A unique display of fine jewellery created by world-famous artists and passionately collected by Diane Venet is being exhibited at the Grimaldi Forum from Sunday 11th July.
Diane Venet, wife of artist Bernar Venet, began her unique collection of jewellery made by artists in 1967 when she purchased a brooch created by painter Roy Lichtenstein in New York. Her collection began in earnest though after meeting her husband in 1985, when she decided to dedicate all her purchases to commissions from artists.
For over 30 years, she has amassed an extraordinary selection of more than 230 pieces made exclusively by artists, 180 of which will be presented at the Grimaldi Forum.
Well-known artists such as Pablo Picasso, Jeff Koons, Niki de Saint-Phalle, Keith Haring and Roy Lichtenstein all created pieces either bought or made for Venet’s collection.
“These creations are always the result of an encounter, whether with the artists themselves or with other collectors,” says Venet. “Both groups have encouraged me. They have given me no small amount of support in my discovery of this new world where art, seemingly at play, surpasses itself.”
Diane Venet came from a family of art collectors and her father, Jacques Segard, was chairman of the Friends of the Musée National d’Art Moderne in Paris. She met and married Bernar Venet in the mid-1980’s in New York, where she helped him organise his exhibits and became an avid collector of art herself.
Her idea for exhibiting her jewellery came in 2008, when it received such acclaim that she took her show on the road presenting at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, the Benaki Museum in Athens, Miami’s Bass Museum, and the Seoul Art Centre in South Korea, to name a few. Picasso to Koons: Jewellery by Artists will run from 11th July to 19th August at the Grimaldi Forum.
Searching for something fun for the kids to do during summer break? Take a look at these Giacometti-themed youth workshops coming up at the Grimaldi Forum.
From 12th to 23rd July, the Grimaldi Forum will be hosting a series of creative summer workshops for children aged seven to 11, teaching the art of making art using the Alberto Giacometti exposition as inspiration.
Themes change each day of the week and include some amazing offerings such as model drawing, where children use a classmate as a model and try their hand at sketching them in different poses, as well as portrait drawing, where participants work from a painted portrait of Anette and reproduce the sketch using black pen before shading in the surfaces with dry pastels.
Other offerings see kids getting their hands dirty whilst having fun creating a Giacometti-style bust from a block of clay, or reproducing a Giacometti Walking Man sculpture using a metal wire frame encased in clay, a favourite method of the artist.
Finally, kids can create still life drawings, replicating an apple as true to life as possible using shadow play and volumes with dry pastels.
Whilst on-site, children and parents will also be able to enjoy the Giacometti exhibition currently underway highlighting 230 works from the artist that include sculpture, paintings, prints and drawings accompanied by photos.
The classes run Monday through Friday from 10am to 12pm, or from 2pm to 4pm, with a maximum of 20 students per workshop. For reservations and more information, call the Grimaldi Forum ticket office at +377 99 99 30 00.
Start-up incubator MonacoTech has stepped up its support for young innovative companies with its new FabLab, a scientific laboratory that will help with the formation of prototypes and PoCs in everything from marine biotechnology to medical devices.
The FabLab was designed and set up to enable MonacoTech start-ups to carry out innovative and concrete work necessary for their development, mainly in the fields of biology, health and electronics.
The laboratory will allow for experimentation and a convergence of knowledge for PoCs (Proof of Concept), but it can also be used for prototyping and developing products and processes. It will allow startups to design, create, assemble, test, improve and use their prototypes.
“The FabLab acts as an accelerator of opportunities for the promoters of innovative projects, it is a place of manufacture itself,” said MonacoTech in a statement. “But above all, it is a collaborative space open to a community in order to realise a concept, to bring an idea to life. It is a place of innovation and knowledge sharing in favour of pooling skills, equipment and the emergence of collaborative and transdisciplinary projects resulting from innovations by MonacoTech startups.”
The lab is organised into two areas: the “wet” area for work particularly on cells, and the “dry” area for other activities.
The FabLab is currently being used by three startups: Surgisafe, which is developing an intelligent suction cannula capable of immediately detecting abnormal or cancerous tissues during a surgical intervention, Coraliotech, which is producing innovative molecules from coral organisms for cosmetics and in the medical sector, and Novetech Surgery, which is creating innovative orthopaedic implants for use by veterinary surgeons.
The FabLab has everything needed, from ventilated cabinets for chemicals and a C02 incubator for cells, to a fluorescence microscope and spectrophotometer. The fleet of equipment will evolve with the projects and new activities.
The laboratory complements the range of services already offered within the MonacoTech incubator and it expects to attract some serious new projects thanks to the addition.
“This should allow new startups to find in MonacoTech the conditions for the development of their projects, but also to bring out new innovations, and to promote the knowledge and know-how of the Monegasque ecosystem.”
Photo credit: MonacoTech
Custom racing helmets going under the hammer for charity
A collection of custom-made racing helmets painted by renowned artists are going on the block at the Prince’s Car Collection to raise money for the children’s cancer hospital in Nice.
In an event organised by the Monaco Liver Disorder Association, and under the patronage of Prince Albert II, 90 custom-painted racing helmets will be going up for auction by Artcurial on Saturday 17th July at 5pm. The event will take place live at the Collection des Voitures de SAS le Prince de Monaco at Les Terrasses de Fontvieille.
The unique collection features helmets that have been turned into incredible works of art by come of today’s most inspiring artists. Some have simply been beautifully painted for effect whilst others have been transformed into something akin to sculpture.
For example, Charles Bataille has turned a helmet into a smiling fish in his Poisson-clown monécasque design, while D.H. Zimic’s La Princesse aux ours features cuddly toys clambering up the sides.
The entire collection can be previewed at the Collection des Voitures de SAS le Prince de Monaco at Les Terrasses de Fontvieille from 15th to 17th July.
Artcurial has a full listing of the helmets up for grabs, all of which have starting bid prices of €800. Those interested can watch or bid live on the house’s website, www.artcurial.com or bid live at the auction site. All proceeds benefit the department of Neonatology and Haematology and Paediatric Oncology at Archet II Hospital in Nice.
Revealed: New 'Grace de Monaco' brand, all proceeds go to the arts
It was a heavily veiled secret as the Princess Grace Foundation USA called philanthropists and exclusive media to the Hôtel de Paris courtyard on Friday evening. The vibrant, live display set the scene for what promised to be a big reveal.
And it was. Grace de Monaco – a worldwide icon and forever Monaco’s sweetheart, is now a global brand that is setting a new standard at the intersection of luxury and philanthropy, an important new chapter in her iconic legacy.
“Even when she passed away, Grace had so many long-term relationships with Cartier, Mont Blanc, Dior, who were all continuing to create incredible products around her brand,” Brisa Carleton, CEO of the Princess Grace Foundation USA, tells Monaco Life. “This is a continuation, but it was important to the Princely family to make sure that her story was being told.”
The first in the Grace de Monaco line of sustainably-produced luxury products is a signature fragrance, Promenade sur le Rocher, presented on Friday to her son, Prince Albert II of Monaco. Photo of Prince Albert receiving a bottle of the Grace de Monaco perfume, by Gaetan Luci, Prince’s Palace
“I was a bit nervous working for this project because Princess Grace is such a legend,” perfume creator Olivier Cresp reveals to Monaco Life, “but I knew that she really loved roses, so I mixed a duo of roses from Grasse and Bulgaria, quite powerful, feminine roses of excellent quality, and I added jasmin from India. That’s the classic, timeless fragrance. Then, in order to make it more avant-garde, I used fractions of patchouli and musk, and added warmth with some vanilla. And that’s it – a very minimalist, natural and modern fragrance that I am sure is going to be a great success.”
It is certainly an intoxicatingly romantic blend encased in an equally exquisite bottle, the design of which was kept secret even from the perfumer himself until this evening. Beautiful, dramatic, artistic … just as Princess Grace would have had it.
“When the foundation got in touch and asked if I could do something for them, of course I was deeply honoured, because Princess Grace is so iconic,” says bottle designer Jérôme Faillant-Dumas, who has worked for the likes of Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent. “I thought to myself, ‘Ok, if she were alive, what would she love to have for herself?’ So, I gave the bottle some haute couture spirit – golden ‘jewellery’ with a jasmin flower, frosted straight lines that must be done by hand on each bottle. The box also has embossed flowers – it is all very haute couture.” Photo by Gaetan Luci, Prince’s Palace
The Grace de Monaco brand was inspired by the luxurious setting and timeless feeling of the French Riviera, and through this new initiative the Princess Grace Foundation aims to inspire and educate a new generation about her legacy.
The perfume had its soft launch in Monaco to give the local community time to “connect” with the brand, says Brisa Carleton, ahead of its global launch next year.
“We chose to start with a fragrance because it is less about a product and more about a sense and a feel, so people can start feeling Princess Grace here again. Then we will move into other very limited product lines. We will always be ultra-luxury and highly curated, very exclusive products as is appropriate for an icon.” Photo of Christopher Le Vine, Brisa Carleton, Prince Albert and John F. Lehman, Chairman Princess Grace Foundation-USA, by Gaetan Luci, Prince’s Palace
Brisa Carleton was brought in as CEO two years ago to usher the Princess Grace Foundation USA into a new era and explore alternative business models. Much of that time has been impacted by the Covid pandemic.
“That is partly what inspired us in doing this now, there has never been more of a need to fund the arts,” says Brisa Carleton. “We are excited to be blazing a new trail that will hopefully create a recurring revenue stream so that in ups and downs, the arts can continue to be funded.”
Uniquely, 100% of the proceeds of the Grace de Monaco brand go to the Princess Grace Foundation USA’s charitable activities.
“This brand is wholly owned by the foundation, so it really is luxury for good in every sense of the word,” says Brisa.
To finish the spectacular launch, Prince Albert had these words:
“It is my hope that you will support this project and serve as its ambassadors around the world. Please help us to ensure this endeavour thrives so that tomorrow’s extraordinary artists can achieve their dreams.”
For more information, visit the website: https://gdmonaco.com/en
After the disappointment of having the 2020 summer exhibition cancelled due to the Covid pandemic, the Grimaldi Forum has come out all guns blazing this year with an event that parallels its past monograph exhibitions of Dali, Bacon, Picasso and Warhol.
This time, major 20th century artist Alberto Giacometti takes centre stage, his iconic Walking Man statue forming part of one of the biggest retrospectives of his work ever organised in the world, thanks to the exceptional loan of 230 works by the Giacometti Foundation.
During an exclusive preview for the press on Thursday, the foundation’s Curator Émilie Bouvard guided us through a giant exhibition space that gives prominence to all phases and mediums of Giacometti’s career – sculpture, paintings, drawings, and prints that the artist used to express himself.
Photo of Alberto Giacometti sculpture by Monaco Life
“The trail has the rhythmic character of a music score: first, a prelude retracing in chronological order, Giacometti’s works of his youth, the temptation of cubism and abstraction then his surrealist period,” says the Grimaldi Forum’s Scenographer William Chatelain. “Variations on the quasi-obsessional theme of the human figure follow, a motif that was to haunt the artist from the end of the 1940s to his death.”
Ten rooms follow the themes of Heads, Fayum Portraits, Animated Sculptures, Nature, Melancholia, Solitude, Marvelous Reality, Loves and Friendships, Women or Goddesses?, and to finish, At the Limits of Sculpture with the iconic Walking Man sculpture bringing the exhibition to a close.
At the heart of the trail is a digital studio, an immersive space for visitors supported by dialogues and animated photographs showing the special relationship Giacometti had with his models.
Photo of the exhibition’s digital studio by Monaco Life
The simple white walls and minimal ambiance is punctuated by the addition of one quote by Alberto Giacometti per room.
“The themes preferred by the artist – the representation of the head, the face, the female body – will be particularly prominent but the public will also discover this relationship with solitude and melancholia as well as his relentless work with his models: his wife Annette, his brother Diego, his close friends,” says Curator Émilie Bouvaard. “The visitor will also encounter another Giacometti, the artist experimenting at the very limits of sculpture, and the remarkable painter who also practised, next to portraits, the genres of landscape and still life.”
Alberto Giacometti lived from 1901 to 1966 and grew up in Switzerland in the Val Bregaglia alpine valley, a few kilometres from the Swiss-Italian border. His father, Giovanni Giacometti (1868-1933), was an impressionist painter esteemed by Swiss collectors and artists.
From 1922, he lived and worked mainly in Paris and is considered one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century. His work was particularly influenced by artistic styles such as Cubism and Surrealism.
Philosophical questions about the human condition, as well as existential and phenomenological debates, played a significant role in his work. His critical nature led to self-doubt about his own work and his self-perceived inability to do justice to his own artistic vision. His insecurities nevertheless remained a powerful motivating artistic force throughout his entire life.
‘Albert Giacometti: a retrospective, Marvellous Reality’ is on show at the Grimaldi Forum from Saturday 3rdJuly to 29th August 2021.
Top photo of ‘Children’s Workshops’ by Alberto Giacometti at the Grimaldi Forum, taken by Monaco Life
See the gallery below for more photos of the exhibition…
