On April 1, 2025, the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco announced the results of its ninth edition of the educational initiative 'Les Apprentis Collectionneurs', launched in 2017 to engage adolescents with contemporary art and the mission of collecting.

The program is supported by SOGEDA (Société pour la Gestion des Droits d'Auteur) and involves students from the final year art specialization at Lycée Albert-Ier, guided by their professor Jean-Guy Cuomo and Benjamin Laugier, the museum's public engagement officer.

Throughout the year, 24 students participated in workshops, discussions, and visits designed to immerse them in the world of contemporary art.

This year, they visited ARCOmadrid, one of Europe’s premier contemporary art fairs, where they conducted research and selected artworks from a single artist, working within a budget of €20,000.

On March 26, students presented their selections to a jury that included S.A.R. la Princesse de Hanovre, President of the Acquisition Committee and Board of Directors of the NMNM; Daniela Memmo d’Amelio, a prominent museum patron and member of the Acquisition Committee; Hélène Audiffren, an arts consultant with the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regional Cultural Affairs Directorate; artist Francisco Tropa; Jean-Philippe Vinci, Director of National Education, Youth and Sports (Monaco); Célia Bernasconi, Chief Curator of the NMNM; and Björn Dahlström, Director of the NMNM.

The students' selections reflected their engagement with significant contemporary themes, including climate change, post-colonialism, identity, and migration.

Ultimately, three works by American artist Peter Fend were acquired for the NMNM collection: 'Global Warming' (2025), a lightbox; 'Azioni Sulla Terra' (2024), a collection of 18 drawings; and 'Oasi con linee del volo' (2025), an impression and pencil on paper.

These works were presented by student Clara Oliveria Mendes and acquired from the Pinksummer gallery in Genoa.

Peter Fend, born in 1950 in Columbus, Ohio, has been recognized for his innovative approach that merges art and activism.

His work aims to raise awareness and inspire action regarding environmental and geopolitical issues through artistic interpretations.

For instance, 'Oasi con linee di volo' depicts migratory bird routes across northern Africa, while 'Azioni Sulla Terra' illustrates territorial conquests that redefined borders during armed conflicts.

'Global Warming' (2025) is a recent reinterpretation of a work originally conceived in 1999, responding to global climate change events.

This luminescent installation echoes Ed Ruscha’s 'Twentysix Gasoline Stations' (1963) and is designed to provoke audience reflections on a major contemporary issue while also pointing to one of its primary causes—the reliance on fossil fuels, symbolized by the resemblance to Exxon Mobile gas station signage.

A special mention was awarded to Joséphine Giordano for the quality of her presentation.

Past editions of the program have facilitated the acquisition of works by notable artists including Andreas Angelidakis, Mark Dion, Rita Ferreira, Carsten Höller, Pierre Joseph, Katia Kameli, Anton Kannemeyer, David Medalla, Mika Rottenberg, and Xavier Theunis.