One Masters debuts in Monaco with exclusive mix of galleries and luxury jewellers

One Masters Monaco launched its inaugural edition on 9th July, brining together art dealers, renowned artists and high-end jewellery houses in a private salon at One Monte-Carlo. 

The three-day event held during Monaco Art Week was hosted by Art and Jewels of the World in the Salle des Art and Jean Cocteau rooms.

Organiser Valentina Vasileva, owner of Art and Jewels of the World, drew on over a decade of experience in international art fairs to create what she describes as a “boutique style collector’s concept”.

“We’ve been organising similar events since 2013, including an art and jewellery fair in Baku for ten years,” Vasileva said to Monaco Life. “However this is the first time we’re mixing art, design, and jewellery through a certain angle—not just holistically, but in dialogue, with a special message.”

The invitation-only event featured 14 galleries, dealers and jewellery houses, creating what Vasileva described as a networking environment for art collectors, professionals and enthusiasts.

Maison d’Art in One Masters. Photo by Monaco Life.

The spacious foyer featuring works by Salvador Dali, Marino Marini and Pablo Artchugarry, while Marine Abramović’s latest digital project was showcased on a large screen overlooking the exhibition.

The participating galleries varied from Monaco-based M.F Toninelli Art Moderne to Geneva’s CKS Gallery and New York’s Boccara Gallery. London platform TAEX brought NFTs by established artists, while designers Hom Le Xuan and David Bitton presented exclusive creations.

Rouvenat revives historical jewellery house

Among the luxury jewellery houses, Rouvenat stood out for its unique approach to sustainable luxury. The maison’s CEO Marie Berthelon, who spent 20 years at Cartier before launching her brand, has revived the forgotten 19th-century jeweller Léon Rouvenat.

“Léon Rouvenat was a great jeweller in the nineteenth century,” Barthelon explained to Monaco Life. “In 1851, he created the very first jewellery manufacturer in the world. For over thirty years, he was the absolute reference in jewellery, creating pieces for Empress Eugénie and the Shah of Persia. But when he died in 1878, he had no heir, and his name was completely forgotten.”

Marie Berthelon Rouvenat’s CEO, photo by Monaco Life.

Berthelon discovered Rouvenat’s archives sleeping in a Parisian bookstore. The design, emblematic of the Second Empire yet contemporary, inspired her to launch what she calls “circular jewellery.”

“My idea was to create new things from ancient materianls,” she said. “We use recycled gold, recycled silver, and most importantly, vintage stones—ancient stones that sleep in the safes and vaults of auction houses, old creations, your grandmother’s jewellery.”

The event, which Vasileva plans to make annual, reflects her company’s evolution from organising large international art fairs to more curated, intimate experiences for discerning collectors

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Main photo by Monaco Life

Prince Albert II inaugurates exhibition revealing Monaco’s Napoleonic legacy

Prince Albert II officially inaugurated the ‘Monaco and the Napoleons: Intertwined Destinies’ exhibition at the Grimaldi Forum on 10th July. The exhibition showcases the profound but little-known connections between the Principality and the two Napoleonic Empires. 

The opening ceremony was attended by exhibition ambassador Louis Ducruet, his wife Marie Ducruet, and descendants of Napoleon Bonaparte. Prince Albert II toured the displays, which span the entire 19th century and reveal how the fates of Grimaldi and Bonaparte dynasties became intertwined.

Prince Albert II and Louis Ducruet with curators and commissioners of the exhibition. Photo credit: Axel Bastello, Prince Palace of Monaco.

Historical connections revealed

The exhibition’s seven sections begin with the encounter in 1815 between Napoleon I and Prince Honoré V near Cannes during the Emperor’s return from Elba. This meeting, later recounted by Alexandre Dumas though disputed by the Prince himself, set the stage for a complex relationship that would shape Monaco’s destiny.

The exhibition reveals how the Grimaldi members became active participants in the Napoleonic era. Prince Honoré V served as an equerry to Empress Joséphine at Malmaison after her divorce from Napoleon, managing her stables and becoming deeply embedded in the imperial court’s daily life. His descendant, Prince Charles III, would later forge crucial ties with Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie during the Second Empire festivities.

The exhibition’s centrepiece is the story of the ‘Great Alliance’ of 1861, when Napoleon III’s treaty with Charles III transformed Monaco from a struggling principality into today’s well-known destination.

In exchange for ceding Menton and Roquebrune to France, Monaco received four million francs, recognition of its sovereignty, and the promise of railway access.

‘Monaco and the Napoleons: Intertwined Destinies’ exhibition. Photo credit: Monaco Life.

Rare artefacts on display

The personal dimension of these relationships emerges through artefacts from the private collection of David and Mikhail Iakobachvili, including Joséphine’s malachite cameo parure, Marshal Lannes’ campaign writing desk gifted by Napoleon I, and exquisite tabatières bearing imperial portraits. These objects reveal how the Grimaldi members served as both soldiers and courtiers in the Napoleonic world.

Louis Ducruet, reflecting on his role as exhibition ambassador, explained his fascination with these historical connections: “Under Napoleon I, Monaco, annexed by France in 1793, disappeared from the map of Europe. Under Napoleon III, the Principality, which had regained its sovereignty after the fall of the First Empire, underwent an astonishing metamorphosis that ensures its continuity even today.”

‘Monaco and the Napoleons: Intertwined Destinies’ exhibition. Photo credit: Monaco Life.

The exhibition’s final section demonstrates how Monaco’s cultural renaissance under Albert I was influenced by the Second Empire. The Monte Carlo Opera House, designed by Charles Garnier—architect of Napoleon III’s Paris Opera—became a “little Paris”. It carried on the tradition of supporting the arts, even after the Second Empire had fallen.

Curated by Pierre Branda of the Napoleon Foundation alongside Thomas Fouilleron and Thomas Blanchy from the Prince’s Palace Archives, the exhibition presents nearly 200 works.

Running until 31st of August, it offers visitors the opportunity to explore this hidden chapter of European history

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Main photo by Monaco Life.