Monaco Moments
Turner, The Sublime Legacy at the Grimaldi Forum
In Monaco, we met with my dear friend and director of events at the Grimaldi Forum Catherine Alestchenkoff for a guided visit of their exhibition Turner, the Sublime Legacy.
A collaboration with the Tate, the exhibition explores Joseph Mallord William Turner's pioneering work in capturing the sublime through landscapes and light. It highlights Turner's influence on the portrayal of the Sublime in art and features around thirty modern and contemporary artists, including John Akomfrah, Olafur Eliasson, and Mark Rothko.
Monegasque Dining
Our fellow member Taisiya Savchuk-Polishchuk, along with her husband Taras Polishchuk, invited us all in Monte Carlo for a wonderful Italian dinner. Our welcome could not have been warmer in the sun-drenched principality, and we were thrilled to have the recommendations of a local.
Our International Board is all about exchange, of culture and ideas to be sure, but also of these interpersonal moments we cherish so deeply.
Miquel Barcelo, Oceanographer at the Villa Paloma
Miquel Barceló's solo exhibition at the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco dives into the depths of oceanography with an elemental, tactile intensity. The show at Villa Paloma begins in the darkest depths, where Barceló’s rough textures evoke prehistoric oceans and the primordial origins of life, inviting visitors to glimpse mysterious creatures in shadowy waters.
As we rise to the surface, his palette lightens to a luminous azure, capturing the pleasures and boundlessness of the sea. Barceló’s work deftly oscillates between abstraction and figuration, with canvases ranging from stormy seascapes to embroidered fabrics, even integrating the handwork of his late mother.
His ceramics, like "Urnas ultramarinas," explore innovative forms, though some pieces veer into kitsch, delighting in the chaos of creation. Ultimately, Barceló’s exhibition celebrates the ocean in all its facets—its beauty, unpredictability, and depth—echoing the philosopher Novalis’ idea that our greatest pleasures come from dissolving into life’s original, flowing waters, itself a beautiful metaphor as we each headed our separate ways.
Farewell Lunch on board
Moored in Monaco’s stunning harbor, Genius was the most idyllic venue for our midday feast. The view across the rolling hillsides of Monte Carlo was matched only by the splendid company!