Whoever enters the Casino de Monte-Carlo does not only get the chance to win at the gaming tables, but enters a legend. The neoclassical architect created more than just rooms, but enchanted environments, extraordinary spaces, where artists could express themselves with uncommon freedom in their inspiration, media and forms.
His contemporary, Anatole France, understood the profound significance of these spaces: 'To play', he wrote, 'is to go hand in hand with destiny'. The painters, sculptors and gilders have endeavoured to glorify the figure of the woman, the goddess of fortune at the entrance, and the ideal of beauty and happiness represented by the three graces of the Salle Blanche. Moving from one room to another, from the Atrium to the Americas, Europe and the White Room with its spectacular terrace overlooking the Mediterranean, visitors feel as if they are living in a never-ending dream. Just when they think they have seen it all, they push open the majestic doors of the incredible Salle Médecin, named after its Monegasque architect: a room of surreal dimensions, a tribute to life itself, symbolised by the vast paintings of the four seasons.
