A new coffee table book is telling the story of how the Casino de Monte-Carlo grew from a 19th-century gaming house into the birthplace of modern Monte-Carlo.
Casino de Monte-Carlo: The Grand Art of Gaming, published by luxury publisher Assouline and unveiled with Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer (SBM) on Tuesday, October 6, looks at the Casino as an architectural masterpiece, a glittering social stage and a lasting symbol of Monegasque elegance.
It follows the vision of the businessman and developer François Blanc, who understood that the Casino’s success would depend on far more than the chance of a roulette wheel. Under his impetus, it opened the doors to a new art of living, surrounded by grand hotels and sumptuous gardens and at the heart of the most memorable celebrations.
The author is Charlotte Lubert-Notari, head of heritage at SBM, who according to Assouline spent 13 years uncovering the building’s hidden staircases and secret archives. She takes readers through its most remarkable spaces, including the monumental Atrium, the Salle Europe, the Salon Rose, the Salle des Amériques and the Salle Blanche.
Each room tells a different chapter in the Casino’s history, shaped over generations by architects, artists, sculptors and decorators. Together they form a rich interior that has evolved with the times.
Those spaces have also been immortalised on screen, in Ocean’s Twelve (2004) and in the James Bond classics Never Say Never Again (1983) and GoldenEye (1995).
Historic photographs from the SBM archives capture the glamorous, cosmopolitan atmosphere that reigned in Monaco throughout the 20th century, while contemporary images bring the story to the present day. The result, SBM says, celebrates the vision, beauty and sense of freedom that made the Casino legendary, along with the role it still plays in shaping Monaco’s identity.
The book costs €120. It is on sale at the Casino de Monte-Carlo and Drugstore Monte-Carlo boutiques, and on the Assouline website and in its boutiques. Orders can also be placed by email at retail@sbm.mc.