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Day: 6 July 2020

Operation clean beaches in action

by: Cassandra Tanti
06/07/2020

With the summer reopening of Larvotto beach, the ‘Monaco Plage Propre’ operation has kicked into gear, giving smokers no reason to butt out on the Principality’s coastline.
Since 4th July, two large cone ashtray distributors have been positioned at Larvotto and two pocket ashtray distributors have been placed at the Solarium de la Nouvelle Digue.
The operation, now in its 11th year, will remain in place until stocks of ashtrays are exhausted – or until 13th September 2020, whichever comes first.
Given both sites provide the public with ashtrays, there is no excuse for anybody to dispose of their cigarette butts inappropriately.
This year, because of the hygiene measures in place, users are asked to keep their ashtrays in order to reuse them and not leave them on the beach.
In addition, the reusable ashtrays will be available at three information points: the tourist offices on boulevard des Moulins and the train station, as well as at the kiosk in the Lazare Sauvaigo alley.
The Monaco Plage Propre (Monaco Clean Beach) operation is part of a larger program called Monaco Zéro Mégot (Monaco Zero Butts), the result of a long-standing partnership between the Monaco City Council, the Department of Tourism and Congresses (DTC) and the Société Monégasque d’Assainissement (SMA). The objective is to make smokers aware of the need to maintain the cleanliness and quality of beaches, and more broadly to alert them to the impact of cigarette butts on the environment.
 
 

Fine art auction at the Metropole Hotel

by: Cassandra Tanti
06/07/2020

Fine art is definitely back on the agenda in Monaco. This week sees Hermitage Fine Art hosting two days of public auctions featuring Russian art, objects of vertu, autographs, manuscripts, rare books and photographs.
The auctions will be held on 7th and 8th July at the Metropole Hotel and interested bidders will be able to participate via livestreaming, through online platforms, by telephone or in person by pre-registration.
Worthy of attention for Japanese collectors is lot 709 from the Manuscript auction: a typed letter with manuscript P.S and signature by Matsukata Kōjirō (1866-1950), the most important Japanese private collector of French art of the late 19th-20th century. This lot also includes a handwritten invoice regarding the purchase of 13 works of art from the Durand Ruel Gallery in New York (Paris, dated 27/11/1921).
Another Japanese presence in the Monte-Carlo Fine Art auction is lot 509: Fillette à l’oiseau by Tsuguharu Foujita (1886-1968), an artist who combined traditional Japanese techniques and perspectives with the ideas of the European avantgarde. This lot of interesting provenance comes from the collection of the famous violinist Lord Yehudi Menuhin (1916-1999) and has a value of between €200,000 and €250,000.

Fillette à l’oiseau by Tsuguharu Foujita (1886-1968)

The Manuscripts auction will also present an English translation of a limited signed edition of Haruki Murakami’s Kafka on the shore, a novel that received the World Fantasy Award in 2006 (lot 734).
Alongside this interesting variety of Japanese heritage, the upcoming auctions will present some other incredible top lots, like La Butte Pinson à Montmagny by French painter Maurice Utrillo (1883-1955). Originally from Montmartre, this artist spent most of his life in Montmagny, and this painting (lot 510) depicts his house, la Butte Pinson. The piece was painted during the transition to his esteemed “white period” a lingering influence of Impressionism. An extremely talented artist, Utrillo is celebrated for his cityscapes and landscapes characterised by naiveté and ingeniousness. Some of his works were exposed at the 1909’s Salon d’Automne.
La Butte Pinson à Montmagny by French painter Maurice Utrillo (1883-1955)

The auction also features the programme of the first season of Prince Igor 1949. This opera by A.P. Borodin became the premiere performance of the Paris private Opera and has eight full-colour illustrations by K. Korovin.
There is also an autographed libretto of The Queen of Spades and Suite for Orchestra with an inscription in French on the back of the title page (1887) by the composer P. I. Tchaikovsky (1840-1893).
 
 
Top photo: Autographed libretto of The Queen of Spades and Suite for Orchestra
 
 

Stars’n’Bars awarded for green campaign

by: Cassandra Tanti
06/07/2020

Stars’n’Bars has won the Energy Globe Award for its 2019 social media campaign to reduce ocean pollution created by discarded cigarette butts.
“Each year, billions of cigarette butts are thoughtlessly thrown on the ground or dropped into sewer grates and end up in the sea,” said Kate Powers, co-founder of Stars’n’Bars. “A cigarette contains more than 4,000 pollutants and once at sea, it takes 15 years to decompose. One cigarette butt can pollute up to 500 litres of water.”
Inspired by actions in other counties, Stars’n’Bars last year initiated a public awareness campaign on its social media, offering a free glass of beer or soda in exchange for a container filled with cigarette butts collected from the local port area by customers.
“The response was immediate. Both adults and children arrived at the restaurant with bottles and glasses filled with cigarette butts,” revealed Ms Powers. “In just one month, 2,354 cigarette butts were collected, saving up to 1,177,000 litres of water.”

Postings on the Stars’n’Bars Facebook page promoting the campaign were shared more than 1,300 times in less than two days, while local media – including Monaco Life – also gave the campaign plenty of traction.
“Our goal, however, was to reduce or eliminate waste rather than just dispose of it. Thankfully, we were able to pass on the many kilos of cigarette butts to Eco Megot in southwest France,” said Ms Powers.
The innovative group is engaged not only in collecting cigarette butts but also conducting research to develop a technique to recycle the three waste streams of a cigarette: tobacco, paper and filter. The butts collected are used in their laboratories to find a permanent solution to this global problem.
“We are honoured to receive the Energy Globe Award and congratulate all those who find creative solutions to reducing the impact of waste on our community and our planet,” said Ms Powers.
The objective of the Energy Globe Awards is to raise awareness in society of the need for ecological change by rewarding the best sustainable development projects. More than 182 countries participate and over 2,000 projects are submitted each year on subjects such as the conservation of resources and the use of renewable or emission-free energy sources.
The award was created more than 20 years ago by the Energy Globe Foundation, whose partners include United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the international offices of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce.
Stars’n’Bars continues to raise public awareness about the dangers of cigarette waste with messages posted both inside and outside the restaurant.
“We urge our customers and passersby to ‘think before you flick’. We also organise regular port clean ups after major events such as the Grand Prix and the Monaco Yacht Show, calling on volunteers to become Stars’n’Bars ‘EcoAngels’.”
During World Clean Up Day in 2019, they were even joined by Monaco’s Prince Albert II – a world leader in protecting the environment.

Leclerc places 2nd in Austria

by: Cassandra Tanti
06/07/2020

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished runner-up in Austria for the second year running on Sunday but the Monegasque champion says it still felt like a win.
Leclerc had bemoaned Ferrari’s poor performance after only just scraping through into Q3 in qualifying before ending up seventh, while team mate Sebastian Vettel was out in Q2.
He then spent much of the early part of the 2020 season opener demonstrating midfield pace, spending the majority of the race snarled up in sixth behind Sergio Perez and Lando Norris.
But an inspired final few laps saw Leclerc climb past the pair to finish third at the flag – which became second once Lewis Hamilton was penalised for contact with Alex Albon, whose subsequent fall down the order had also helped Leclerc gain places.
“To have a P2…with the performance we had all weekend is something I would have never expected so we made the best out of it,” said Leclerc, a double race winner last season. “It feels like a victory today.”
The 22-year-old Ferrari driver told reporters the season-opener was one of his best races since he arrived in Formula One in 2018.
Hungary is the third round of the season, with Austria hosting a second race next weekend titled the Styrian Grand Prix after the surrounding region.
“Charles drove an amazing race, fighting like a lion from the first to the last lap and making the most of every opportunity that came his way,” said team boss Mattia Binotto. “Today’s second place is mainly down to him.”
 
Photo: Charles Leclerc, F1.com
 
 

Meals on wheels gets a boost with new car

by: Cassandra Tanti
06/07/2020

A refrigerated Renault Kangoo was recently acquired by the Monaco City Council thanks to the generosity of the Rotary Club.
The 100% electric vehicle was integrated into the municipal fleet as of 31st March to ensure the delivery of meals at home offered by the Service for Seniors and Social Action. Due to the health crisis and the subsequent confinement, this service had been extended to all residents of the Principality aged over 70 or in fragile health. The increased demand required a rapid strengthening of the means of delivery.
This vehicle made it possible to deliver an average of 60 extra meals per day, adding to the 250 meals required during lockdown.
On 8th June, Mayor Georges Marsan welcomed Ilhami Aygun, President of the Rotary Club (2019-2020), Jean Marie Lecomte, president-elect (2020-2021) and Christian Palmaro, past-president, for a photo shoot around the new vehicle in front of the town hall gates. The official handover of the keys took place during the Rotary Club transfer of power ceremony, on Tuesday 30th June at the Méridien Beach Plaza in the presence of the Mayor.
 
Photo courtesy Mairie de Monaco