This monumental work welcomes visitors near Porte Neuve, facing the sea. It was unveiled by H.S.H. Prince Albert II on Friday 15 September 2006. Five tonnes of patinated bronze and a year of work in the foundries of Pietrasanta in Tuscany were required to create this frame, which stands 5.5 metres h...
This monumental work welcomes visitors near Porte Neuve, facing the sea. It was unveiled by H.S.H. Prince Albert II on Friday 15 September 2006. Five tonnes of patinated bronze and a year of work in the foundries of Pietrasanta in Tuscany were required to create this frame, which stands 5.5 metres high and 5.5 metres wide. Nall thought big when making this work, titled Peace Frame, which showcases the object that can be seen through the frame: the Principality of Monaco.
Fred Nall Hollis, or Nall, is an American painter, portrait artist, engraver, sculptor and mosaicist, who was born in Troy, Alabama, in 1948. He started drawing as a child, then studied art, political science and psychology at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. In 1971, he was accepted into the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris with the top entrance score. His mentor, Salvador Dali, advised him as follows: “Draw from life, draw, again and again...” Inspired by the art of the Huichol Native American people, American psychedelic art, fauvism, impressionism and Japanese wash drawing, he produced primarily black and white drawings. Nall’s art reflects his environment. A keen traveller, he is inspired by Arab and Byzantine architecture, the geometric shapes in Alabama quilts and the geometric compositions by Mondrian. Nall moved to Nice in 1976. He purchased Jean Dubuffet’s studio in Vence in 1986, then the Karloyi Foundation, which was renamed the Nall Art Association in 1996, where many artists came to stay. Many creations link the artist to the Principality of Monaco. At the request of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, Nall produced an illustration for the 51st Monaco Red Cross Ball in 2000. He created two monumental mosaics, Sunrise & Sunset Pensée (each measuring 5 m x 5 m) to decorate the Grimaldi Forum in 2003, as well as the works Peace Frame and Violata Pax colombe as part of the Violata Pax project in 2006. His works are held in significant permanent collections in France, the United States and Italy. Nall currently lives in Fairhope, Alabama, where he teaches students.
