The blue cover is pulled aside and revealed a sculpture that depicts the Greek soprano Maria Callas together with Princess Grace of Monaco and at the same time “reveals” the two women’s close friendship.

The unveilings that took place in the foyer of the Megaro Musikis Thessaloniki, the place where the artwork will be installed, were made by the president of the Maria Callas Monaco Gala & Awards Ioanna Efthymiou, the consul of Monaco in Greece Vassilis Apostolopoulos, the president of the Megaro Eugenia Alexandropoulou Agyptiadou, the Prince of Monaco’s envoy Luciana De Montigny and the artist who designed it Marcos Marin.

“The event has all the emotions from the time of Maria Callas, her friendship with Grace Kelly and reaches today. I think that this extraordinary sculpture that will adorn the Concert Hall will forever symbolize the friendship between Greece and the Principality of Monaco” said the Consul of Monaco, Mr. Apostolopoulos.

This is an event that is part of the international institution Maria Callas Monaco Gala & Awards, a gala that is being held for the first time in Greece, specifically next Saturday, in Thessaloniki. “The sculpture, which is Princess Grace and Maria Callas embracing, symbolizes Greece’s friendship with Monaco. In fact, Monaco was something very important for Maria Callas, because it was the only place where she felt rest and spent beautiful years with her love Aristotle Onassis and then alone” noted the president of the Maria Callas Monaco Gala & Awards Ioanna Efthimiou.

At the same time the event is part of the celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the birth of Maria Callas, an event for which the Thessaloniki Concert Hall has organized many related events. “But today we present an unknown aspect of the life of “La Divina”, Maria Callas. This unknown aspect is her connection and close friendship with Princess Grace of Monaco” said the president of the OMMT, Mr. Alexandropoulos, at the same time expressing the hope that today’s event will be the beginning of continued cooperation in the cultural sector of Monaco and Thessaloniki Music Hall.

The sculpture was created by the famous Brazilian artist Marcos Marin, who traveled from Monaco where he is based, to be at the event and sign his work in front of the audience. He spoke to the audience about his relationship with music, as he is a pianist himself, while emphasizing that he often listened at Maria Callas’ house, as his mother was an opera singer. He also spoke about his sensitivity to the environment and pointed out that it is an ecological construction made of hand-carved wood, which has different perspectives depending on where you look at it or the light that falls on it. The sculpture was donated by Clelia Hatziioannou, who lives mainly in Monaco and is known for her charity work.

“Thessaloniki, city of the world’s culture, today welcomes two legendary personalities of the art field and of the whole world. We are happy for the perspective that is slowly opening up even more for the city to become a center of world culture” said the secretary of K.O. of ND Stavros Kalafatis, who was among the guests of the event.