Décoration murale

In 1987, Michel Chiappori, architect and curator at the Prince’s Palace, asked Hubert Clérissi to design decorative panels for a new building being constructed on the corner of Rue des Princes and Rue Florestine. The project was intended to adorn the blind walls of the Cirius building, owned by the CAR pension fund. The artist proposed various designs, and in 1988 panels depicting the Roadstead of Monaco and Boats in the Port were chosen. The murals were completed in 1991. They were realised by the Marseille-based studio Bitschine-Nivoix. Bridging decorative arts and fine arts, these ceramic panels in the La Condamine quarter of Monaco epitomise the highly distinctive graphic style of Hubert Clérissi. The incisive lines reflect his feel for design. The motifs show the artist’s preferred subjects, namely timeless views of the Principality of Monaco.

Hubert Clérissi was born on 16 May 1923 in Monaco. Introduced to painting by his father Etienne, a watercolour artist, Hubert was taught by Giunio Colombo at the École Municipale des Arts Décoratifs in the Principality. He was eleven years old when his precocious talent was spotted by Jean-Gabriel Domergue. In 1950, Maurice Utrillo, President of the Jury at the Salon Monégasque, predicted he would go on to achieve great things in painting. Over four decades, he held more than forty solo exhibitions around the world.
A watercolour artist, painter, and illustrator, Hubert Clérissi’s style gradually evolved. At first influenced by Maurice Utrillo, by the 1980s he had graduated to strong lines and formative designs. Much of his work has themes of history and heritage. The artist depicts boats, trains, cars, tramways, and iconic locations around Monaco, as visual signs of the Principality’s urban development and technological progress. He died in 2000. The street where he founded in studio Villa Marie-Angèle, originally called Rue Augustin Vento, was renamed in his honour.