That Wild Worth

IF ONE WERE MADE WITH A PHOTO OF HIM, what would it say?

Multifaceted writer and artist François-Marie Banier has since his early years proved his remarkable charisma, charming and befriending Paris' crème de la crème. And in the decades that followed, he had developed friendships with some of the world's most fabulous personalities including Pierre Cardin, Yves Saint Laurent, Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Kate Moss, Mick Jagger, as well as Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis who met at his home.

In the late 2000's, Banier found himself in the spotlight, getting caught in what would be a three-year hullabaloo involving his friend and benefactor, L'oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, hundreds of millions of Euros in insurance policies, a couple million Euros more in artworks by Picasso, Matisse, Léger, Mondrian and Delaunay, cash and a very upset Bettencourt junior.

When asked about the giving of her fortune to Banier, Madame Bettencourt confirmed, simply stating it was "because he was worth it".

How a bit of charisma goes a long way.

Written photographs by François-Marie Banier, www.fmbanier.com