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Month: January 2021

Giacometti marks return of summer exhibition

by: Stephanie Horsman
25/01/2021

A retrospective exhibition of the works of famed Swiss sculptor and painter Alberto Giacometti is coming to the Grimaldi Forum this summer for the first time ever.
Monaco’s largest culture and congress centre was forced to cancel its 2020 summer exhibition, ‘Monaco and the Automobile’, because of logistical issues surrounding the Covid pandemic.
This year it is coming back strong with the largest display of Alberto Giacometti’s works ever seen, in an exhibition titled ‘Marvellous Reality’, organised in conjunction with the Giacometti Foundation.
Grimaldi Forum General Manager Sylvie Biancheri told Monaco Life that she has no doubt the exhibition will go ahead as planned from 3rd July to 29th August, despite the ongoing health crisis. Internationally recognised health measures will ensure the public’s safety, she said, while there should be no issues transporting the Paris-based works to the Principality.

Alberto Giacometti in his studio in Montparnasse in Paris, photographed by his wife Annette. Giacometti Foundation Archives © Succession Alberto Giacometti 2019

Despite his death in 1966, Giacometti remains an incredibly important influence and is widely recognised as one of the most significant sculptors of the 20th century. His early style was based on Surrealism and Cubism, but by the mid-1930’s he was more interested in figurative compositions.
During the war years, between 1938 and 1944, Giacometti, who fled his Paris-based life for his home country of Switzerland, started creating sculptures no more than seven centimetres in height. The size was said to reflect the distance between the artist and his models. He preferred using models he knew well, such as his sister and fellow artist Isabel Rawsthorne.
It was after World War II that Giacometti began his most productive period and when he produced his most famous works. His miniature figures gave way to larger ones, but the taller they became, the more elongated they became, too. The tall, slender, rough-hewn figurines of both men and women, as well as animals, have become iconic and look modern and unique, even today.
After Giacometti’s death from heart disease, his wife and sole heir, Annette, collected a full listing of all her late husband’s works, including documentation proving provenance. This work was in direct response to a spate of counterfeits that began to flood the market. When she died in 1993, the French State set up the Giacometti Foundation to preserve his work and legacy.
The exhibition of Giacometti’s works is the first to be hosted by the Grimaldi Forum. To sweeten the pot, the Grimaldi Forum is offering two free tickets to the exhibition for those willing to take a short, three minute opinion poll.
 
 

AS Monaco on a roll

by: Stephanie Horsman
25/01/2021

The Red and Whites took their fourth victory in a row after a brilliant showing Friday night against Olympique de Marseille, winning three to one at a home game at Stade Louis II.
If Olympique de Marseille thought they were going to end their slump in their game against Monaco, they were sorely mistaken.
It looked as though Marseille may have had a chance, as Nemanja Radonjic scored the opening goal at 12 minutes in, but this did nothing more than make Monaco step up their defence, keeping the opponents at bay for the rest of the half. Still, this meant Monaco went into the locker room with a one point deficit. Not an ideal place to be.
Though the Red and Whites weren’t able to convert the entire first half, after the break they hit their stride. Aleksandr Golovin made a beauty of a pass to Guillermo Maripán. The Chilean landed the ball inside the far post, evening up the score.
It wasn’t until the 75th minute when the next goal was made, this time by Aurélien Tchouameni, with another Golovin assist, putting Monaco in the lead.
As if the simple lead wasn’t enough, the end of the match was marked by a fantastic free kick by Stevan Jovetic at exactly the 90 mark. The missile of a ball landed in the top corner, flying past the goalkeeper to seal the deal. The game ended with a three to one victory for Monaco.
Coach Niko Kovac, happy with the way his men played, said after the match: “I definitely want to congratulate my players on the victory, especially against a team of this quality, one of the best in the league. Even though we didn’t start the game the way I wanted – we conceded that goal, which was avoidable – but after 20/25 minutes of play, it was not the same. From then on, we dominated the match. We deserved this victory, in my opinion.”
The Red and Whites’ next game will be Sunday 31st January at the Stade de la Beaujoire where they face off against Nantes at 9pm.
 
Photo by AS Monaco (Monaco Life with AS Monaco press release)
 
 
 
 

AstraZeneca follows Pfizer in vaccine delay

by: Cassandra Tanti
25/01/2021

AstraZeneca has warned that initial supplies of its Europe-bound Covid-19 vaccines will be lower than expected, sparking new concern over the rollout of inoculations.
News from the British pharmaceutical firm on Friday followed a similar announcement by Pfizer last week, which said it would delay shipments of its vaccine for up to a month due to works at its key plant in Belgium.
The delays come as countries brace for new Covid-19 variants, particularly one that emerged in Britain and which is more infectious than the original strain.
Europe has now recorded more than 692,000 virus deaths and nearly 32 million infections.
The EU has so far approved vaccines from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech as well as from US company Moderna. It has not yet approved the vaccine from AstraZeneca and its partner the University of Oxford, but it is expected to make a decision by 29th January.
AstraZeneca said in its statement that if EU approval is granted, the “initial volumes will be lower than anticipated”, although the start would not be delayed.
The EU had initially ordered up to 400 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and has secured contracts for more than two billion vaccine doses for a total population of 450 million.
Meanwhile, criticism is mounting over a Pfizer announcement on 15th January that modifications at its Puurs factory were necessary to ramp up vaccine production capacity from mid-February.
“We believe that Pfizer is currently at fault,” Domenico Arcuri, Italy’s special commissioner for the pandemic, said in La Stampa newspaper on Saturday, confirming the country planned to pursue legal action against the company.
“The 20-percent reduction in Pfizer vaccine supplies is not an estimation, but a sad certainty,” he said, adding that Italians’ health was not “negotiable”.
French Secretary of State for European Affairs Clément Beaune on Friday called on Pfizer to “honour its commitments”.
 
(Monaco Life with AFP)
 
Photo source: Pixabay
 
 

French team makes history at Monte-Carlo Rally

by: Stephanie Horsman
25/01/2021

Julien Ingrassia and Sébastien Ogier achieved a record-topping eighth win at the 89th Monte-Carlo Rally this weekend, beating out former record holders Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena.
The annual rally ended on Sunday with Frenchmen Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia taking their eighth victory in their Toyota Yaris WRC, surpassing the record they shared with Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena.
The race was not the usual spectacle, as health measure prohibited the public from cheering them on and the course was abridged to comply with rules pertaining to curfews, but the excitement of the race was still felt.
Ogier and Ingrassia came out swinging and won not only the Rally, but also their 50th World Rally Cup victory.
The final standings of the race saw Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia coming in at 2h56’33”, with fellow Toyota Yaris WRC drivers Elfyn Evans and Scott Martin in second place. The Brits were 32”6 behind the leaders. Belgians Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe in their Hyundai i20 Coupé WRC took third coming in 1’13’5 after Ogier and Ingrassia.
Rounding out the top five were Kalle Rovanperä and Jonne Halttunen from Finland in their Toyota Yaris WRC and Spanish drivers Dani Sordo and Carlos Del Barrio in their Hyundai i20 Coupé WRC.
Ogier won his first Rallye Monte-Carlo in 2009, and then from 2014 he won every year until 2019. He was unseated in 2020 by Thierry Neuville in 2020.
Prince Albert presented the award to Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia on Sunday afternoon.
 
Photo: Government Communication Department / Manuel Vitali
 
 

Prince’s Foundation joins Clean Arctic Alliance

by: Cassandra Tanti
22/01/2021

The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation has signed the Arctic Commitment and pledged its support for a ban on the use and carriage of heavy fuel oil in Arctic shipping.
The Prince’s Foundation joins more than 165 companies, explorers, politicians and NGOs who have committed their support for the ban.
The Arctic Commitment was launched in 2017 and calls on the global governing body for shipping, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), to eliminate the use and carriage of heavy fuel oil (HFO) in Arctic shipping.
An effective ban would protect Arctic communities and ecosystems – already under pressure from climate change – from the risks posed by a spill of HFO – a viscous and polluting fossil fuel that accounts for 80% of marine fuel used worldwide, along with black carbon pollution emitted from burning HFO as fuel.
“The Clean Arctic Alliance is honoured to welcome the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation as a signatory to the Arctic Commitment,” said Dr Sian Prior, Lead Advisor. “The gracious support of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation for the Arctic Commitment demonstrates the increasing groundswell of support for a rapid phase-out of the use and carriage of HFO as fuel by ships operating in the Arctic. With sea ice receding due to the climate crisis, and ships making greater and earlier use of the Arctic Ocean for transporting goods, Arctic nations should put in place bans on HFO use and carriage in their own waters that will prove more ambitious than the ban recently approved by the IMO.”
“The Polar Regions are the first to witness global warming and are among the first territories to suffer from its negative consequences and from the impact of human activities, especially in the North Pole,” added Olivier Wenden, Vice-President and CEO of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. “Since the creation of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation in 2006, they are one of our top priority areas of action. We are proud to have been able to support more than 90 various projects in almost 15 years in these regions, whose issues are both local and global.
“Today we are pleased to stand with the Clean Arctic Alliance and support their initiative that aims to limit human pollution in an area that must be preserved more than ever,” added Mr Wenden. “New maritime routes open because of global warming making the way to the North Pole easier. Freight and tourism activities, and the use of heavy fuel oil in particular, are today a real risk for the balance of the North Pole that requires our collective action”.
In November 2020, during a virtual meeting of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 75), a ban on the use and carriage of heavy fuel oil was approved by member states, and if adopted at MEPC 76 in June 2021, will come into effect in 2024.
However, according to recent analysis by the International Council on Clean Transportation, the regulation approved today will only reduce the use of HFO by 16% and the carriage of HFO as fuel by 30% when it takes effect in July 2024, and will allow 74% of Arctic shipping to continue with business as usual, until the ban comes fully into effect in 2029.
Between July 2024 and July 2029, the amount of HFO used and carried in the Arctic is likely to increase as shipping in the Arctic increases, and as newer ships replace older vessels and are able to take advantage of the exemption or change flag and seek a waiver from the ban.
“With the current ban, it will be nearly a decade before the proposed Arctic HFO ban takes full effect, and 20 years after the Arctic Council first identified that the greatest risk to the Arctic from shipping is from oil spills,” said Dr Prior. “In the meantime, Arctic ecosystems wildlife and its people will continue to be at risk of an HFO spill and the impacts of black carbon emissions. The IMO must act quickly to reduce black carbon emissions that are already having drastic impacts on the Arctic, and this action should be the immediate switching from HFO to distillate or cleaner fuels. Arctic nations could also support rapid action by banning HFO use and carriage in their own waters ahead of the IMO’s ban – Norway is already leading the way and consulting on an extension to an existing ban on HFO in the waters surrounding the island archipelago of Svalbard”.
 
Source: Clean Arctic Alliance. Photo by Hubert Neufeld on Unsplash
 
 

Princess talks about her dramatic new hair style

by: Stephanie Horsman
22/01/2021

Princess Charlene has spoken publicly for the first time about her daring shaved hair-do, saying “I am happy as I am” and her husband, Prince Albert, now likes it too.
When Princess Charlene debuted her bold new haircut in December at the annual palace gift giving event, the world was immediately split between those who loved it and those who were not-so-crazy about it.
“Certainly, of all the members of royal families, I’m probably the one who has tried the most different hairstyles, and I’ll continue. That’s my choice,” the princess said in an interview with French magazine Point de Vue.
Princess Charlene is known for changing up her hair styles. Over the years, she has sported a shoulder-length bob with fringe, various short pixie cuts and classic side-parted chin-length cuts. This latest style, though, is a decided departure from her usual looks.
“The remarks of ‘But what is she doing?’ and ‘But it’s not royal!’ — I know these all too well,” she added, “and I have nothing to say to them, except that we’re in 2021 and that in these times which are so troubling, so difficult, there are other, much more important subjects which deserve our attention.”
The Princess goes on to say that both her husband, Prince Albert II, and her six-year-old twins back her in her choices.
“Jacques and Gabriella adore seeing their mother with her new style,” Charlene said of the children’s reaction. “And after the initial surprise wore off, the Prince understood and likes it now too.”
 
Photo from Princess Charlene’s Instagram page
 
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