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Monte-Carlo Opera House

After months of work and a titanic construction site, the Monte-Carlo Opera was completed just two months behind schedule. The Théâtre du Casino was due to open on 25 January 1879, with the famous Sarah Bernhardt as its first star. Actress and playwright, the woman Victor Hugo nicknamed "La voix d'or" was a true artist at heart and influenced many of her peers. The French artist, who created an allegory of music now located in a corner of the Opera's façade, has her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Order of Cultural Merit

National honours are one way of affirming a country's identity. Instituted in 1952 to distinguish and reward those involved in the development of the arts, letters and sciences in Monaco, the Order of Cultural Merit is the symbol of the Principality's intellectual influence. The Russian conductor Rostropovitch, famous for playing the cello near the Berlin Wall, the opera singer and Director of the Monte-Carlo Opera Cécilia Bartoli, the talented musicians Ibrahim Maalouf and Marcus Miller... many exceptional artists have been decorated in the Principality.

National Committee for Monegasque Traditions

Maintaining traditions, conserving works of art, preserving monuments and promoting the Monegasque language: the National Committee for Monegasque Traditions, founded in 1924, has many missions. Throughout the year, the Committee strives to support local identity through a number of initiatives, including the publication of articles in the daily Monaco-Matin highlighting specific historical episodes and the publication of the long-awaited calendar in the Monegasque language.

Guillaume Apollinaire

Over the course of its long history, the Principality has played host to a number of brilliant minds, including Wilhelm Apollinaris de Kostrowitzky, also known as Guillaume Apollinaire. The future author of Alcools arrived in Monaco on 4 March 1887 and entered the Collège Saint-Charles (now the town hall) at the start of the 1888 academic year, in the CE2 class. The surrealist poet went on to win numerous prizes for excellence during his time at school in Monaco.

Fernando Botero

Few artists in the world can claim to have created easily recognisable works: such is the case of Colombian painter and sculptor Fernando Botero. His famous round works are dotted around Monaco. One of the most sought-after artists among art lovers, Botero lived and worked in the Principality for a good part of the year in the artists' studios on Quai Antoine-Ier.

Cédric Biscay

Bringing the Principality and manga culture together was a rather audacious gamble... but it paid off for Cédric Biscay, creator of the manga Blitz! This fan of Japanese culture embarked on his adventure a few years ago, and to say that it has been a resounding success would be an understatement. The story of a young schoolboy who wants to learn to play chess in order to win the heart of a girl was exported as far as the Dubai World Expo. Several volumes have been published, some translated into several languages and featuring the Principality's most famous landmarks: the Princely Palace, the Casino de Monte-Carlo, the Oceanographic Museum, etc. Blitz has also featured part of the Princely family at the heart of the saga, with the mangaka catching a glimpse of Prince Albert II in volume 4 and Princess Charlène in volume 6.

Comic strip

"To make a comic book is to remember". It's an adage uttered by Chris Ware, one of the greatest authors of the ninth art, and it's true in the Principality. Many graphic novels have taken an interest in the history of Monaco. Starting with ... Histoire de Monaco", published in 1997 by Marc Bourgne, tracing the history of this territory and its desire for independence from the various kingdoms. Monaco is also home to some incredible destinies that have inspired comic book writers in recent years. " Albert I de Monaco, le Prince explorateur", published in 2018, looks back at the actions of the scientific Sovereign, and "Devota, itinéraire d'une martyre de la Corse à Monaco" rewinds the chronology of the Principality's patron saint, celebrated with emotion every year on 27 January. Among the comic strips published that evoke Monaco, we also find subjects that are just as representative of the Principality, such as the ^47th volume of the adventures of the famous racing driver Michel Vaillant, entitled "Panique à Monaco" ("Panic in Monaco"). Finally, those who would like to read a foreign-language 'Tintin' can obtain the Monegasque edition of 'Les Bijoux de la Castafiore', or more precisely the original version: 'I ori d'a Castafiore'.

Stella Almondo

Piotr Ilitch Tchaïkovsky, Franz Liszt, Frédéric Chopin... so many great composers of classical music whose notes now emanate from a young Monegasque virtuoso. Barely an adult, Stella Almondo already boasts an impressive record of achievement, having been awarded the highest distinction at the Nice Conservatoire. After giving her first public concert at the age of 10, her talent and sense of interpretation now fascinate audiences around the world, from Moscow to Paris, via England and Croatia, while she regularly takes part in several concerts in the Principality and the region. The virtuoso, spotted by the famous pianist and teacher Igor Lazko, can already boast of having shared the stage with Gautier Capuçon on Mendelssohn and Schumann as part of the Festival des Heures Musicales de Biot. All with the same objectives from the outset: "to become a pianist, to pass on my passion for music, to share emotions...".

Princess Caroline

It's 21 January 2015. On the first floor of the Valois wing of the Palais-Royal, the salon d'honneur of the Ministry of Culture was ablaze as Princess Caroline was presented with the insignia of Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters of the French Republic for her work to promote culture in the Principality. Guests from a wide range of disciplines underlined the diverse and essential role played by the Princess of Hanover in the Principality: alongside fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld were designer Christian Louboutin, actor Guillaume Gallienne and writer Tahar Ben Jelloun. The French Minister of Culture, Fleur Pellerin, spoke of the cultural life on the Rock: "Generation after generation, the House of Grimaldi has cultivated this passion for the arts and this taste for the avant-garde. You have done a marvellous job of carrying on this legacy. But how talented have you been to add your own contribution to this heritage! With the creation of the Ballets de Monte-Carlo, the growing popularity of the Printemps des Arts and her active involvement with the Prince Pierre Foundation, the Philharmonic Orchestra and theOpera, Princess Caroline has worked tirelessly to promote the Principality's cultural life.