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Day: 15 May 2024

Alan Walsh launches ‘Extraordinary Automotive’ exhibition

by: Cassandra Tanti
15/05/2024

Local artist Alan Walsh has unveiled his latest exhibition, ‘Extraordinary Automotive’, during Monaco’s busy motorsporting month. The works celebrate the contours, colours and excitement of car racing, a topic that is dear to the heart of this celebrated British artist. 

The ‘Extraordinary Automotive’ collection was revealed in a spectacular launch party at the Prince’s Car Collection museum (Collection de Voitures de S.A.S. le Prince de Monaco) on 24th April. More than 200 guests gathered to admire the art that was displayed on walls above iconic vehicles like Charles Leclerc’s SF90 Ferrari from the 2019 F1 season. 

Alan Walsh’s artwork displayed next to Charles Leclerc’s SF90 Ferrari from the 2019 F1 season. Photo by Monaco Life

“The idea was to host an event that was more than an art exhibition, and more of an automotive celebration, so we needed a venue with some space and wow factor to do that. The Prince’s Car Collection will take some beating,” Alan Walsh tells Monaco Life. “The guests really enjoyed not only viewing the art but also browsing the iconic cars. There is a photo of one of my paintings next to the original Silver Arrows Mercedes, which is a personal favourite, and a painting of Fangio above his car.”

Instantly recognisable for their bold, vibrant and uncluttered style, the works of Alan Walsh have become a huge hit in the French Riviera. Since 2020, Walsh has been the resident artist of the legendary Cannes hotel, The Martinez.

The artist’s works hang on the walls of royalty, movie stars, chart-topping musicians and global sports stars, and the Walsh Gallery Monaco is a homage to his philosophy on life: “Don’t over complicate; keep things as clean and simple as possible.”

One of Alan Walsh’s personal favourite cars, the original Silver Arrows Mercedes, featured in one of his paintings

In addition to his love of cars, derived from his family’s dedication to motorsports, Walsh says he draws enormous inspiration from the French and Italian Rivieras, like so many artists that have come before him.

“The colours of the Riviera skies certainly feature heavily, as do bold blocks of colour with little touches of gold to add glamour,” explains Walsh. “The backgrounds of the Italian cars are a little busier than my normal works; these came from a trip to Italy with my wife Emily and visiting vintage Italian clothes stores to see 90s Versace and Gucci patterns. A little bit of humour is included to bring a smile to peoples’ faces, like the giant canvas with a tiny car in the middle, a Fiat 500, and a dog next to a Lamborghini outside a gelato shop.”

The Prince’s Car Collection museum was the perfect setting for Alan Walsh’s ‘Extraordinary Automotive’ exhibition

Alongside the art works displayed on the walls of the Prince’s Car Collection were a Monaco Art Edition Land Rover defender, which Alan Walsh designed with Vault from the UK, and a brand new Monaco Art edition E-Bike designed in collaboration with Monaco based company HPS, the lightest E Bike in the world.

The ‘Extraordinary Automotive’ collection is now on display at the Walsh Gallery Monaco, 45-47 Rue Grimaldi, from 10.30am to 6.30pm, Monday to Saturday.

We really enjoyed the exhibition. See more of the launch event in our Instagram video below…

 

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Main photo by Monaco Life

 

Mairie de Monaco unveils stylish new high-tech meeting room for Municipal Council

by: Stephanie Horsman
15/05/2024

Mayor of Monaco Georges Marsan and his fellow members of the Municipal Council have inaugurated their new custom-designed meeting room at the Town Hall.

The project, which was 10 months in the making, was realised by the Municipal Technical Services Department with the help of local construction companies. 

At the grand unveiling on 14th May, Mayor Marsan welcomed those gathered with a speech that heaped praise upon the new facility, stating it was a “project aimed at improving working and reception conditions while preserving the soul of this place”.  

The meticulously designed space features neutral walls and furnishings, soft lighting and elegant fixtures. A large oval table with a smoked oak veneer sits in the centre of the room, surrounded by padded swivel chairs and beautifully framed black and white photos of Mairie de Monaco-sponsored events and municipal sites. 

Monaco’s Municipal Council held its inaugural meeting in the new space on 14th May. Photo credit: Mairie de Monaco

The room is not only stunning to look at, but also practical. It can be managed entirely by remote control, meaning that lighting, air conditioning, heating, video and sound can all be adjusted with the press of a button, and there are 23 retractable screens for better viewings of presentations.  

François Lallemand, Deputy Delegate for Municipal Technical Services, said, “It is an honour for me to present to you today the result of so many collective efforts to obtain this setting, worthy of our Institution […] which must always be welcoming, anchored in our traditions while being at the forefront of the environmental and technical values that we hold.” 

 

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Photo credit: Mairie de Monaco

Safety first this summer on Monaco’s beaches 

by: Stephanie Horsman
15/05/2024
safety beach

With beach season underway, the Monaco Government has put together a ‘Guide to responsible and safe swimming in the Principality’ in a bid to promote safe swimming practices and avoid unnecessary accidents.  

Once this bout of gloomy weather clears, the days of fun in the sun will soon be upon us. Monaco’s Larvotto Beach is ready for summer following its annual tidy-up operation and beachgoers are already flocking to the sands and sea on a daily basis with friends and family members. 

As evidenced by the publishing of a new ‘Guide to responsible and safe swimming in the Principality’, the government of Monaco is keen to remind sun worshippers and bathers that the beaches are there for the enjoyment of all and should be respected. Click here to see the guide. 

The Société Monégasque d’Assainissement will be doing its part to ensure that the beaches are kept clean and free from rubbish with daily visits between 8am and 6pm. 

A weekly sample of the water will be taken over the coming months to ensure public safety and the Department of Maritime Affairs will be installing an anti-jellyfish net on 1st June to protect swimmers in the sea. 

An awareness campaign called Monaco Zéro Mégots is already up and running. The goal of this Mairie de Monaco-led project is to encourage smokers to use designated bins for the disposal of their cigarette butts and a number of different sites around the Principality are handing out portable pocket ashtrays in a bid to keep the streets and sea clean.   

Read related:

Self-service paddle boards costing €20 an hour opens in Larvotto

 

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Photo source: Antoine Contenseau, Unsplash

Management acquitted in procuring case at Sass’ Café

by: Cassandra Tanti
15/05/2024

The verdict in one of Monaco’s most high-profile cases this year has been announced, with the court finding Samuel T, also known as Samy, not guilty of procuring allegations at the iconic Sass’ Cafe. However, six other individuals were convicted on the charges.

After three days of hearings in April, the Monaco Correctional Court delivered its verdict on Tuesday 14th May. 

According to Monaco Matin, who was in court for the proceedings, the prosecutor had alleged that Sass’ Café management enacted “an institutionalised policy” for the procurement of prostitutes at the bar/restaurant on Avenue Princess Grace, famous for its celebrity clientele. Attorney General Valérie Sagné had requested a 12-month prison sentence.

Samuel T, as he has been legally identified and is better known as Samy, together with his former director, Pascal C, were cleared of the charges against them. The General Prosecutor’s Office has 15 days to appeal the decision.

Six people convicted 

Three former Sass’ Café employees were, however, found guilty of the charges. According to Monaco Matin, former bouncer Konan Thierry D received an 18-month suspended sentence and €3,000 fine; former security guard Jérémy C was handed a 12-month suspended sentence; and former hostess Assia A received a four-month suspended prison sentence and €1,000 fine. 

Monaco Matin reports that three other people, with no professional ties to Sass’ Café, were also convicted in the case. Real estate manager Véronika M was found guilty of renting out two of her apartments in Beausoleil to prostitutes and laundering the proceeds. She was sentenced to 18 months in prison, 15 of which were suspended, and fined €80,000. Having already served pre-trial detention, the woman will not serve any further time in prison. 

Bruno S, who was tried in absentia, was sentenced to 24 months in prison, 16 suspended, and fined €20,000 for providing a range of services to the prostitutes, while Alessio N received a six-month prison sentence, four suspended, for his role in procuring the women. 

Defence lawyers have 10 days to appeal the decisions. 

 

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Photo by Monaco Life

 

 

Monaco first in EU to ratify UN High Seas Treaty on protections outside national jurisdictions

by: Stephanie Horsman
15/05/2024
high seas treaty monaco

In a history-making moment, the Principality has once again demonstrated its commitments to marine environment protections by becoming the first European nation to ratify the United Nations’ High Seas Treaty, an agreement created to safeguard life in the oceans beyond individual countries’ national jurisdictions. 

The High Seas Treaty, formally known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement has been nearly two decades in the making. It stems from an extensive negotiation process that saw Monaco involved at every active stage.  

Indeed, Prince Albert II of Monaco was among the first to undersign the treaty when it was presented on 20th September 2023 in New York. 

Then, on 9th May, the Principality was at the front of the queue again, this time to formally ratify the High Seas Treaty. 

Isabelle Picco, Permanent Representative of Monaco to the UN, had the honour of handing over the official instrument of ratification to the Chief of the UN Treaty Section, David Nanopoulos. 

This puts Monaco in the company of four other countries, namely Chile, Belize, Seychelles and Palau, who have officially put their stamp on the treaty.  

The BBNJ Agreement is a complementary pact to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which aims to provide common governance for the ocean areas that lie outside the jurisdictions of any nations, also known as international waters, in order to protect and restore biodiversity levels and promote the sustainable use of these waters, as well as to prevent misuse and degradation.  

The BBNJ Agreement covers roughly half the Earth’s surface and 95% of the oceans’ volume and will make it possible to create vast marine protected areas in line with the existing objective of achieving protections for 30% of the planet by 2030. Currently, only 1% of the high seas are protected.  

 

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Photo credit: United Nations

Monaco’s Police Department pledges crack down on nuisance drivers 

by: Stephanie Horsman
15/05/2024
monaco police drivers

Citing an increase in “inappropriate and dangerous” behaviour by drivers during major events, such as the Grand Prix de Monaco and Top Marques, the Monaco Government has given local police additional powers to deal with offenders.  

In the run-up to the Grand Prix at the end of May and Top Marques in early June, Monaco’s Police Department is on alert for any off-schedule gatherings of sportscars in the Principality.  

This kind of disruptive behaviour, which can cause delays and noise pollution for other roads users and residents, was once a regular occurrence in Monaco, but the Police Department has been consistently cracking down on these types of meetings in recent years. 

Nevertheless, the desire to show off and act out Formula 1 racing dreams always proves too much for some sportscar drivers. During last year’s Top Marques, 64 cars were seized by the police, many of them luxury supercar models such as Ferraris, Mercedes and the like. 

On 14th May, the Monaco Government confirmed that agents in the Principality will be given additional powers to impound offending vehicles and fine their drivers over the next few weeks in a bid to prevent any “inappropriate and dangerous” road behaviour.  

Drivers found to be violating standard Highway Code regulations risk having their vehicle locked up for a period of 120 hours at the secure lot in in Fontvieille. Drivers will be forced to pay a considerable amount, which can amount to hundreds of euros, to get their vehicle back once the sanctions are over. More serious offenders may also be fined. 

“The Prince’s Government is determined to curb such incidents and to take more effective action against those responsible for occasional disruption, in order to ensure peace and public safety for residents of the Principality,” reads an official statement from the government. 

Read related:

Record road deaths force Monaco Police to get tough on drink driving, but how?

 

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Photo source: Monaco Communications Department