Monaco’s rich and exciting racing history will form the basis of this year’s Summer Exhibition at the Grimaldi Forum. Among the highlights will be winning grand prix cars and never-before-seen footage of the princely family.
The theme of the 2020 Summer Exhibition was announced on Tuesday 7^th January by Grimaldi Forum General Manager Sylvie Biancheri.
“Although Monaco is a major location for the automobile, no retrospective of this kind has yet been organised,” said Ms Biancheri.
It will be the first time that many items will go on show, including 50 unique vehicles and rare documents, photographs and videos connected with the princely family, Monegasque drivers and two legendary races – the Monaco Grand Prix and the Monte-Carlo Rally.
The event is being supported by the Prince’s Palace, the Automobile Club of Monaco and the Automobile Club of France, who, together with the general curator and the Grimaldi Forum, have joined forces for this two-month exhibition.
“After the exhibition devoted to Dali, which met with a great deal of success last summer, a very powerful idea connected with the Principality was needed to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the Grimaldi Forum,” said Ms Biancheri.
“This theme seemed obvious to us, and after two and a half years of work, we are now delighted to see this project taking shape. More than an automotive exhibition, this exceptional event will bear the artistic and cultural signature we apply to all our major events.”
The summer exhibition will be titled ‘Monaco and the Automobile, from 1893 to today’ and will take place from 11th July to 6th September at the Grimaldi Forum Monaco.
“Firstly, there is the unique relationship between Monaco and the automobile, which has existed since the end of the 19^th century,” said Rodolphe Rapetti, General Curator of the exhibition, General Heritage Curator and Director of the National Domains and Museums of Compiègne and Blérancourt. “Then there is the quality of this exhibition, which will bring together rare objects that will generate powerful emotions in all generations of visitors. Through this panorama, the whole history of the automobile will be seen by the visiting public who file by.”
The full list of vehicles, documents and items on show will be revealed at a press conference held on 26th March at the Automobile Club of France, Place de la Concorde, Paris.