Roger Moore at the 2012 Monte-Carlo Television Festival. Photo: Frantogian
One of Monaco’s most eminent residents, Sir Roger Moore, has taken up arms against the use of animals in circus acts. In a letter to British Prime Minister Theresa May, the former Bond actor urged her to stick to a Conservative Party promise to ban wild animals in circuses.
Critics of Sir Roger have accused him of changing his stripes. Thirty years ago, in the film Octopussy, he played a short scene with a tiger and famously told it to “sit”.
The target of Sir Roger’s ire is the nephew of the man who played his stunt double in the movie, John Chipperfield, of the circus family that has trained circus animals for 300 years. Thomas Chipperfield, 26, has applied for a licence to tour England later this year with two lions and three tigers.
In his letter to the premier, Sir Roger said: “Wild animals in real life must feel as if they’ve been captured by the fictional Dr No. When they’re not being forced to perform confusing tricks under threat of the whip they’re chained up or tied down.
“Madam Prime Minister, it’s time, past time, to do the right thing and finally bring a ban on this outdated form of so-called entertainment. I will put a bottle of Dom Perignon ’52 or Bollinger ’69 on ice for the occasion and gladly pop the cork with you.”
Anthony Beckwith, a co-owner of Chipperfield’s Circus, described the letter as “ludicrous”. However, several animal rights organisations have sided with Sir Roger, with one commenting that the famous Bond films show that performing animals are no longer needed to entertain people.
Organisers of this year’s Monaco Yacht Show are betting on a new badge system to better connect visitors and exhibitors and take the flagship event to another level.
Finishing touches are being made to the rock-inspired Monaco Pavilion. With months before the Dubai Expo kicks off in October, Monaco will be among the first countries to complete the mammoth project.
In this month's interview, Princess Grace Foundation-USA’s Brisa Trinchero catches up with acclaimed Principal Dancer Lucien Postlewaite about his career at Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo.
The latest report on women’s rights in Monaco has just been released, detailing the advances made in 2020 including the tabling of a new bill to strengthen legislation on sexual violence.
As French Riviera towns prepare to go into lockdown this weekend, police in Monaco will be stepping up controls at all road, rail and air entry points to ensure that everyone is playing by the rules.
Connected Success, created by the Break Poverty Foundation to ensure that no child is left behind and supported by Princess Caroline and her AMADE Foundation, was launched in the Alpes-Maritimes.
The Monte-Carlo Spring Arts Festival has confirmed they are going ahead as planned with their annual cultural event that spans five weekends from 13th March to 11th April.
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[caption id="attachment_28199" align="alignnone" width="900"] Alfredo Volpi, Untitled, 1962, Oil and tempera on canvas 142x265 cm Mastrobuono Collection, São Paulo. Photo: Charly Gallo/DC[/caption]
After the last major exhibition devoted to the works of Hercule Florence, Villa Paloma has reopened to present a retrospective of Alfredo Volpi, with the support of the Instituto Alfredo Volpi de Arte Moderna and curated by Cristiano Raimondi.
Alfredo Volpi was born in Lucca, Italy in 1896, and died in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 1988. He was a major Brazilian artist who NMNM is proud to present, for the first time in Europe, in a retrospective of 70 works: starting with oils on canvas, country folk or urban landscapes in the 30s and 40s, to the works of the 50s, 60s and 70s with their new colours and painting techniques, the public will discover a fascinating artist.
Despite the success achieved in the last three decades of his life, the story of Volpi is that of a simple and reserved man who dedicated his entire life to his work without ever forgetting where he came from. A man who, every day of his life, until the age of 88, built his own frames on which he himself stretched the canvas to apply himself the meticulously prepared pigments and create the magic of colour.
Like Morandi for the Italians, Volpi the colourist has become a hero and a true legend in Brazil.
"Alfredo Volpi, the poetry of colour" runs until May 20 at Villa Paloma, 56 blvd du Jardin Exotique. Open daily 10 am to 6 pm, admission is €6 but free on Sunday.