Princess Leith Eaton De-Grimaldi of Monaco recently visited our neighborhood for last month’s La Jolla International Fashion Film Festival. She was a special presenter during the awards section of the final evening at this red-carpet event. In her brief stay here, I was privileged to interview her and find out about her comings and goings. For one, she just recently announced her marriage to Prince Jean-Claude De-Grimaldi of Monaco. De-Grimaldi is a well-known fine artist and jewelry and fashion designer from Beverly Hills. She lived in La Jolla when she first moved to California and showed in an art gallery on Fay Avenue and another on Prospect Avenue. Her goal is to uplift the onlooker with her artwork, which includes vibrant landscapes to portraits of famous people such as royalty, politicians and movie stars. De-Grimaldi coined the term “scintillism,” which describes the process of her artwork. She applies many layers of color before the drying process begins, creating a three-dimensional appearance. She was named official artist at the Republican National Convention in San Diego in 1996. She also had a jewelry line called The Pulitzer-Speer Collection. The partnership was formed with Lily Pulitzer’s daughter Liza, and they created exaggerated classic designs. At one time, they were even in negotiations with Harry Platt, famed chairman of Tiffany & Company. I asked her what was on the horizon, and she said, “My new husband and I would be going back and forth from California to Monaco.” As a designer, she said she wants to design a fine jewelry line. Additionally, she said she would like to create a new clothing line that will encompass casual chic for her customers. In the past, she said, she had collaborated with many designers and she would like to do this again. This multi-talented designer has also made a documentary, made with Larry King and called “Peace for Profit.” The vision of this series is that we can achieve peace, not war, in our lifetime. It talks about resolving conflicts by exploring the economics of peace – peace, it says, can be profitable and achievable now. The first series is set in Israel and Palestine; additional episodes will be in India/Pakistan, China/Nepal, Africa and Cuba. De-Grimaldi founded the International Arts Association, a global network interconnecting artists with various mediums and backgrounds. The tag line for the organization is, “Promoting Creativity Worldwide.” The Knights of Malta gave her the position and title of Ambassador Dame Leith Scott Thomas Eaton for her work with the arts. For more information on this association, visit InternationalArtsAssociation.com. To contact this artist, visit leitheaton.com.
