Monaco’s Grimaldi Forum is currently hosting the “Monaco and the Napoleons: Intertwined Destinies” exhibition, which runs until August 31. On Friday, August 15, a special event took place to celebrate Napoleon Bonaparte’s birthday…
Over 180 artworks and rare historical documents are currently on display at the Grimaldi Forum in an exhibition that offers a rare glimpse into the ties between the Principality and the legendary French general.
“Never before have these works been assembled together in a single exhibition, with some displayed to the public for the very first time,” said the Grimaldi Forum in a recent press release.
Guided Tours
To honour Napoleon Bonaparte’s birthday, special themed guided tours were offered at 12:00 and 4:00 pm, in English. The tours explored, in detail, how the Napoleon legend was first created.
“Bonaparte is no longer a real person today, but a legendary figure, of soldiers’ tales and popular stories,” wrote 18th century writer Marie-Henri Beyle, better known by his pen name Stendhal, “this extraordinary hero eclipses all others and remains the only true one.”
Two dynasties
The ‘Monaco and the Napoleons’ exhibition is “an exceptional collection of objects that belonged to Napoleon and his close circle, or that marked his era,” said the Grimaldi Forum in a recent press release.
On display are items like the Emperor’s famous bicorne hat and the incredible mechanical songbirds that delighted his contemporaries, and continue to captivate audiences today.
These treasures are complemented by numerous portraits of Bonaparte, created by the greatest artists of his time, including François Gérard, Jacques-Louis David, Antonio Canova, Jean-Baptiste Isabey, and Carle Vernet.
Visitors of the exhibition are offered a rare chance to immerse themselves in the world of objects surrounding the Emperors of France and the Princes of Monaco in the 19th century. Through the history of connections between these two dynasties, the exhibition provides a fresh perspective on the creation of the “grand myth” of one of history’s most famous figures.
