Prince Albert II shows his ‘Couleurs!’ at Grimaldi Forum

On Monday, the Sovereign of Monaco launched a multi-sensory exhibition featuring some one hundred works from the Centre Pompidou.

Like the chromatic disc designed by architect William Chatelain as the common thread running through the “Couleurs!” exhibition, Prince Albert II also chose to embrace the theme, donning a vibrantly coloured tie at the Grimaldi Forum on Monday evening. The Sovereign inaugurated this exceptional collaboration with the Centre Pompidou accompanied by Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Ben Sylvester Strautmann.

Taking advantage of the temporary closure of the Parisian institution for renovation work, Monaco is hosting around a hundred masterpieces that are usually on display at rue Beaubourg. Picasso, Matisse, Kandinsky, Modigliani and Basquiat are spending the summer, until 31 August, in the Principality.

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Scenography to suit the space

The Sovereign and the Princess wandered around the 2,000 square metre Grimaldi Forum, with works grouped by dominant colour and central installations offering a complete sensory experience. The configuration, which, according to curator Didier Ottinger, allows a museographic approach that is impossible in a traditional museum, is based not only on colours but also on sounds and smells.

Seven monochromatic spaces have been created, each with a soundscape created by composer Roque Rivas in collaboration with Ircam, and olfactory notes developed by perfumer Alexis Dadier of Fragonard. It’s an approach that aims to create artificial synaesthesia, allowing Prince Albert II to experience modern art with his senses.