artmonte-carlo
Sat. 28th April 2018 12:00pm - Sun. 29th April 2018 8:00pm
The third edition of artmonte-carlo will host nearly 40 rigorously selected international galleries at the Grimaldi Forum, together with a dozen exhibitions taken from major institutional and private collections. On April 28th and 29th, this cultural event will stand out in the world of art fairs through its singular concept of “art salon”: a small size and high quality exhibitions, resulting in a rich offering for the invited exhibitions, giving it the look of a mini-biennale.
artmonte-carlo aims to establish a quality artistic platform, meeting the demand of collectors from the Côte d'Azur, contributing to the cultural development of the region.
Artmonte-carlo already a reference
Buoyed by the success of artgenève, Palexpo is now in its third year of organising artmonte-carlo, a salon dedicated to contemporary art and design which runs from 28-29 April 2018 in the Grimaldi Forum. Director of these salons, Thomas Hug, presents an event which has established itself as one gallery owners and collectors do not want to miss.
Opening : 12 am - 8.00 pm
You are getting ready for the third edition of artmonte-carlo, why did you choose to launch this contemporary art salon in the Principality?
Thomas Hug, Director of artgenève and artmonte-carlo. Palexpo has been organising artgenève for the last seven years, a fair that has become a leading platform for contemporary art, modern art and design. We host renowned international galleries and place a lot of emphasis on private and institutional collectors, which leads to productive dialogue with different players in the market. It was gallery owners and collectors who, having experienced artgenève, suggested I consider doing something in Monaco, as the discerning public here might appreciate our concept. I admit that I didn’t know the Principality as an art destination. We approached the team at the Grimaldi Forum about the project and they were very encouraging, having waited a long time for a quality international fair, and that’s how artmonte-carlo was born. The first one was held in 2016.
Where does artmonte-carlo stand among the many contemporary art salons and fairs in Europe?
Thomas Hug. From the beginning, we wanted to make artmonte-carlo not an art “fair” but more of an intimate “salon” hosting the best. That means there are not many exhibitors, about 40 international galleries at most, but very carefully selected. It is an event that primarily targets international collectors and buyers with original staging and a programme packed with interesting VIP events, before being one for the public. Reports from the first two editions were very positive and that encouraged us to move forward to promote this event which, outside the Principality, relies on the diversity and quality of the artistic microcosm on the Côte d’Azur.
How is the 2018 edition shaping up?
Thomas Hug. The proven concept of an intimate salon promoting quality is being maintained. Most of the galleries that participated in the first two editions have decided to return, and we have some newcomers like Kaufmann Repetto (Milan), Kamel Mennour (Paris) and Michael Werner (Berlin, New York). But we also want to raise the profile of this meeting, with institutional exhibitions and a series of talks from leading experts in the sector. Our ambition is to make artmonte-carlo a contemporary art forum rather like Davos has become the world’s top international economic forum. It is already playing a unifying role in the region. Take for example the new momentum being generated around Monaco Art Week, being held at the same time, and last year’s Nomad design exhibition which is being repeated.
Copyright Monaco Economic Board
