Biography of Prince Pierre of Monaco (1895–1964)
Born Pierre de Polignac on October 24, 1895, he married Princess Charlotte on March 19, 1920, and took the name and arms of the Grimaldi family. Father of Princess Antoinette and Prince Rainier, he founded in Monaco, in 1924, a Society of Conferences that welcomed among its first speakers Paul Valéry. His influence led Serge Diaghilev in 1922 to establish his Russian Ballets in Monaco, making it a major center for dance.
An enlightened artistic advisor to Prince Rainier, he chaired the Literary Council composed of academic and Francophone writers, as well as the National UNESCO Commission and the Monaco Olympic Committee. In 1960, he gifted the Caroline Library to his granddaughter and to all the children of the Principality. Prince Pierre died on November 10, 1964, and is buried in Monaco. In 1966, Prince Rainier III created the Prince Pierre Foundation to honor him and continue his legacy.
Perhaps the winds of the mind in Monaco blow more steadily than elsewhere, without ever diminishing their brilliance.
A poem-chair
“I adopted the chair, this familiar object, a few decades ago, at a time when I wanted to create art on a human scale in public spaces, while everywhere else people opted for the monumental: it is an object shaped like the body and serves the body. It is difficult to feel exclusive ownership of an object so universally shareable. It is mine when I occupy it, but if I leave it, someone else can claim it as their chair.” Michel Goulet, artist-sculptor
The project Prendre position
Prendre position is a sculpture-installation project of 47 chair-poems to mark the 100th anniversary of the Cité internationale universitaire de Paris. They were installed in a flowered meadow created especially for the occasion by the campus estate service.
This artistic installation was conceived by the Quebecois artist-sculptor Michel Goulet, in collaboration with François Massut, founding director of the collective Poésie is not dead.
Each house on the campus is represented by a chair, thanks to a donation from the Maison des étudiants canadiens and the support of the Labrenne group. Each of the 47 chairs is a unique work.
History and architecture of the house
The birth of the Monaco Foundation is closely tied to the history of its princely family. The initiative was launched by Prince Pierre of Monaco, born Pierre de Polignac, grandfather of the current Prince Albert II. In 1929, an initial donation enabled the creation of around 50 beds. Following Prince Pierre of Monaco’s withdrawal, Louis II – known as the soldier prince – took over the project and established a committee to secure additional funding from private sources.
