The widower of French actress Brigitte Bardot, Bernard d'Ormal, criticized the upcoming auction organized by the animal protection foundation created by the film star herself. In his opinion, the sale of the actress's personal belongings is a sign of disrespect for her memory. The auction will take place on Monday at the Paris auction house Drouot. More than 300 items are up for auction, including portraits, a flamenco guitar, a ballet tutu, perfume bottles, everyday items, and things from the actress's vanity table. About three-quarters of the lots come from Bardot's Paris apartment, while the rest are from her famous home "La Madrague" in Saint-Tropez. Bernard d'Ormal stated that these items should have been preserved as part of the actress's cultural heritage rather than sold even for charitable purposes. According to him, Brigitte Bardot "would not have agreed to such an auction." He also expressed the opinion that the collection could have been preserved until the house was opened to visitors. The Brigitte Bardot Foundation rejected these claims. The organization stated that the decision to hold the auction was made by the board back in June, and d'Ormal himself participated in the meeting when he was still heading the foundation. The widower explained that during the discussion he did not understand that it was specifically about selling such personal items of the actress. The conflict flared up shortly after personnel changes in the foundation. A few days ago, d'Ormal was removed from his position as president of the organization, which he held after Brigitte Bardot's death in December. Despite this, he remains a member of the foundation's board. Additionally, the widower complained that he can no longer freely visit "La Madrague," where he lived for 35 years. According to him, this has become another painful consequence of the conflict surrounding the actress's legacy.
