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Month: June 2026

Through the glass, beneath the waves: The art of Marco Quarantini

by: Virginia D’Umas
23/06/2026

To celebrate the launch of its new academic year, the Académie de la Mer de Monaco has partnered with the Méridien Beach Plaza to unveil ‘Les petits poissons de l’Académie de la Mer de Monaco’. Running from 15th June to 15th July 2026, this exhibition marks the first time Bologna-born artist Marco Quarantini presents his unique underwater universe in the Principality.

Marco Quarantini has developed a singular artistic language that bridges technical innovation with poetic sensitivity. His work is defined by the integration of handcrafted glass into acrylic paintings on canvas—a pioneering method he developed to recreate the perpetual motion and light variations of the sea.

Inspired by the pulegoso glass (a traditional Murano technique involving intentional air bubbles) often found in old cathedrals, this delicate overlay creates an immersive sense of depth. “The glass is a crucial part of my work,” Quarantini explained to Monaco Life. “It creates an effect of depth and immersion in the marine environment, much like looking into the water itself.”

For the artist, light is not merely an accessory to his work; it is an essential, dynamic component. By designing and positioning the lighting installations himself, he can simulate different atmospheres, from the crispness of a morning sea to the golden nuances of the evening. “The light changes throughout the day, and so the paintings undergo a transformation,” he notes. “It’s a dynamic interaction. Depending on the lighting angle, the colours and the overall effect of the fish appear completely different.”

Marco Quarantini’s ‘Aquario Grigio’ (Grey Aquarium), 2023

‘The message of the blue crab’

The exhibition reflects a deep harmony between the artist and the Académie de la Mer de Monaco, grounded in shared ideals of beauty and respect for the marine environment. This is encapsulated by the painting ‘The message of the blue crab’, a piece featuring an invasive species that has profoundly altered the Mediterranean ecosystem.

“The fact that the crab is clutching a mobile phone is a wake-up call,” says Quarantini. “It is a cry for alarm to remind everyone how vital ecology is for the future of all humanity.”

Laurent Anselmi, President of the Académie de la Mer de Monaco, echoes this sentiment, noting that the exhibition provides a vital platform to address urgent concerns such as plastic pollution and rising sea temperatures. “Marco is highly appreciated here in the Principality,” Anselmi says. Regarding the blue crab specifically, he adds: “It is an invasive species, and we must fight against its invasion. Fortunately, it is excellent to eat, so we may be able to solve the problem that way.” For Anselmi, the collaboration with Quarantini represents a total convergence of values.

Three of Marco Quarantini’s paintings currently on display at the Méridien Beach Plaza—from left to right: ‘Pesciolino rosso’ (Goldfish) 2022, ‘Il bacio dei cavallucci marini’ (The seahorses’ kiss) 2025 and ‘Stella Marina’ (Starfish) 2024

Where art meets environmental awareness

Quarantini’s work focuses on fish and dreamlike aquatic landscapes, balancing his distinct aesthetic with a clear message about the state of our oceans. His vision pulls the viewer away from the noise of life on land, inviting them to see the marine world through the eyes of its inhabitants.

At the heart of this journey is a sharp environmental awareness. By capturing the beauty and fragility of marine ecosystems, the exhibition encourages a fresh look at our natural heritage. This resonates with the core mission of the Académie de la Mer de Monaco, which is dedicated to promoting maritime culture and a more sustainable relationship between humanity and the ocean.

A meaningful collaboration 

The exhibition finds a perfect home at the Méridien Beach Plaza, the only hotel in Monaco with a private beach bordering the Larvotto Marine Protected Area. This location underscores a shared commitment to marine conservation alongside partners like the Monaco Association for Nature Protection.

For Quarantini, the partnership is a natural alignment of values. Expressing gratitude to those who facilitated his integration into the Académie de la Mer de Monaco, he notes that he has shared the same objectives as these maritime institutions since the very beginning—viewing fish as the protagonists of his dreams and champions of marine protection.

The exhibition is open to the public as part of the Méridien’s broader cultural commitment to creating spaces for dialogue and discovery. Visitors are invited to immerse themselves in this sensory exploration of the deep, discovering the delicate balance of the world beneath the waves.

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Main photo by Monaco Life

W3BFLIX: How Patrice Poujol is decentralising the future of cinema 

by: Virginia D’Umas
23/06/2026

In the world of international finance, it is rare to find a storyteller. Yet, for veteran producer Patrice Poujol, the jump from managing a 10-billion-euro banking portfolio to the film industry was a natural move. He is now changing how films are made and funded, using blockchain to bypass traditional studios and hand more power to the audience.

“The era of the traditional gatekeeper is coming to an end,” Poujol Monaco Life during the recent WAIB conference in Monaco. “By allowing communities to help create and even own a share of the art they love, we are breaking a cycle that has kept fans on the sidelines for generations.” 

As his platform, W3BFLIX, brings on partners like Rolling Stone Italy, his mission remains focused: the future of entertainment should be shaped by the audience. This platform operates as a streaming service built directly into the Telegram app—using blockchain to turn passive viewing into a participatory experience.

“The film industry has been defined by closed-door processes for far too long,” Poujol explains. “Our goal is to make every dollar of a production budget visible and easy to track.” His approach relies on three core principles: involving the community in the creative process, using clear digital agreements to ensure creators are paid fairly, and putting a priority on user privacy. Poujol first noticed these gaps in transparency while working in Hong Kong and Singapore, where he founded his company, Lumière. He saw that the way money moved through the industry often left both creators and investors in the dark. In 2018, he completed a PhD focused on how digital ledger technologies could fix those issues, paving the way for his current work.

‘W3BFLIXED’ animation series / Photo credit: PegLeg Creative

From banking to the big screen

Poujol’s transition from banking to filmmaking is the result of 20 years of balancing both worlds. While some worry that the arts suffer during economic downturns, Poujol takes a different view. “When the economy struggles, people need an escape more than ever,” he notes.

His platform is built to operate regardless of market conditions. His interest in film goes back to the 1980s, when he first started filming on VHS tapes. He cites Sergio Leone’s classic Once Upon a Time in the West as a major influence. “Leone taught me that cinema isn’t just about the plot; it’s about character and the weight of a gaze,” Poujol reflects. “I want to bring that level of craft to modern audiences, even if it is delivered in short, episodic formats.”

New projects on the horizon

Among his upcoming projects is an animated series, called ‘W3BFLIXED’, that he describes as a ‘Crypto South Park’. The show follows a group of digital characters who break out of their online world to navigate real life, using sharp humor to poke fun at industry habits. The project adds to his track record. Poujol was a pioneer in using modern financial techniques to ‘tokenise’ direct investment in film equity, starting with the Algerian film Papicha. Selected for the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival, Papicha went on to win two César Awards in 2020. 

As the platform grows, the team is now looking for new partners and sponsors who want to help build this innovative way of making films. Staying true to his focus on letting the audience have a say, the team is also trying something different with their upcoming animated series. Fans who hold the project’s digital tokens—or NFTs—will have the chance to audition for parts in the show. It’s a way to let the platform’s one-million-strong community actually help decide who makes it onto the screen.

Having experienced the ‘subprime crises’ in 2008, Poujol is now fully committed to radical transparency. Rather than looking back at the limitations of the past, he is focused on the immediate future: building an ecosystem where the barriers between production and audience vanish entirely. 

For Poujol, the goal isn’t just to change the way films are financed, but to ensure that the weight and craft of cinematic storytelling—the very thing that captivated him on VHS decades ago—remains at the heart of the industry’s evolution.

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Photo: Patrice Poujol at WAIB Summit 2026 in Monaco / Photo credit: Final Chain Films

Summer sales return to Monaco and the Riviera this week

by: Cassandra Tanti
23/06/2026

Summer sales begin on both sides of the border this Wednesday, with Monaco’s running two weeks longer than France’s under rules that give the Principality’s retailers an extended sales period each year.

In France, the legally mandated soldes d’été run nationwide from Wednesday 24th June at 8am until Tuesday 21st July, covering the Alpes-Maritimes and the rest of the French Riviera along with the vast majority of mainland departments. The dates, set by the French government under the Code de commerce, apply uniformly across mainland France with the exception of Corsica, where sales begin on 8th July and run until 4th August.

Monaco runs a longer sales period

In the Principality, sales are governed by a separate law and run for six weeks rather than four. Under the rule set out by Monaco’s Business Development Agency, summer sales begin on the final Wednesday in June, which falls on 24th June this year, the same start date as France, and continue for six weeks until around 4th August. Monaco’s retailers, from fashion boutiques to home and multimedia outlets, will be offering discounts throughout that period, giving shoppers in the Principality an extra fortnight of sales compared with their counterparts across the border.

What shoppers can expect

In France, surveys suggest shoppers are approaching this year’s sales more cautiously than in the past, with average spending down compared with last year, even as the majority of consumers say they still plan to take advantage of the discounts. High-tech and home appliance items are expected to be among the most sought-after categories, alongside the usual fashion and homeware bargains.

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Monaco’s water utility launches survey of resident habits as climate pressures grow

by: Cassandra Tanti
23/06/2026

Monaco’s water utility, the Société Monégasque des Eaux (SMEAUX), has launched a survey asking residents about their water use, as the Principality looks to plan ahead for a resource increasingly strained by climate change.

The online survey, open now at smeaux.mc, asks residents about their habits, expectations and perceptions around water use, with the results intended to guide which technologies and measures the utility prioritises going forward. Responses are anonymous, and the company has framed participation as a way for residents to directly shape future decisions on water management.

A resource already under strain

Monaco introduced its first usage restrictions in May 2023, following three consecutive years of drought and rainfall levels short of the threshold the Principality relies on to replenish its karstic springs. Wider France and other parts of southern Europe faced similar conditions that year, with neighbouring Alpes-Maritimes already at “alert” level when Monaco followed suit. Lawn watering, fountains, vehicle washing and outdoor pools were among the activities restricted at the time, with industrial and commercial water use also cut.

The utility’s own figures show the network here already runs at around 95% efficiency, a level it has sustained for two decades and one it points to as among the best in the world, with overall consumption down nearly 30% over 25 years despite sustained population and economic growth. But SMEAUX has acknowledged that the increasing frequency of drought and heavy rainfall events alike is putting pressure on both the Principality’s own springs and the external supplies it draws from the neighbouring French department.

Feeding into long-term planning

SMEAUX has described the survey as feeding directly into decisions on which new technologies and solutions are adopted to secure supply for the years ahead, as part of a wider push by the Prince’s Government to ensure water security as climate impacts intensify.

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Photo source: Hollie Santos, Unsplash

Cancer and hepatitis C survivors win faster access to loan insurance in Monaco

by: Cassandra Tanti
23/06/2026

People who have recovered from certain cancers, hepatitis C or HIV will no longer face automatic insurance penalties when applying for a loan in Monaco, under new rules implementing the Principality’s ‘right to be forgotten’ law.

Two texts published in the Journal de Monaco set out how the law, passed in July 2024, will work in practice. A Sovereign Ordinance lays down the general framework, while an accompanying Ministerial Order sets out a reference grid of specific conditions and the waiting periods attached to each one.

A five-year default, but often much sooner

Under the general rule, anyone whose cancer treatment or hepatitis C treatment ended more than five years ago, and whose loan matures before their 71st birthday, is entitled to insurance without a surcharge or exclusion of cover. But the reference grid sets shorter waits for many specific conditions: pure in-situ breast cancer, skin melanoma in situ and early-stage cervical cancer all qualify after just one year, while testicular seminoma, thyroid cancer and acute promyelocytic leukaemia qualify after three years. Hepatitis C, where the fibrosis score and viral response criteria are met, qualifies after only 24 weeks. Well-controlled HIV also qualifies after a year, subject to stricter medical criteria and capped loan terms.

New safeguards for loan applicants

The rules also introduce a structured review process for anyone declined cover on health grounds. A rejected application is now automatically passed to a ‘second level’ insurance review, and, if refused again, to a ‘third level’ review. Insurers must process complete applications within five weeks, keep any offer valid for four months, and give written, clearly explained reasons for any refusal, including details of how to contact the insurer’s medical adviser or the right to be forgotten and mediation commission.

Borrowers are also entitled to a more tailored search for disability cover where standard terms cannot be offered, with insurers required to look first at adapting the standard guarantee before falling back to cover limited to total and irreversible loss of autonomy.

Caps on loan size for full protection

Full protection without surcharge or exclusion applies to mortgages on a main residence where the insured portion does not exceed €420,000, and to other property and professional loans up to the same cumulative threshold. Smaller consumer loans of up to €17,000, repayable within four years, are exempt from health questionnaires altogether for borrowers aged 50 or under, while property and professional loans up to €200,000 carry the same exemption for borrowers whose loan matures before age 60.

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Photo by Cassandra Tanti

Last chance to secure tickets for Monte-Carlo Jumping

by: Cassandra Tanti
23/06/2026
longines global champions tour monaco

Tickets for Saturday’s Grand Prix at the Longines Global Champions Tour – Jumping International de Monte-Carlo have sold out, though seats remain for the opening two days of action, with reduced-price tickets starting from €16.

The 20th edition of the event runs from 2nd to 4th July at Port Hercule, marking the ninth stop on the international circuit’s calendar. Thursday’s programme features the Global Champions League team event over two rounds, the first at 1.60m and serving as a qualifier for the Grand Prix, the second at 1.55m. Friday brings the Longines Pro Am Cup Monaco, a relay competition pairing amateur riders with international stars in aid of AMADE, the charity founded by Charlotte Casiraghi. The weekend culminates on Saturday evening with the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix du Prince de Monaco, the event’s marquee fixture.

A track built for home talent

For the first time in the competition’s history, Monaco will field several riders competing regularly at the highest level of international show jumping. Anastasia Nielsen, just 20 years old, already has two five-star Grand Prix wins to her name, in Rabat last October and more recently in Ramatuelle. The 2023 European junior champion competes for the all-female Cannes Stars team in the Global Champions League. Alongside her, 22-year-old Iñigo Lopez de la Osa Franco rides for Monaco both individually and with the Monaco Aces, training under Simon Delestre, who won the Grand Prix du Prince de Monaco in 2025. Ilaria Sutera and Marie-Eder Ferrero complete Monaco’s four-strong representation in this year’s five-star field.

National coach Philippe Rozier said the progress of the Principality’s young riders had been remarkable to watch. “It’s wonderful to see young riders who were just starting out when I took up my role with the Principality six years ago now competing with the best in the world,” he said.

Of Nielsen’s rise through the ranks, he added: “It’s an evolution that’s very rare for her age, but it isn’t down to chance. She’s a rider who works hard and gives herself every chance of reaching the top level.” He also pointed to Marie Ferrero, who finished fourth at last year’s European Junior Championships, and Sophie Aurélia George as riders to watch in the coming years, noting that around 40 riders take part in each national training session.

A new look for Port Hercule

This year’s competition has reshaped the Port Hercule site, with the track moved to the centre of the harbour and the layout reversed to create what organisers describe as a more immersive spectator experience. The move comes a month after Port Hercule hosted Formula 1 drivers for the Monaco Grand Prix, with the paddocks once again transformed, this time into stables and riding lanes. Founded in 1995 by Diane Fissore, the Jumping International de Monte-Carlo joined the Longines Global Champions Tour in 2006, the year the circuit was created by Jan Tops.

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Photo source: Longines Global Champions