOISE. (TOMA, BY THE WAY, WAS FED A DIET OF H FISH AND VOLVIC MERAL WATER AND SPORTED A SILVER DOG LLAR BY HERMèS.) THERE ARE EQUENT TERMS OF ENARMENT: BANIER LLS HER “MA PETE CHéRIE”; SHE WR “I KISS YOU TENRLY.”FRANçOISE’S LAWYERS WOULD LATER POT TO THEIR VOLUMO RRPONNCE—TOTALG ALL MORE THAN 2,000 LETTERS AND FAX—AS PROOF THAT BANIER WAS SEEKG TO MATA HIS FLUENCE OVER LILIANE THROUGH THE SHEER QUANTY OF THE EXCHANG AND THE FLATTERG LANGUAGE THAT HE OFTEN ED. JEAN-PIERRE MEYERS REUNTED THAT 1995, WHILE HIS FAY WAS VATNG WH THE BETTENURTS AT ARUT, LILIANE WOULD OFTEN LEAVE THE SWIMMG POOL BEFORE LUNCH AND DASH TO THE HOE TO CHECK FOR NEW FAX OM BANIER. “THAT’S WHEN WE REALIZED THAT THE RELATNSHIP BETWEEN MADAME BETTENURT AND MONSIR BANIER WAS EPENG.” IT WAS ED, BUT SEEMS STRANGE TO RCE THE EXCHANG TO A SIMPLE VEHICLE OF MANIPULATN BY BANIER. AFTER ALL, LILIANE WAS WRG HIM AS OFTEN, PERHAPS EVEN MORE, THAN HE WROTE HER. THE LETTERS AND FAX GIVE EVINCE OF A PLEX RELATNSHIP THAT NS THE GAMUT OM AFFECTN, HUMOR, AND TELLECTUAL CURSY TO FLATTERY, JEALOY, AND, Y, SELF-TERT. BUT ABOVE ALL, THEY ARE PROOF OF A POWERFUL BOND BETWEEN THE RRPONNTS.FOR LILIANE, WAS FAR MORE THAN A IENDSHIP: WAS A LIFELE. BEFORE SHE MET BANIER, HER SOCIAL WORLD WAS NFED TO L’ORéAL MEETGS, TEA WH THE SAME OLD IENDS, AND DNER PARTI WH IMPORTANT PEOPLE WHO TEND TO BE BS ASSOCIAT, BANKERS, OR ANDRé’S POLIL NNECTNS. THERE WAS LTLE TO STIMULATE HER CUR MD, NO ONE WHO SHARED HER UNFORMED BUT AVID TASTE FOR ART AND LERATURE. SHE WAS DROWNG WEALTH AND LUXURY, BUT SHE LONGED FOR SOMETHG MORE. “LILIANE WAS RICH, SHE WAS BETIFUL, AND SHE WAS BORED TO ATH,” SAYS HER FORMER LAWYER GE KIEJMAN. LUCIENNE ROZIER RELLS THAT THE HEIRS WAS A STATE OF “GRAVE PRSN” THROUGH MUCH OF THE 1980S, OFTEN STAYG BED AND PLAG OF VAR ILLNS “THOUGH THERE WAS NOTHG WRONG WH HER.” DE ROZIER THOUGHT HER IEND’S MALADI WERE PSYCHOSOMATIC, BUT TO LILIANE THEY WERE VERY REAL, PARTICULARLY THE BACK AND HIP PAS THAT RULTED OM NO FEWER THAN FOUR SEPARATE FALLS. “MY HEALTH WAS BAD FOR TEN YEARS,” SHE LATER RELLED. “I WAS VERY MUCH ALONE AND SPERATE AFTER THE FOURTH ACCINT, FEARG I WOULD NEVER WALK AGA.”WHEN BANIER ARRIVED ON THE SCENE, HE IMMEDIATELY PUT SOME SPICE TO HER LIFE.BRASH, PROVOTIVE, INOCLASTIC, HE HAD NONE OF THE KOWTOWG FERENCE THAT SHE WAS ACCTOMED TO. HE WOULD CRICIZE HER CLOTH, HER HAIRSTYLE, PLAYFULLY LL HER NAM AT TIM, EVEN AS HE FLATTERED HER AND PRAISED HER BETY, HER TELLECT, HER SENSIVY. BANIER ALSO TALKED TO HER ABOUT BOOKS AND PHILOSOPHY AND ART, THGS THAT WERE NOT PART OF ANDRé’S DNERTIME NVERSATN. AND HE BROUGHT HER OUT OF HER SHELL, TRODUCG HER TO ARTISTS, WRERS, AND ACTORS, RTG HER TO ART GALLERI, MMS, THEATERS, CTN HO. AS LILIANE PUT , “HE RENOVATED ME.”IN THE GREAT PARISIAN TRADN, THEY WOULD SPEND HOURS TALKG TOGETHER FéS OR DG FE RTRANTS. OVER TWENTY YEARS, THEY EQUENTED MOST OF THE PAL’S BT-KNOWN TABLISHMENTS, BUT THEY HAD THEIR PARTICULAR FAVOR. AMONG THEM WAS RECH, ON THE BOULEVARD S TERN, FOUND 1925 BY AN ALSATIAN WHO, LIKE EUGèNE SCHUELLER’S FATHER, HAD MIGRATED TO PARIS AFTER THE FIRST WORLD WAR ORR TO REMA FRENCH. LILIANE PECIALLY LIKED RECH (NOW OWNED BY SUPERSTAR CHEF ALA DUSSE) BEE HER FATHER HAD OFTEN TAKEN HER THERE AS A GIRL. LRENT, A FORMER ROYAL HUNTG PAVILN LOTED A PARK ALONG THE CHAMPS-ÉLYSé, WAS ANOTHER FAVORE, BOTH FOR S ELEGANT DéR AND S HTE-CUISE MENU. NOT LEAST AMONG THEIR REGULAR EATG SPOTS WAS LE GRAND VéFOUR, WH S ORNATELY PATED WALLS AND CEILGS, NTLED UNR THE LONNAS OF THE PALAIS ROYAL GARN. THE SUMPTUO TERR IS VIRTUALLY UNCHANGED SCE THE LATE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY, WHEN THE VéFOUR WAS A FAVORE MEETG PLACE OF THE PAL’S POLIL AND LERARY TELLIGENTSIA. ONE THG THE THREE TABLISHMENTS HAVE MON IS A PRICEY MENU, RANGG OM €100 TO MORE THAN €300 PER PERSON. (LILIANE UALLY PAID.)LILIANE’S “PATRONAGE” HAD BEGUN WH THE 250,000 ANCS SHE PAID FOR THE PHOTO BOOK THAT ACPANIED HIS POMPIDOU EXHIBN 1991. THOUGH THEIR IENDSHIP EPENED OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS, THE HEIRS DID NOT OFFER HIM ANY MORE FANCIAL HELP UNTIL SHE ME TO LUNCH ONE DAY AT BANIER’S PLACE ON THE E SERVANDONI. AT THAT TIME, HE OWNED THREE APARTMENTS THE FIVE-STORY BUILDG, HAVG BOUGHT OUT HIS FORMER PARTNER JACQU GRANGE THE MID-1970S. THE FIRST TIME LILIANE ME TO LUNCH THERE, SHE WAS A WHEELCHAIR SUFFERG OM BILATG BACK PAS. BANIER HAD SCE STALLED AN ELEVATOR THE STAIRWELL, LARGELY TO SPARE LILIANE THE FOUR-FLIGHT CLIMB TO HIS DG ROOM. SHE ME TWO OR THREE TIM A MONTH, AND THE RUAL WAS ALWAYS THE SAME: HER CHFFR WOULD PARK THE LIVERY ZONE JT ACROSS THE STREET AND OPEN THE REAR DOOR. LILIANE, ELEGANTLY IFFED, IMPECBLY DRSED, WOULD EMERGE OM THE R HOLDG HER PURSE ONE HAND AND A SMALL BAG THE OTHER. THE BAG NTAED THE GRILLED BREAD AND CHEE THAT SHE ALWAYS BROUGHT WHEN SHE LUNCHED WH THE ARTIST—UNTIL HE GOT FED UP ONE DAY AND TOLD HER WAS TO BRG HER OWN CHEE. ONE DAY 1994, OVER A SIMPLE MEAL PROVID BY BANIER’S OK, LILIANE LEANED BACK OM THE ROUND WOON TABLE AND PEERED THROUGH THE WDOW AT AN APARTMENT ACROSS THE URTYARD.“FRANçOIS-MARIE, YOU NEED MORE SPACE,” SHE SAID. “YOU LIKE FE THGS; ME TOO. I HAVE THE MEANS TO SU YOUR TAST. AND TO START WH, YOU’RE GOG TO BUY THAT APARTMENT ACROSS THE WAY.”“WHAT FOR?”“YOU’LL NEED . ONE DAY YOU WILL PUT YOUR ARCHIV THERE.”GOOD AS HER WORD, LILIANE SET UP A SOCIéTé CIVILE IMMOBILIèRE (SCI), A PRIVATE REAL-TATE VTMENT PANY, AND STARTED TO BUY PROPERTY FOR BANIER, WHO WAS THE TULAR -OWNER. SHE LATER SET UP TWO OTHER SCIS WH BANIER, PROVIDG THE SH FOR APARTMENTS THAT WERE ED BY THE ARTIST FOR ARCHIV AND STUDS. IN 1997, SHE GIFTED HER SHAR THE PANI TO BANIER, MAKG HIM OWNER OF THE ENTIRE BUILDG ON THE E SERVANDONI, THE SAME BUILDG WHERE I WOULD MEET HIM ALMOST TWENTY YEARS LATER.BETWEEN 1994 AND 1999, BANIER AND LILIANE CISED THE GALLERI AND CTN HO SEARCH OF MASTER PATGS TO ENLIVEN WHAT HE LLED HER “SISTER” HOE. THEIR PURCHAS—PAID BY LILIANE BUT CHOSEN ON BANIER’S ADVICE—HUNG THE RECEPTN ROOMS, ON THE WALLS ALONG THE CURVED STAIRSE, AND THE UPSTAIRS BEDROOMS. THE FAY’S LLECTN CLUD OTHER WORKS HERED OM LILIANE’S FATHER, CLUDG A LARGE MO THAT BANIER NSIRED “HIO,” BUT THE MORE RECENT ACQUISNS HAD A SPECIAL MEANG FOR LILIANE.ON FEBARY 23, 2001, SHE ACPANIED BANIER TO THE OFFIC OF HER NOTARY, JEAN-MICHEL NORMAND. IN THE DOWNSTAIRS HALLWAY OF NORMAND’S BUILDG, JT BEFORE ENTERG THE ELEVATOR, SHE TOLD HER IEND THE PURPOSE OF THE VIS. “I HAVE CID TO GIVE YOU THE PATGS THAT WE BOUGHT TOGETHER,” SHE SAID. “IT’S A ROAD WE HAVE TRAVELED TOGETHER, ’S OUR HISTORY.”NORMAND, SOMEWHAT SURPRISED, PROCEED TO REGISTER THE TWELVE PATGS AS NUE PROPRIéTé, MEANG THE HEIRS WOULD KEEP AND ENJOY THE WORKS DURG HER LIFETIME BUT BANIER WOULD HER THEM. THE LLECTN, WHICH CLUD NVAS BY PISSO, MATISSE, LèGER, MONDRIAN, BRAQUE, AND MUNCH, AMONG OTHERS, WAS VALUED AT SOME €17 LN AT THE TIME. (IT IS CURRENTLY TIMATED AT €90 LN.) LILIANE PAID AN ADDNAL 60 PERCENT OF THE CLARED VALUE THE FORM OF GIFT TAX SO THAT BANIER WOULD NOT BE BILLED WHEN THE WORKS ME TO HIS POSSSN. NORMAND LATER SAID THAT HE HAD NO DOUBT LILIANE WAS A LUCID AND WILLG DONOR: “SHE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT SHE WANTED, AND SHE STAYED ON URSE.”IN A DICIL TO HER WILL, THE HEIRS LLED THIS EXTRAORDARY GIFT A “TOKEN OF MY GRATU FOR THE MORAL AND AFFECTIVE AID THAT FRANçOIS-MARIE BANIER HAS OFFERED ME. I WILL ADD THAT I WOULD NEVER HAVE MA THIS LLECTN OF PATGS WHOUT HIM. I AM BTED TO HIM ON AN EMOTNAL LEVEL FOR HIS LONG AND NSTANT SUPPORT—I HAVE BEEN THROUGH SOME DIFFICULT MOMENTS. AS STRANGE AS MIGHT SEEM, HE HAS BEEN A GREAT HELP EVEN ON BS MATTERS.”LILIANE’S GRATU APPARENTLY KNEW NO BOUNDS. FROM 1997 TO 2002, SHE NAMED BANIER HER WILL AS THE BENEFICIARY ON FIVE ASSURANCE VIE NTRACTS. THIS TYPE OF NTRACT IS A SORT OF HYBRID BETWEEN A BROKERAGE ACUNT AND A US LIFE SURANCE POLICY. THE STMENTS TEND TO GA VALUE DRAMATILLY OVER THE YEARS, MEANG THAT THE POTENTIAL PAYOUT TO BANIER DOWN THE LE WAS THE HUNDREDS OF LNS. (IT DID NOT ENAR HIM TO FRANçOISE THAT ONE OF THE NTRACTS HAD ORIGALLY BEEN HER NAME.) MEANWHILE, LILIANE NTUED TO PROVI BANIER WH LNS OF ROS SH AND CHECKS TO “PERM HIM TO RRY OUT HIS PROJECTS.”AS ALWAYS, SHE PRENTED HER GIFTS AS A FORM OF PATRONAGE TO FURTHER BANIER’S ARTISTIC ENAVORS. BUT WAS MORE THAN THAT. THE MONEY SHE GAVE BANIER WAS THE EMBLEM OF HER PERSONAL LIBERTY, HER INTY, HER EE WILL. OVER TWO S, SHE MA CLEAR THAT THIS WAS HER OWN CISN AND SHE DREW ENORMO SATISFACTN OM . TO LILIANE, THE FORTUNE SHE GAVE BANIER WAS NOT JT MONEY: WAS AN ACT OF LOVE THAT SHE ULD NOT EXPRS OTHER TERMS. IT WAS ALSO A MEANS OF PUNISHG HER DGHTER FOR REAL AND IMAGED FLTS.LILIANE’S LARGSE FANCED MORE THAN BANIER’S ARTISTIC ACTIVI: ENABLED HIM TO ACQUIRE A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF REAL TATE ADDN TO HIS POUND ON THE E SERVANDONI. BETWEEN 1998 AND 2003, HE PURCHASED FOUR APARTMENTS ON THE E VGIRARD, A PRIME LEFT BANK LOTN OVERLOOKG THE STATELY LUXEMBOURG GARNS, THE FIFTY-SIX-ACRE PARK ADJOG THE PALAIS DU LUXEMBOURG, FORMER PALACE OF QUEEN MARIE ’ MEDICI (1575–1642) AND CURRENTLY THE HOME OF THE FRENCH SENATE.IN JUNE 2007, LILIANE SHED A LIFE-SURANCE NTRACT WORTH €82.9 LN (ON WHICH SHE PAID €49.7 LN TAX) AND GAVE THE PROCEEDS TO BANIER. HE IMMEDIATELY PUT THE FUNDS TO THREE NEW NTRACTS, ONE HIS NAME AND THE OTHER TWO THE NAM OF MART D’ORGEVAL AND PASL GREGGORY. USG HIS OWN POLICY AS A SORT OF SH MACHE, HE DREW LARGE SUMS OM TO BUY ARTWORKS, A HOE MARRAKH, AND IMPROVEMENTS ON HIS VILLA THE SOUTH OF FRANCE.IN ADDN TO HER PERSONAL SUPPORT, LILIANE ARRANGED FOR L’ORéAL TO GRANT TWO GENERO NTRACTS TO BANIER—ONE THAT SPONSORED HIS TERNATNAL PHOTO EXHIBNS AND BOOKS, ANOTHER THAT PAID HIM A HEFTY FEE AS AN “ARTISTIC ADVISER.” IT WAS THANKS TO L’ORéAL THAT BANIER HAD TWENTY-EIGHT PHOTO SHOWS OM TOKYO, ROME, AND MUNICH TO MILAN, BUDAPT, AND PARIS, AMONG OTHERS, EACH ACPANIED BY A GLOSSY TALOGUE. LILIANE AND ANDRé WOULD OFTEN ATTEND THE OPENGS. THE HEIRS LOOKED FORWARD TO THE EVENTS AND EVEN TOOK TANGO LSONS BEFORE FLYG TO BUENOS AIR FOR BANIER’S EXHIBN THERE 2000. ON THAT OCSN SHE SHOWED OFF HER FOOTWORK A NFERíA, ONE OF THE LOL PASTRY SALONS THAT OFFER TANGO DANCG ALONG WH FANCY SWEETS. THAT WAS A LONG WAY OM THE STUFFY DNER PARTI SHE HAD KNOWN BEFORE MEETG BANIER.THE L’ORéAL NTRACTS, FIRST SIGNED 1994, WERE EVENTUALLY WORTH €710,000 A YEAR TO BANIER. THE BS BENEF TO THE PANY WAS QUTNABLE, BUT LDSAY OWEN-JON, L’ORéAL’S CEO AT THE TIME, WENT ALONG WH THE SWEETHEART AL SENTIALLY TO PLEASE MADAME BETTENURT, ON WHOM HIS JOB PEND. “I MAKE MONEY FOR LILIANE, AND YOU MAKE HER LIVE,” HE TOLD BANIER.WHY DID THE HEIRS EM SO IMPORTANT TO SPONSOR THE WORK OF THIS LTLE-KNOWN PHOTOGRAPHER? PERHAPS WAS A MEANS OF SELF-VALIDATN. LILIANE WAS FASCATED BY CREATIVE PEOPLE, STARTG WH HER FATHER. BUT SHE WAS NOT CREATIVE HERSELF: SHE DIDN’T WRE POETRY OR PAT OR PLAY MIC, AND FACT HAD ONLY A SENDARY SCHOOL TN. WHEN SHE LATCHED ON TO BANIER (AND VICE VERSA), SHE FALLY SAW HER CHANCE TO BE CREATIVE: WH HER MONEY AND L’ORéAL’S SPONSORSHIP, SHE ULD “MAKE” BANIER AS AN ARTIST. “WHAT I WANT IS FOR YOU TO BE KNOWN,” SHE WROTE HIM. HIS SUCCS WOULD BE HER SUCCS, HIS CREATIVY WOULD BE A PROJECTN OF HER OWN—TO THE POT WHERE SHE WOULD TELL IENDS “WE” ARE PUTTG ON AN EXHIBN WHEN TALKG OF BANIER’S SHOWS.SOME OF LILIANE’S CLOSE IENDS WERE ASTOUND TO SEE HER SHOWER SUCH ENORMO SUMS ON HER PROTéGé. THEY FOUND TOTALLY OUT OF CHARACTER A WOMAN WHO ULD BE GENERO ON OCSN, BUT WHO WAS A NOTOR PENNY PCHER HER DAILY LIFE. MONIQUE LIBOUTON, WHO HAD KNOWN LILIANE SCE 1942, SCRIBED HER AS “STGY” AND SAID WAS ALWAYS “A BATTLE” TO GET HER TO ACCEPT THE SLIGHTT RAIS FOR HER EMPLOYE. LUCIENNE ROZIER, ANOTHER TIMATE, SAID, “LILIANE WAS QUE MISERLY. WHENEVER SHE HAD TO GIVE SOMEONE WEDDG PRENT, SHE WAS TURMOIL. THAT’S WHY I FD THE LEVEL OF THE DONATNS STAGGERG.” LILIANE HERSELF, HER FAMO 1987 TERVIEW WH EGOïSTE, ADMTED THAT SHE “TTS OVERPAYG” FOR ANYTHG. “IT MAK ME ILL. I DON’T LIKE TO WASTE MONEY.” YET WH A FEW YEARS OF GIVG THAT TERVIEW, SHE WAS SHOVELG LNS TO THE OPEN ARMS OF AN OBSCURE ARTIST. WHAT HAPPENED?IT WASN’T JT THAT BANIER STIMULATED HER, FLATTERED HER, AND MA HER LGH. AND WASN’T JT THAT HE OPENED DOORS TO THE WORLDS OF ART AND CULTURE. BEYOND ALL THAT, LILIANE WAS ENTHRALLED BY HIS PERSON, HIS GOOD LOOKS, HIS QUIRKY CHARACTER, HIS SCTILLATG NVERSATN. SHE WAS IMPRSED BY BANIER’S EARLY LERARY SUCCS AND HIS EXOTIC EQUENTATNS. EVEN HIS HOMOSEXUALY MT HAVE TRIGUED AND, SOME STRANGE WAY, ATTRACTED HER.THE FRENCH HAVE A LORFUL TERM—S’ENNAILLER—WHICH ROUGHLY MEANS SLUMMG, HANGG OUT WH RAKISH TYP OM A DIFFERENT SOCIAL I. THAT WAS UNDOUBTEDLY PART OF THE MAGISM THAT DREW HER TO FRANçOIS-MARIE. THERE WAS ANOTHER THG THAT MA BANIER IMMENSELY ATTRACTIVE TO LILIANE: HE REMD HER OF HER ADORED FATHER, EUGèNE SCHUELLER. OVER THE YEARS, THE INTIFITN BETWEEN BANIER AND SCHUELLER BEME A LEMOTIF OF THEIR NVERSATN AND RRPONNCE. BANIER PLAYED ON THIS, AND EVEN TOOK TO ENDG HIS LETTERS “HLC”—AN ACRONYM FOR ONE OF SCHUELLER’S FAVORE EXPRSNS: “HT L CœURS” (KEEP A STOUT HEART). “IT’S OBV THAT YOU’RE PART CRAZY,” SHE ONCE TOLD BANIER. “SO WAS MY FATHER. THAT’S ALSO A WAY TO BE FAR AHEAD OF THE OTHERS.” IN 2003, LILIANE WROTE TO HER NOTARY: “I SPOKE TO FRANçOIS-MARIE AS I SPOKE TO MY FATHER—WE WENT TO EP THGS—WHICH I NEED.”AT FIRST GLANCE, WOULD BE HARD TO FD TWO MEN MORE DIFFERENT OM EACH OTHER THAN FRANçOIS-MARIE BANIER AND EUGèNE SCHUELLER. BANIER IS TALL AND TRIM; SCHUELLER WAS SHORT AND SQUAT. BANIER, AT LEAST HIS YOUTH, WAS AN ADONIS; SCHUELLER, EVEN YOUNG, LOOKED MORE LIKE CHARLIE CHAPL THAN A GREEK GOD. BANIER IS AN ARTIST, WRER, AND ROMANTIC; SCHUELLER WAS A SCIENTIST, VENTOR, AND BSMAN. BANIER IS A HOMOSEXUAL HALF-JEW; SCHUELLER WAS HETEROSEXUAL, A STNCH CATHOLIC, AND ARGUABLY AN ANTI-SEME. LILIANE MIGHT SAY THAT THEY WERE BOTH CREATIVE TYP, BUT THERE IS A VAST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WRG A NOVEL OR TAKG A PHOTO AND BUILDG A PALIST EMPIRE. YET LILIANE’S EY, THE TWO MEN HAD SOME FUNDAMENTAL THGS MON: A PULSIVE WORK ETHIC, AN TELLECTUAL CURSY, A CHARISMATIC PERSONALY, AND AN OUTSIZE BELIEF THEMSELV AND THEIR STY. BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THG THEY SHARED WAS THE BLD ADMIRATN OF LILIANE BETTENURT.OF ALL THE THGS LILIANE SOUGHT TO GIVE BANIER, CERTALY THE MOST EXOTIC WAS THE SEYCHELL ISLAND OF D’ARROS, A 1.5-SQUARE-E OVAL OF SANDY BEACH, PALM GROV, AND LIMPID WATERS THAT FORMERLY BELONGED TO A NEPHEW OF THE SHAH OF IRAN. LILIANE AND ANDRé BOUGHT THE ISLAND 1997 FOR $18 LN THEN POURED SOME €50 LN TO UPGRADG S STALLATNS WH NEW BUNGALOWS, AN ENLARGED LANDG STRIP, AND HOG FOR 35 PERMANENT EMPLOYE. THE UPLE VISED D’ARROS THREE OR FOUR TIM A YEAR, OFTEN THE PANY OF BANIER, MART D’ORGEVAL AND OTHER IENDS. FRANçOISE AND HER FAY WERE NEVER ONCE VED THERE.LILIANE’S TERMATN TO KEEP D’ARROS OUT OF FRANçOISE’S HANDS WAS AT LEAST ONE MOTIVE BEHD THE PLITED TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP ENGEERED BY HER BS LAWYER FABRICE GOGUEL. “IN NO SE DID SHE WANT THE ISLAND TO GO TO HER DGHTER,” GOGUEL EXPLAED. “SHE WANTED TO GIVE TO FRANçOIS-MARIE BANIER.” ALONG WH A SWISS LLEAGUE, GOGUEL CREATED A LICHTENSTE-BASED FOUNDATN TO WHICH OWNERSHIP OF D’ARROS WAS TRANSFERRED NOVEMBER 2006. THOUGH THE BETTENURTS NTUED TO RENT THE ISLAND OM THE FOUNDATN, S ULTIMATE “BENEFICIARI” WERE ... FRANçOIS-MARIE BANIER AND THREE MEDIL ASSOCIATNS N BY HIS IEND GILL BRüCKER.BUT BANIER NEVER DID GA POSSSN OF THE ISLAND PARADISE, WHICH WAS FALLY SOLD 2011 TO A PANY OWNED BY A SDI BILLNAIRE. APART OM S MOARY VALUE, PERHAPS, BANIER DID NOT SEEM TO BE PECIALLY ATTACHED TO THE PLACE. QUTNED ABOUT HIS LKS TO D’ARROS JULY 2010, BANIER TOLD VTIGATORS: “I TT THIS ISLAND, IS FULL OF MOSQUO, IS TY, AND ’S VERY HUMID. ON TOP OF ALL THAT, THERE ARE SHARKS. I HATE ISLANDS.”ADAPTED OM THE BETTENURT AFFAIR: THE WORLD’S RICHT WOMAN AND THE SNDAL THAT ROCKED PARIS BY TOM SANCTON, PUBLISHED ON AUG. 8, 2017, BY DUTTON, AN IMPRT OF PENGU PUBLISHG GROUP, A DIVISN OF PENGU RANDOM HOE, LLC. COPYRIGHT © 2017 BY THOMAS A. SANCTON. TOM SANCTON

In 2007, Out magaze lled Geffen the most powerful gay man the untry. Dpe his billnaire stat, he liv a relatively most home Palo me out as gay 2014.

A GAY GIRL’S GUI TO THE 2023 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

4%, of the globe's 1, 645 billnair openly intify as lbian, gay, bisexual or transgenr. Among the openly-gay hyper-wealthy are Domeni Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, the duo behd fashn power hoe Dolce & Gabbana. Some of the bsmen and women have ed their fortun to advote for gay rights.

5% of Amerins intify as lbian, gay, bisexual or transgenr; statistilly, 19 of Ameri’s 492 billnair should intify as such. Billnair have exprsed their allegiance for their gay dghters and sons fancially: hedge fund billnaire Pl Sger has given more than $10 ln to support marriage equaly – his gay son, Andrew, tied the knot – while Progrsive surance’s Peter Lewis, recently ceased, donated $250, 000 to the Gay & Lbian Victory Fund 2008, as my lleague Clare O’Connor noted.

His son, Jonathan, is also gay.