After several years of deliberation, the Nice-Côte d’Azur Metropolitan Council has given the go-ahead for a “hopper project” on the Moyenne Corniche to help relieve the endless traffic woes plaguing commuters entering and leaving the Principality every day.
Cross-border workers know all too well the nightmare of morning and evening rush hours.
On Thursday 6th October, the Metropolitan Council of Nice-Côte d’Azur, under the chairmanship of Nice’s long-time Mayor Christian Estrosi, voted, after several years of deliberation, to start building a single subterranean tunnel in the up direction at the exit of the Rainier III tunnel to try and at least partially alleviate the endless bottlenecks.
The Prince’s government has applauded the decision, saying in a statement: “Given the issues of traffic flow and safety, the system voted by the Metropolis is essential because the exit from Monaco is increasingly congested due to the tens of thousands of people who go there every day to work.”
The crux of the problem comes at the Rainier III tunnel, that serves the Moyenne Corniche on Monaco’s western border. The tunnel is forced to close once a day on average lately to remain in compliance with Mont-Blanc regulations which state that as soon as there is a queue of 100 metres, the tunnel must be closed to allow traffic to regulate before reopening. The reasons for the back-ups can vary, but something as simple as a large number of people trying to get into the petrol station at the tunnel’s exit can prompt a closure.
Traffic density, which had been lessened by the pandemic, has returned to 2019 levels, with an estimated 105,000 vehicles coming and going from the Principality daily, 35,000 of these being commuters.
The project would require an investment of more than €30 million, according to the latest studies, financed up to 80% by the Principality after the various parties have formalised any necessary agreements.
Whilst the news is welcome in Monaco, not everyone is enamoured of the idea. Cap d’Ail Mayor Xavier Beck is incensed, citing “€35,000 in lost revenue per year for our municipality and 18 hellish months of work to supposedly fight against traffic jams. All this, for a very meagre result, a time saving of four minutes in traffic jams.”
The regional authorities clearly disagree and feel this project is for the greater good and safety of commuters from both sides of the border.
“It is a State-to-State affair, and not the Métropole pot de fer against Cap-d’Ail pot de terre (small town helpless to fight big government),” retorted Bastien Nespoulous, Christian Estrosi’s Cabinet Director. “The Métropole has always respected the municipalities and the mayors.” He added, “We cannot wait 10 more years, and we will not take risks 10 more years.”
Other measures are being taken to alleviate some of the mess, including the motorway slip road being built in Beausoleil, which could help a bit, but probably not enough. Additionally, the ferry service project is still in the works.
“We are still working with Monaco on a better ferry service to which is added the project to serve Cap-d’Ail and Fontvieille by a clean-propelled maritime shuttle,” said Nespoulous.
The urgency to begin the project is there, but feasibility studies must be concluded before ground can be broken, meaning that for now, commuters will have to endure long queues and unpredictable drive times.
Louise Grether has forged a strong reputation in the Monaco art world, initially opening Artcurial’s first gallery space in the Principality before realising the same milestone for Sotheby’s auction house this summer.
The British-native spoke to Monaco Life about the strides made here in the art scene, and how demand among a younger generation of residents is driving the Principality towards a very vibrant future.
Monaco Life: What made you make the move from Artcurial to Sotheby’s?
Louise Grether: Well, I was ready for a new challenge. Sometimes you have to push yourself into something that you wouldn’t naturally do. I was so attached to Artcurial, I really was, I found it so difficult to make that decision. But I was ready for a new challenge and I could see that it was something similar to what I had done in the past – moving from an office to a gallery space, and I knew I could do it. Sotheby’s is also the number one auction house worldwide, so it made sense. Meanwhile, Mark Armstrong has been here for 40 years, he’s a walking encyclopaedia of knowledge and context.
Can you describe for us some of the big changes you have seen in the Monaco art world since you arrived in the Principality seven years ago?
I think with the opening of the mega galleries, such as Hauser and Wirth, the art offering in Monaco is really stepping up now and people really consider it as an art destination. It’s always had a lot to offer on the cultural side: the ballet, the opera, et cetera. And now they have these great galleries.
I’m the president of Monaco Art Week, which is an association for all the galleries and institutions to unite under for joint events, and we noticed that this year, which is the 4th year, we’ve had an awful lot of interest and success. Art Monte-Carlo was also a great success at the Grimaldi Forum. There are a lot of new residents moving in; there’s a younger crowd. People are starting to buy art here and show us the most wonderful collections that maybe they would have shown in the past at Paris or London.
So, this year’s Monaco Art Week was a success?
Absolutely. It’s a lot of collaboration, which is very important, because we’re all different galleries here offering totally different styles of art. Even in terms of Sotheby’s and Artcurial, it’s probably quite rare that we’ll come into competition with each other, so we must all work together for the good of the Principality at the end of the day. There are no points for working on the sides. We can really collaborate and operate together and that was the principle behind Monaco Art Week.
Is it a similar situation in other cities, or do you think this collaborative approach is unique to Monaco because of its size?
In London, for example, there is Mayfair Art Week, which is very similar; there’s Marrakesh Art Week, and Paris Art Week on a larger scale. But in Monaco, we are such a small Principality, it’s so condensed that you can actually go around the whole of Monaco in one day with your collectors and seek out the best artworks. And it’s wonderful that Hauser and Wirth are here, it is such a great gallery, and I’m sure more will come. In fact, I have no doubt – I’ve heard of one or two large galleries who are thinking of coming, big names that are actively looking for space.
I also think that here in Monaco, we must focus on educating people, and one of our goals here at Sotheby’s is to make sure that everybody is welcome. We organise little workshops to talk to people; we organise masterclasses on Sotheby’s diamonds, for example; we’re permanently organising workshops with our luxury experts who are coming in to talk about how to start a collection, et cetera. Hauser and Wirth do it well, they organise a series of lectures. At Artcurial, we used to arrange workshops for six or seven ladies who would come with their handbags and we would show them how to spot a fake, we’d also talk about it from an investment point of view – ‘Are these bags really worth buying and holding on to?’ It’s all very interesting.
Sotheby’s selling exhibition of works by Francois-Xavier and Claude Lalanne this summer. Photo by Monaco Life
What is your vision for Sotheby’s Monaco?
We have a very interesting calendar of events. We have just had local Franco-Iranian artist Sassan Behnam Bakhtiar, a wonderful contemporary artist, for the month of September. Then at the end of September during the Monaco Yacht Show we had some old masters come in, some wonderful works for a week. We’re also collaborating with Alexander Kraft, owner of Sotheby’s Real Estate France and Monaco. He has a clothing line and he’s very into luxury: he has a wonderful collection of watches and cars. So, we will be organising an expertise day at his hotel La Maison Bleue in the Var where he is going to show his clothing line in October.
I think we really must bring in new and interesting ideas connected to art. It has to be a place that’s vivant, as you say French. That’s why it’s important to do it in Monaco, because people want to come here and live the lifestyle.
Do Sotheby’s host auctions in Monaco? They haven’t hosted any auctions in Monaco – apart from Karl Lagerfeld because they were obliged to host one auction in Monaco. The auctions are held in Paris.
We’re not ruling out any auctions that might make sense in Monaco in the future. But everything in this gallery is for private sale, so that’s a different way of working. It’s a different way of negotiating with people, of deciding with clients whether they want to put something in a private sale or at auction. I think a lot of people prefer to sell it private sale, or at least have the choice, because it’s more confidential, there’s possibly more of a guarantee – you’re not taking quite the risk that you might if you’re putting something at auction with an attractive estimation.
Sotheby’s are very flexible and they’re definitely working with the times. Everything is digitalised, there are no catalogues these days. It’s difficult for some people, particularly for the older generation. But that’s the way it is today – everything is quick and immediate. Buy now. That’s why I admire Sotheby’s, they took the plunge and it works.
What about digital finance and NFTs?
Yes, they’re leaders in NFTs, crypto and digital. But I don’t think it’s coming to Monaco just yet, I need to understand that a bit more. I prefer to focus on the physical object.
In terms of the current geopolitical situation and Covid-19, what impact have those had on the art market?
I would say they’ve had a very positive impact because people are seeing art as a safe haven, a good investment – we’ve never had such great sales. The auction houses, if you look at their results, haven’t suffered at all. It’s very interesting, actually. But I think it’s a safe investment for most people, even things like watches and jewellery, and particularly diamonds this year.
Where do you see the future of the art industry in Monaco, and what are you most excited about?
I feel very positive about it and I know that everyone I’ve spoken to here, the directors of the galleries, we’re all in this very positive movement to make sure that Monaco is really stamped on the map as a place to be for the art market, and I can only see things getting better.
There are a lot of people who really want to make it work here, and I know that even collectors have changed their mindset about what’s on offer here. And that’s one of the first steps, I think. From what I can see, they’re really respecting what the galleries are doing in Monaco and how things are developing,
For the first time ever, Monaco’s National Council has elected a woman to sit at the helm, voting unanimously for Brigitte Boccone-Pagès to step in as new President, replacing outgoing leader Stéphane Valeri.
History was made on Thursday 6th October as Monaco’s National Council elected their very first female President, Brigitte Boccone-Pagès. She was joined by the newly-elected Vice-President Balthazar Seydoux, who will take on double duty and remain the President of the Finance and National Economy Commission until the end of this term.
Madame President was humble in her acceptance and assured the elected officials that she will follow closely in the footsteps of her predecessor, Stéphane Valeri, who left the position on 3rd October to take up his new role as Deputy Chairman of the Board at Société des Bains de Mer (SBM).
“Dear colleagues, by electing me, you have chosen continuity. This is a strong political choice that leads to an unprecedented situation since I have the honour of being the first woman to chair the National Council since its creation. How not to have a thought, in the form of thanks, for the ones who will have marked the history of this assembly for the benefit of our national community and the Principality as a whole (…) It is a question of continuing on the path of the commitments which were made before the Monegasques in 2018 and all throughout this term,” said Brigitte Boccone-Pagès in her acceptance speech.
Vice-President Balthazar Seydoux, photo source: Monaco National Council
Though she honoured her former colleague Stéphane Valeri, she clearly has an agenda of her own to set forth and wasted little time getting down to business.
“I intend, dear colleagues, that we approach the important pages that remain to be written for the end of this term of office, starting, in a moment, with the examination of the Amending Budget Law 2022.”
She went on to speak of another hot topic in the Principality, that of housing, saying, “Thanks to the extensive delivery schedule of state housing announced in 2019, the first objective, which was to reduce the shortage of recent years, will be achieved in 2023. However, solving this critical situation was only the first part of the question, since we know that we must build enough new housing each year to avoid another shortage.”
Monaco is now amongst an elite group of nations whose National Assemblies are headed up by a woman, signalling Monaco’s progressive thinking and making a strong stand on the side of gender equality in politics.
Newly elected Vice-President Seydoux made clear his support for Boccone-Pagès in his acceptance speech, saying, “I must tell you, dear colleagues, how proud I am to become the vice-president of the first woman president of the National Council. This moment is historic and highly symbolic in the tradition of President Valeri who has done so much during his successive mandates for gender equality. What a beautiful symbol, and what an important moment for the evolution of our society.”
Emerging from the hazy spray, Max Verstappen took the chequered flag in Suzuka on Sunday, before later being crowned two-time World Champion in confusing circumstances.
Whilst visibility was an on-track issue throughout the shortened 40-minute sprint at the Japanese Grand Prix, seeking clarity off it was also difficult to come by.
The race was over, and Verstappen had comfortably won, but it was seemingly insufficient to see him crowned F1 World Champion at a circuit where he made his official debut eight years ago. However, that all changed during the post-race interviews.
Charles Leclerc, who was embroiled in a battle over second place with Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez, was forced into an error at the final chicane, on the final lap. Although he held position – just – he was quickly adjudged to have gained an advantage having completely cut the corner.
The five-second penalty saw Perez promoted to second. However, there was still one matter to conclusively resolve – the attribution of points. As the race didn’t run the whole race distance due to a two-hour rain delay, it was unclear as to whether full points would be awarded to the drivers.
In accordance with Article 57 of the regulations, as the race was restarted, full points were awarded, gifting Verstappen the title, but not until after an oddly underwhelming and confusing podium ceremony, just before which the Dutchman was filmed questioning whether he was in fact champion.
Post-race, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said that he was also confused by the situation, adding that he didn’t think that full points would be awarded to the drivers.
The Grand Prix, the first to take place in Japan since the Covid pandemic, looked for a time as if it would conclude with just three laps of on-track action. Starting from second, Leclerc got a great launch in the sodden conditions, but Verstappen held first going around the outside of turn one.
Whilst the front two kept it clean, the same could not be said for the rest of the grid. Minor incidents littered the field: Sebastien Vettel collided with Fernando Alonso and Alexander Albon retired through a mechanical issue. However, a huge spin from Carlos Sainz, who struggled for grip in the difficult conditions, brought out the safety car on lap one.
As the rain intensified, the red flag was brought out, leading to a wait of over two hours before getting back underway. When the race did re-start, they did so under the rolling start procedure.
Verstappen immediately shot off into the distance and wasn’t seen again by the rest of the field. As he often has been this season, Verstappen was in a league of his own. There were battles all the way down the field, the most consequential of which was between Leclerc and Perez.
Leclerc’s defensive heroics were ultimately in vain as the title battle was officially ended by race control’s post-race decision. For some time, Leclerc’s task has been delaying the inevitable, but on Sunday the inevitable came into fruition. “Max’s title this year was just a matter of time; we expected him to win the title,” said Leclerc post-race.
We are well used to hearing cries of jubilation from the cockpit accompanying the coronation of a new champion, but not this season. Having only been crowned after the fact, the celebrations were slightly more muted. “It’s crazy! Very mixed emotions. Winning the championship, what a year we’ve had. It’s incredible,” said Verstappen.
Ultimately, the Dutchman will attribute little importance to how he secured his second title, which he described as “more beautiful” than the first. He can now set about the task of breaking Michael Schumacher’s record of 13 race wins in a single F1 season. Currently on 12, he has four races to do so, beginning in the USA in two weeks’ time.
Photo by Scuderia Ferrari Media Office
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