As part of European Waste Reduction Week, Stars ‘N’ Bars and Eco Angels are hosting a cigarette butt clean-up at Port Hercule this weekend.
The two groups are doing their bit for European Waste Reduction Week by hosting a cigarette butt collection on Saturday, 28th November from 3:15pm.
In addition to the clean-up, those interested will be able to learn about and sign up for the National Pact for Energy Transition on Saturday at the restaurant, getting a free reusable water bottle as part of the deal. There are only a limited number of water bottles and it is advised to come early so people don’t miss out.
Eco Angels is a volunteer group, led by Stars ‘N’ Bars, who collect rubbish around Monaco’s port. They are especially active after events such as the Monaco Grand Prix and the Monaco Yacht Show and are equally so during special weeks such as World Clean-up Day and European Waste Reduction Week.
Monaco has been active in putting in place various measures to reduce the number of butts finding their way onto the streets, parks and beaches, such as the placement of ashtrays at the entrances to Larvotto Beach and the sale of pocket ashtrays. Additionally, the Principality has formed a relationship with a French company that converts cigarette butts into carbon fibre components, giving them a second, non-polluting life.
The event on Saturday is free, but the organisers are asking people to register so they have an idea of numbers and can put the proper social distancing measures in place. For registration go to https://www.weezevent.com/ramassage-de-megots
Meanwhile, the Mairie de Monaco sponsored a children’s book collection at Stars ‘n’ Bars on Wednesday as part of European Waste Reduction Week. Donations will be given to the children of the Roya valley, the Children’s Education and Protection Association and to the Charles Imbert School in Sainte-Agnès.
For lovers of the hauntingly beautiful genre, three Baroque music concerts will be held at St. Charles Church in early December, reserved for Monaco residents only.
On 1st December, concert-goers will be entertained by Misteri Gloriosi, The Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary in Baroque Italy, performed by La Fenice Ensemble and conducted by Jean Tubéry. The evening will feature works by Frescobaldi, Merule, Fasolo, Cazzati, Cima, Grandi, Florimi and Monteverdi.
Then on Thursday 3rd December, a Baroque masterpiece will be rediscovered when the Ensemble Baroque de Monaco, conducted by Mattieu Payrègne, performs L’Assunzione della Beata Vergine by Alessandro Scarlatti. This concert will be held with the support of SOGEDA Monaco.
Finally, on 4th December, fans will enjoy a Musical Journey into the Europe of the Enlightenment by 18thcentury English musician composer and musicographer Charles Burney. This will be narrated by Nicolas Vaude and accompanied by violinist Pierre-Eric Nimylowycz and programme designer and harpsichordist Olivier Baumont.
The concerts are being organised by the Department of Cultural affairs for Monaco residents only and admission is free, subject to availability of seats. As with every event held during these extraordinary times, there will be strict social distancing and health measures in place.
Photo by Monaco Life, all rights reserved
Interview: Author and Art Collector Tiqui Atencio Demirdjian
Never before has the public been given such an exclusive view into the lives of art collectors and gallerists. For Art’s Sake by Tiqui Atencio Demirdjian is as much a window into the minds of these great collectors, as it is a door into their elaborate homes.
From “rock ‘n’ roll art dealer” Ivor Braka who has “spent a lifetime breaking the established rules” from his gothic home in London’s Knightsbridge, to Monaco’s own pre-eminent art dealer Adriano Ribolzi and his self-designed penthouse filled with historical treasures, this book is for lovers of art, architecture and interesting stories. Monaco Life sat down with Author and Collector Tiqui Atencio Demirdjian during the book’s launch at the Grimaldi Forum Monaco in late October to talk about the makings of For Art’s Sake – a celebration of living with art. Monaco Life: You were 17 years old when you got your first artwork. What was it about that piece that captured you?
Tiqui Atencio Demirdjian: It was a gift that my father gave me, a piece by Bernard Buffet. I was very attracted to it so I started learning about the artist. After that, my uncle taught me everything; he taught me the ropes. He was like my father – I grew up with him and his wife in Venezuela – and he was a very well-known contemporary Latin American and historical art collector. His second home was Christies, Sotheby’s and the museums. When our families would gather together on Sundays, we would always go to galleries.
So, I started buying, but I started buying without any information whatsoever, only what I liked. And every time I brought something, I would find out more about the artist. That’s how my uncle did it, he would only buy something if he was really into the artist.
Gradually, it became a collection without me knowing it. I didn’t even consider myself a collector. People would ask to see my collection, and I would say “What? You mean the art hanging on my walls?” (laughing). I still find it difficult to accept the word but I guess I am because I buy all the time. What is your favourite period?
I don’t have a favourite period, but I do love geometric abstraction. I am very eclectic in my taste, perhaps a product of all my moving around. I was born in Venezuela but I have lived in New York, Rome – where I studied art – Paris, London, and now Monaco. I have always been a bit of a gypsy. I am interested in how you put the book together. Art is a very personal thing, so how did you get into the collector’s homes and how long did it take to put the book together?
This book took about three and a half years, while my first book Could Have, Would Have, Should Have took four years because it was a lot more writing. It was easier the second time around, but both books started from curiosity and wanting to understand what made the collectors like my uncle tick, what motivated them. I wanted to ask them questions and I wanted to know more about the process. I wanted to know about their adventures, emotions, commitments… Ivor Braka’s entrance hall features a Tracey Emin neon, ‘I could have really loved you’, from 2007 above a metal table by Christopher Dresser. Over the door into the library hangs a masonic-inspired sign for the Sun Fire Office, the oldest insurance company in the world. Photo by Jean-François Jaussaud.
I also always wanted to write a book. When I was studying in Rome, I wrote poems. That didn’t stick but I knew I wanted to write, and it has always followed me. Then I decided that this is what I know about and this is what I should write about.
I have always liked anecdotes and listening to people talk and tell me their stories; it has always fascinated me – the interjectory and the journeys that these people were living. The other thing I noticed was that every collector was different from the other. They had completely different approaches to collecting. But for all of them, it was just a natural process, the celebration of living with art. The images are captured perfectly by Jean-François Jaussaud, a renowned photographer, art director and producer. How did your collaboration come about?
Very serendipitously, I met Jean-François Jaussaud and he was talking to me about the books he was planning to do. We started discussing my idea and he wanted to do it right away. He said he had the passion to do it.
And he was fantastic. He works alone, which is really important because asking these people to open their homes and then telling them they are going to be invaded by five photographers over the space of six hours… they would freak out. But when they heard it was only going to be one person, they were much more comfortable. In the office space of Christophe Van de Weghe, a Gino Sarfatti spiral chandelier from c. 1950 hangs above a 1951 Jean Prouvé table and a Jules Leleu armchair from c. 1955. Andy Warhol’s 1973 portrait of Marella Agnelli is in the background. Photo by Jean-François Jaussaud. And why the title For Art’s Sake?
It is my youngest son who said I should call it For Art’s Sake, and I really fought for the name. I realised that collectors sacrifice so much of their lives, their time, in dealing with artists – nurturing them and making sure they are happy, putting them in the right collections and museums. They do a lot “for art’s sake”.
There is also the philanthropy – they are very generous towards museums and help their own artists to promote them and get them to where they think they should go. When a collector believes in an artist, they take them under their wing and that’s it. Sometimes the artist gets poached by someone else, and I can imagine how many sleepless nights they have just thinking of that.
But I learned that philanthropy was the common thread amongst collectors in my first and second books. I think that art is a way of communicating and doing good for the world. It brings us together, it builds bridges – which we need very much today – and that’s what I really got out of doing this book. When you arrived in the Principality four years ago, Monaco was just starting to position itself in the global art scene, with major new art fairs like ArtMonteCarlo. What was your perspective of Monaco then compared to now?
I think there was a time when little was being done about art and then all of a sudden they realised that this is a captive audience; that people here have the means to appreciate art; that it is a small community and a small city but it has everything. And it was a correct move, Monaco was ripe for the taking. People here love to live with beautiful things. Also in the home of Christophe Van de Weghe, Pablo Picasso’s Homme assis from 1969 is a focal point of one wall of the seating area of the library. The Charlotte Perriand cabinet also carries Henry Moore’s bronze Mother with Child on Knee from 1956 and Eva Zethraeus’s porcelain White-tipped Coral Mound from 2016. George Minne’s marble Le Petit blessé from 1898 is on a table between a pair of Jean-Michel Frank sheepskin armchairs, while Jean Dubuffet’s work on paper Sol (Earth) from 1960 is displayed on a bronze Arredoluce easel lamp. Photo by Jean-François Jaussaud. Which artists have entered your collection recently?
A Brazilian artist called Erika Verzutti, who was exhibiting at the Pompidou in Paris. I have a penchant for Latin American art and I thought she was a very interesting artist, very intellectual. She is a conceptual artist and I love her concept, so I brought a wonderful piece of her art in Paris.
And Sean Scully – an Irish born American artist. What art trends do you see happening over the next 10 years?
Technology will be very important. Through history, we know how art has evolved. We cannot avoid the technology behind the newer generations, the millennials – we need to watch what they are doing.
So, I believe the evolution of art is a natural evolution into technology. But the process of painting, sculpture, creating with your hands… that will never stop. We just have to add the factor that we are living in a technological era. What are your thoughts on digital art?
It is very interesting. It could be too much of a gadget for me, but in the right hands, with the right artist… never say never.
It is a mistake to not recognise art, because it might pass you by. I don’t like to say “no”, because I might regret it in 20 years’ time.
For Art’s Sake, 384 pages and 270 illustrations, is available for purchase from the Grimaldi Forum for €85.
The new Monaco International Performing Arts Centre (MIPAC) is inviting interested people to check out their upcoming workshops and master classes.
MIPAC is expanding its calendar of events following its 16th September launch at Stars ‘n Bars, and is hosting two ‘open days’ on 30th and 31st October from 2pm to 8pm at the Entrepôt Gallery on Rue Millo in Monaco.
The open days are being set aside for those who are looking for ways to improve and showcase their talents, while visitors will have the chance to meet with coaches and professionals in the world of music, theatre and film. They will also have an opportunity to find out more information on MIPAC’s various upcoming activities.
Some of the fun events being held include auditions and open casting calls for The Golden Voice of Monaco. Simultaneously, they will be holding singing master classes, workshops, creating a choir, and organising concerts and singing springboards – all culminating in their Golden Voices Monegasque final.
For those more inclined towards the stage and screen, there will be meetings with the Monaco Cinema Academy, with film and production seminars held by the Academy’s own director, screenwriter, theatre pro and stage and voice coach.
MIPAC’s selection process has already produced a winner: 12-year-old Monegasque Sami Amato, who was chosen for The Golden Voices of Monaco and has gone on to win Junior Prize at the international final of The Golden Voices Music Awards 2020 in Cannes.
The open days will be in compliance with all health requirements to ensure the safety of those who would like to take part and doors are open to all ages, nationalities and talent levels.
The Vistamar restaurant at the Hermitage Hotel continues to deliver on its promise of exciting new experiences, this time offering a gastronomic weekend with two Michelin star Chef Philippe Mille.
Executive Chef Jean-Phillipe Borrow has invited the Executive Chef of the Domaine Les Crayères into his Michelin star kitchen in Monaco, where the two masters will create an exceptional dinner and brunch on 24th and 25th October.
The idea for the pairing grew from a mutual friendship with two Michelin starred Chef Ronan Kervarrec.
The majestic splendour of the establishments within which they work is also a common factor between Jean-Phillipe Borrow and Philippe Mille. The Hermitage Hotel is Monaco’s famous “grande dame”, a luxurious five-star palace where romance and gastronomy collide. The Domaine Les Crayères is a spectacular Relais & Châteaux property in the heart of Reims that includes a five-star hotel and two restaurants: the Brasserie du Jardin and the two Michelin starred restaurant Le Parc. It sits adjacent to the Pommery champagne house and is a favourite among culinary travellers.
“The atmosphere that emerges from our two houses is similar: elegance and charm, inviting relaxation and epicureanism. This is what our customers also come looking for in our restaurants,” says Chef Phillipe Mille. Photo: Domaine Les Crayères by ADT Marne
A mutual passion for fresh, local produce is also something the chefs share.
“Our respective kitchens come from the same DNA, which is respect and love for the product,” says Jean-Phillipe Borrow. “We are both committed to enhancing and refining the produce of our regions. We are also committed to bringing our cuisine into modernity to stay in line with our times and the desires of our guests.”
The collaboration is a unique opportunity for guests in Monaco to savour the cuisine of one of France’s finest chefs. Philippe Mille has been in the kitchens of Chefs Bordier, Grondart, Anton, and Roth. He was Yannick Alléno’s right-hand man at Le Scribe and then at Le Meurice. He delivered Domaine Les Crayères its first Michelin star in 2011, then a second in 2012. He is also a Meilleur Ouvrier de France and a Grand Chef Relais et Châteaux.
For October’s exceptional evening, Vistamar guests will be treated to one of Chef Mille’s signature artistic dishes – Langoustines from the Breton coast with Reims vinegar, carpaccio, caviar, a pink berry vinegar marinade, and a stained-glass shellfish coulis.
“This entrée pays homage to the Notre Dame de Reims Cathedral and to the know-how of the master glassmakers,” reveals Chef Mille.
Meanwhile, Chef Borrow will delight guests with a luxurious dish from the region: “A champagne risotto – a nod to Chef Mille, covered with the diamond of the Piedmont region – the Alba white truffle.”
Guests at the two-star evening on Saturday 24th October will be treated to a six-course menu, while the chic champagne brunch on Sunday 24th features a live cooking show by Chef Phillipe Mille on the Eiffel mezzanine.
Reservations are required.
Top photo: Chef Phillipe Mille (left) and Chef Jean-Phillipe Borrow by Monaco Life
An exhibit of 65 works by the legendary Spanish painter, sculptor and ceramicist Joan Miró is on display at the New National Museum of Monaco, Villa Paloma, now through to the end of October.
In a posthumous return to Monaco, an exhibit by Joan Miró entitled La Peinture au Défi has come to the Principality featuring a large selection of works from the Spanish surrealist.
Hosted by the New National Museum of Monaco (NMNM), Villa Paloma, and curated by the Galerie Gmurzynska, the collection includes many interesting works including an original painting completed when Miró worked in Monaco with Diaghilev’s 1932 Ballets Rusees on Jeux d’Enfants,
“One of the merits of this exhibition is to remind us that the painter created the stage curtain, sets, costumes and props for the ballet Jeux d’enfants,” said Prince Albert II, whose foundation is a partner in the event “Knowing this enables us to fully appreciate the good fortune of the Monegasque public when the music of George Bizet, a libretto by Boris Kochno, choreography by Léonide Massine, the unparalleled talent of the Ballets Russes and the inimitable visual language of Joan Miró were brought together in the Principality in 1932. The stage photographs and correspondence between Kochno and the painter from the collection of the NMNM give evidence of this tremendous encounter.” “This exhibition was born out of the time of Covid-19 in order to create some happiness in unruly times” curator Isabelle Bscher, co-owner of Galerie Gmurzynska, added “In his paintings, he offered escape from the horrors of the First World War, the Second World War and the Spanish Civil War. This exhibition spans from great dreamscapes of the 1920s to the work of the 1970s, which sometimes veer towards the destruction of painting. All through his life, Miró was a great revolutionary, all the while being a humanitarian opposing extremism and the repression of ideas.” The show will run from now to 25th October and visitors can receive a fully illustrated catalogue with commentary and essays by the artist’s grandson, Joan Punyet Miró as well as Joachim Pissarro, Robert Lubar Messeri Jérôme Neutres, Clara Montero, Bernardo Laniado-Romero.
For Art’s Sake, 384 pages and 270 illustrations, is available for purchase from the Grimaldi Forum for €85.
