French’s First Lady, Carla Bruni’s Portrait for Auction

It’s not the look you would normally associate with a First Lady.

And the photographer who captured this image the new Mrs Nicolas Sarkozy - former model Carla Bruni - claims he has photos that are even more explicit.

Christie’s plans to auction a nude portrait of Carla Bruni in New York next month. The picture of France’s first lady was taken more than a decade ago when she was working as a model. The gelatin silver print, made by photographer Michel Comte, shows her standing in a pose that apparently refers to the paintings of Georges Seurat, a French neo-impressionist. Defending its decision to sell the print, the auction house described the third Mrs. Nicolas Sarkozy as “one of the most beautiful women in the world. It’s a work of art. It was shot in 1993 when Miss Bruni was a model, and it’s a tasteful nude portrait executed by a well-known, respectable artist,” a spokeswoman said. The photograph is part of a collection that includes works by Helmut Newton, Herb Ritts, Richard Avedon and Leni Riefenstahl. Click to View to Carla Bruni’s Pic and read more

Sarkozy divorced his second wife in October and married the Italian-born former model — now a successful singer — in February, after a quick courtship.