In a move that surprised many in the sport, two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso has said that he will race at the Indianapolis 500, rather than at the Monaco Grand Prix, which takes place on the same day, Sunday, May 28.
Alonso attempting to win the “Triple Crown” of motor sport: the Monaco GP, the Indianapolis 500 and the Le Mans 24 Hours.
“As a driver, if you want to be considered the best, you need to be able to drive all kind of cars in all different series,” said Alonso, 35, who has won twice won in Monaco but not yet competed at Le Mans.
“After successful F1 championships, the opportunity to race in the Indy 500, the opportunity to race in Le Mans, that dream of the Triple Crown is something very attractive,” he said.
His team, McLaren stated Monaco will be the only F1 race that Alonso will miss this season. McLaren will be taking part in the Indianapolis 500 for the first time since 1979. This is the 15th season for Spaniard Alonso. He was champion in 2005 and 2006.
While fellow F1 drivers comment negatively on Alfonso’s decision, Jenson Button is reportedly going to replace him at McLaren for May’s Monaco Grand Prix.
A self-taught artist from Falcarragh, Co Donegal, Mr McFadden spent the first part of his career working in bars and nightclubs on the Champs d’Élysées in Paris, and Monaco, but his childhood dream of becoming a painter was never far from his daytime thoughts.
In his late thirties, at the end of a shift at a bar, somewhere near the hour of 4 am, Mr McFadden knew it was time to hand in his notice. He did so the next morning.
His foray into art started in 2009 with a visit to an art supply shop in Italy, where he bought for the first time oils and canvases, and palette knives even though he had no idea how to use them.
His first attempt was trying to negotiate a 1.5 metre canvas. He picked up the palette knife to correct a stroke, and never put it down. He can have seven paintings on the go, and spends hours watching the layers dry.
“Within a year, I had my first exhibition with a dozen or so works at the Metropole Shopping Centre,” the long-time Monaco resident told Monaco Life. “I was finally going to answer the question: Could I be an artist?”
Ten years on, the answer is clear from Mr McFadden’s current month-long exhibition at the Gildo Pastor Centre, on 7 rue du Gabian, which runs until the last Friday in May.
The fifteen portraits and abstracts are a “cross-section of my earlier work”, with many familiar faces on the wall, including a large piece on Nelson Mandela.
“I work from photos, and spend a lot of time reading autobiographies and painting their images,” Mr McFadden explained, adding, “I love bringing a blank canvas to life with a face.”
Perhaps this “life” is what caught the eye of Prince Albert, who purchased a portrait of James Joyce at the Hôtel des Ventes during another event. “I was very flattered,” Mr McFadden said.
The Joyce painting was part of Mr McFadden’s Literary Greats Series that debuted in Dublin. The collection now has 16 works, including Oscar Wilde, WB Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, John and Colm Tóibín.
“As time goes on, I see my technique developing and I gain confidence in my ability as an artist,” Mr McFadden explained. “I am pleasantly surprised when I look at my work and think ‘I did that’.”
Mark McFadden’s exhibition is open from 9 am to 7 pm at the Gildo Pastor Centre until May 26.
Akhmetzhan Yessimov, President Astana EXPO-2017, visiting Monaco Pavillion @MIE
Alexandre Bocquillon, Deputy Commissioner of Monaco’s Pavilion in Astana, welcomed the President of Astana EXPO-2017, Akhmetzhan Yessimov, to the Monaco Pavilion on Friday, May 12.
Mr Bocquillon and his team presented in detail the concept developed by Monaco around the theme of “Reflecting the Future”. Work on the Pavilion’s exhibits is progressing at a steady pace and will be ready for the opening of Astana EXPO 2017, whose theme is Energy of the Future, scheduled for June 10.
Astana is the capital of Kazakhstan. Monaco has developed close trade and economic ties with the central Asian state over the last few years, and so the Principality’s Pavilion is an extension of this excellent relationship.
