Day: 25 April 2019

It is a tour unlike any other to be had in Monaco: eleven galleries, an incredible array of art work, and the opportunity to meet curators as well as gallery owners and artists. This is Art Week, and it plays an important role in raising the profile of Monaco as an art destination worthy of the most important collectors.

The second edition of Art Week kicked off with a press tour on Wednesday 24th April, ahead of the official launch that evening. Armed with our umbrellas and guide we were given a tour of some of the most interesting art galleries in the Principality.

First on the list was NM>Contemporary, founded by Clara Pacifico Natoli. Her exhibition, titled ‘Powder and Light’, was curated by Gaspare Luigi Marcone and presents a comparison between diverse artistic practices employed by artists working in Italy who share certain common denominators: “powders” of various kinds, the idea of trick or illusion, a reflection on time and history.

“Italian art is always renowned for the masters from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and everyone thinks that contemporary art from Italy doesn’t exist anymore, which is not true,” says Clara. “The idea of this gallery is to take all of these artists abroad, those who are working with institutions, museums, important collectors and high profile curators.”

NM>Contemporary is barely two years old, but Clara has been immersed in the contemporary Italian art scene for many years. She praised Monaco Art Week for its role in helping the Principality compete with some of the big guns.

“Monaco needs to show its cultural side, that it is a fertile territory like other big cities. A lot of collectors have a house here and come for the summer, and these people are used to going to London, Paris, Milan or Brussels. But I think the Monaco Art Fair and Art Monte Carlo are doing a fantastic job to promote the cultural image of Monaco.”

Monaco is, Clara says, becoming an important scene for the modern art image.

There are other galleries participating in Art Week who are also presenting important historical works. One of those is Moretti Fine Art, which is displaying five newly discovered panels by Giovanni Balducci. Called ‘il Cosci’, the paintings were commissioned by Pope Clemente VIII for the papal high altar in the basilica of Saint John the Lateran in Rome for the Jubilee of 1600. It is the first time that the five scenes, which are in remarkable condition, are being presented to the public and it is hoped that they will be purchased by a museum.

Another highlight is the Kamil Art Gallery, and not just because of Kamil’s charm and passion. ‘Demon: a mini-retrospective of Ali Akbar Sadeghi’ is an incredible window into the talents of one of the most prolific and influential Iranian artists of his generation. Presenting a diverse collection of works on paper, oil paintings, animations, sculptures and collages from 1970s to 2019, this exhibition has never been seen before in Europe and reveals Sadeghi’s artistic journey with a focus on “demons” as super-human figures. Quite literally, hours could be spent drawing out every detail of his work.

“I am hoping these pieces will go to a museum or a collector,” reveals Kamil, who was one of the minds behind Art Week. “It is great that we have Art Monte Carlo and Art Week, we have a platform for art in Monaco and we are becoming more and more important internationally.”

The Bartoux Gallery is the youngest to take part in Art Week, having opened in Monaco in July last year. But it is one of 13 family-owned galleries and it practices a refreshing philosophy: that galleries are open spaces for both collectors and admirers.

“Our gallery is for everybody, our doors are always open,” Nicolas Bartoux tells me. “We try to get the art, which is usually exclusive to a certain clientele, to all.”

Indeed, it is incredible to see works by Andy Warhol and Matisse hang alongside emerging artists like Bruno Catalano and Fred Allard.

Art Week runs until Sunday 28th April and provides a free shuttle service for all visitors, providing uninterrupted transport throughout the three main neighbourhoods where the participants are located: Larvotto, Monte Carlo and Condamine.

For more information, visit: www.monacoartweek.com

Read also:

Ribolzi Gallery exhibits prominent Italian contemporary works

Artcurial: Monaco Sculptures decorate the Principality

Ettore Spalletti at Villa Paloma – new National Museum of Monaco

As part of Monaco Life’s coverage celebrating Monaco Art Week, we talk to local artist Gabriella Vogogna.

Vivacious and full of positive energy, Monaco resident Gabriella Vogogna built her career in the antique jewellery business. However, after starting a company in Monaco representing and selling other artists’ work, Vogogna discovered that she is indeed a painter herself. When the weather is good, she prefers to paint outside near her swimming pool, overlooking the sea.

Vogogna, an Argentine of Italian origin, has a passion for beauty and creativity. A gemmologist by trade, she has had success in the industry. But in this time of her life, she says, her passion for paint is growing.

“My passion is jewellery,” reveals Vogogna. “But this is more creative because I work with my hands. With jewellery, I work with my eyes.”

And work with her hands, she does. Canvasses of her finished work, both large and small, decorate the walls of her home. While she prefers to paint in the sun, during bad weather her studio is a former guest room. She shows a painting that reminisces of a butterfly, and describes how she uses her mediums, different for every piece of art.

From glassy and smooth, to strong colour and rough textures, her paintings are mixed mediums, in a variety of styles. The work is delighting, and sometimes surprising. She describes how watching one of the artists she represents work with paint inspired her. She soon began to paint on her own, and describes herself as being self-taught.

She discovered her natural talent for painting and soon found that others enjoyed her work as much as she enjoyed creating it. Admiration from close friends who saw her art in her home confirmed her talent. She began to display a painting or two of her own work at galleries or events where her clients would be showing. Now, her work has a residency at Thermes de Marin, and she frequently changes the works on display.

Her pieces are meant to be noticed from every angle. “The painting continues on the border,” she says. “You don’t need a frame.”

Her art, while pleasing to the eye and ideal for home decoration, is full of surprises. Vogogna makes the room dark to show a unique quality of two of her paintings.

“I use a special mix of paints. At night, it looks like a completely different painting. You come into the room at night, and the painting is still light. It makes it special. I love to do things differently.”

It’s true that the pieces have a completely different look in the dark, as a blue-green luminescence shines, almost like something otherworldly.

Playful and colourful, moody or bright, each work is unique and holds its own. Vogogna’s collection is evidence of the artist’s love for the creative process. Her attention to detail in each piece, and her work with a variety of mediums, is a delight to the viewer. Her joy of the art-making process and understanding of colour and texture is clear. Monaco has a lot to look forward to, watching this new artist’s career blossom.

The Ambassadeurs de la destination Monaco club of Florence has met in the historical setting of Hôtel Villa Cora. The aim of the club is to bring together Italian personalities from all walks of life, motivated by their love for the Principality, and who are committed to promoting Monaco using their professional and personal relationships.

Ambassador of Monaco in Italy Robert Fillon and Consul of Monaco in Florence Alessandro Giusti welcomed participants and recalled the role of ‘Ambassadeurs de la destination Monaco’ in the promotion of Monaco as a tourist destination, and in the development of business contacts. They also welcomed the dynamism of the Florence Club and the diversity of business sectors, economic as well as cultural.

The meeting was marked by the presence of the Director of the Monaco Chamber of Commerce, the Monaco Economic Board, and the Director of Monaco Tech’, who had come to establish and develop contacts with the region of Tuscany, “whose entrepreneurial fabric, dense and diverse, includes companies in the sector of new technologies,” said the government in a statement.

At the end of the evening, attended by the Prefect of Florence, two new Ambassadors were appointed.

The Ambassadors club includes 230 members in 12 major cities.

Monaco Tech has hosted an investor day with an academic twist. A mix of local entrepreneurs, investors, and Masters and MBA students gathered at the space in Fontvielle.

Organised jointly with the International University of Monaco, in partnership with the Monaco Private Equity and Venture Capital Association, the event on 11th April was an opportunity for investors to learn about three exciting companies and allow students to observe a real pitch presentation by tech startups.

Fabrice Marquet, Managing Director of Monaco Tech explained: “While the main objective of such events is for startups to get investment, this one was organised in partnership with IUM for an educational component.”

Students were exposed to well-structured companies pitching and investors reasoning. Three companies pitched and a highlight of the event was a presentation by Monaco Tech based company ​YouStock​. The company, which started four years ago, provides full service pick up and drop off storage in the French Riviera. The company is growing and seeking investment to scale its operations, starting in Paris and growing into other large cities in France.

Currently making an annual revenue of EU600,000, co-founders Pierre Charvet and Alexis Bouresche diligently answered questions from audience and shared an exit strategy involving acquisition from a US company in a similar space.

Simon Ardissis, professor of entrepreneurship at IUM and organiser of the event, met his goal to educate the crowd. “A startup is not a normal company. In fact, seven out of 10 will fail. Startups are actually one of the most high risk investments that can be made. However, those that do succeed could pay exponentially to a smart investor.”

Mr. Ardis’s explained that, unlike a traditional company, it’s not just a startup’s success that makes it investable. “Your return doesn’t come from the success of the startup, but by its exit.”

Monaco Tech will host future events to organise education for investors.

John Wright, President of the MVCA, commented: “While it’s always difficult to know which companies will be successful, events like these are a valuable way to create an environment for networking.”

For students, Monaco Tech’s Investor Day was a look into what it takes to make it in today’s startup world. For investors and pitching companies, it was a connection to potential future business.