Albert I

Honorato Carlos Grimaldi was born on November 13, 1848, in Paris, becoming Prince Albert I of Monaco in 1889. He was a renowned oceanographer, having set off numerous scientific investigations, particularly in the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic. Between 1885 and 1904, he went on several expeditions to the Azores, some of which opened up the scientific world to the knowledge of the Atlantic.

In 1896 he discovered the great Princess Alice Bank, located off the islands of Pico and Faial, and the Hirondelle Trench, located between the islands of São Miguel and Terceira. Apart from oceanography, Alberto I was interested in meteorology, paleontology and anthropology.

He founded the Oceanographic Institute of Paris (1906), the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco (1911) and the Institute of Human Paleontology of Paris (1909-1914). He died on June 26, 1922, in Paris, leaving a wealth of documentation on science.

The bronze bust was made by F. Cogné.