The Boustany family: powerful yet discreet, a symbol of relations between Monaco and Lebanon
Hospitality and art are in the Boustany family's blood © Hôtel Métropole Monte-Carlo
From patriarch Nabil Boustany, the man behind the rebirth of the Hôtel Métropole Monte-Carlo, to collector son Majid, a great admirer of the work of Francis Bacon, and his brother Fadi, who is perpetuating his father’s hotel legacy, the Boustany family is as discreet as it is deeply attached to the Principality and the Princely Family.
Francis Bacon believed “the most important thing is to look at the painting—to read the poetry, to listen to the music—not in order to understand it, or to know it but feel something.”
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On 28 October, the anniversary of the birth of the British painter and lover of Monaco, the Francis Bacon MB Art Foundation celebrated its tenth birthday – an opportunity, through a number of events organised for the occasion, to ‘feel’ once again the sheer power of the work of one of the 20th century’s greatest artists.
Founded in 2014 by Majid Boustany, the Foundation devoted to Francis Bacon quickly became a genuine institution in the Principality. Rivalled only by an incredible overnight stay at the Hôtel Métropole Monte-Carlo. An iconic establishment, the Métropole has undertaken a new round of major refurbishment work this year, just after being awarded two ‘keys’ by the famous Michelin Guide – an accolade which comes on top of the two ‘stars’ already held by the hotel’s restaurant, Les Ambassadeurs by Christophe Cussac.
Another success for the Boustany family, as the palace is owned by Majid and his brother Fadi. The family is as discreet as it is powerful in Monaco, its patriarch, Nabil Boustany, having taken up residence in the Principality in the 1970s.
Nabil Boustany, founder of the dynasty
Born in Lebanon in 1924, Nabil Boustany came from a long line of Lebanese statesmen, clergymen and scholars – the Boustany family counted Boutrous al-Boustany, a hero of the Arab renaissance, among its ancestors. After starting out in Lebanese politics, the property developer set his sights on Geneva and then Monte Carlo: “the Hôtel Métropole was for sale (…). The deal was done quickly,” he said towards the end of his life.
After the purchase, the entrepreneur embarked upon several years of rebuilding work, at the end of which the Métropole was inaugurated with great pomp and ceremony, in the presence of Prince Rainier III. The hotel quickly established itself as a palace with an international reputation, attracting the elite from all over the world.
Close to the Princely Family and a dear friend of Rainier III – who visited him every year at his Lebanese estate in Debbiyeh – Nabil Boustany was elected as a member of parliament in Lebanon in 1992, after which he spent most of the rest of his life in his native country – delegating the operational management of his Monegasque concerns to his two sons, Fadi and Majid, the following year.
In Beirut, where he then lived, the entrepreneur worked hard to rebuild the Lebanese capital, and involved himself in humanitarian efforts. The Nabil Boustany Foundation, co-founded in 2006 with his son Fadi, is helping to save and renovate several hundred churches in Lebanon.
When he passed away in 2009, Nabil Boustany left his children a multi-billion-dollar business and tourism empire: the Hôtel Métropole Monte-Carlo, of course, whose Belle-Époque style and exclusive suites designed by interior architect Jacques Garcia make it one of the jewels in the crown of Monaco’s hotel industry.
Not forgetting the Givenchy spa, the Karl Lagerfeld-designed pool area and Yoshi restaurant, the only Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant on the Côte d’Azur, as well as the Metropole Shopping centre and its 80 fashion, luxury, high-tech and jewellery boutiques. These are all major, iconic landmarks in Monaco, contributing to the Principality’s reputation beyond its borders.
Not forgetting the Givenchy spa, the Karl Lagerfeld-designed pool area and Yoshi restaurant, the only Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant on the Côte d’Azur, as well as the Metropole Shopping centre and its 80 fashion, luxury, high-tech and jewellery boutiques. These are all major, iconic landmarks in Monaco, contributing to the Principality’s reputation beyond its borders.
While the Boustany properties shine in Monaco and beyond, the family also excels – at being discreet. “It’s a very discreet family, extremely smart, wise, with a clear vision of what they want to achieve,” Serge Ethuin, general manager of the Métropole, told Hotels Magazine .
“Everything is so intentional,” says luxury consultant David Richey in the same issue, who believes that “The hotel as it exists today is entirely Fadi.” Born in 1967 in the village of Dibbiyeh, Monegasque resident Fadi Boustany has both Swiss and Lebanese nationality. In the early 1990s, Fadi began his career at the prestigious University of Cambridge, where he was one of the first students to join the British campus’ MBA course.
A memorable time in those hallowed halls for the businessman who, In 2018, financed the construction of a new building at the Cambridge Business School – which, in return, named a lecture theatre after its benefactor.
“Fadi was a brilliant part of our team when we were all at Cambridge together,” recalls one of his classmates, “and has remained an inspiring and generous friend ever since. His wonderful donation is a great example to us all.” No quest for glory for Fadi Boustany, however, as he is determined to continue his father’s work, cultivating the same insistence on discretion and the same concern for people.
Described by Jean-Claude Messant, of the Royal Mansour Marrakech, as “warm and friendly, lacking egotism, but a tough manager,” Fadi prefers, by his own admission, “To put [his] money into doing something amazing and then letting people publicize it. It takes more time, but when it works, it works,” he said in a – very – rare 2018 interview with Hotels Magazine.
Happiness in discretion…
Majid Boustany, a legacy of art
Fadi’s brother Majid also seems to share this credo. Born in 1966 in the family village of Dibbiyeh and co-owner, with his brother, of the Hôtel Métropole Monte-Carlo, Majid Boustany has chosen to devote his life to art. And more specifically to the art of Francis Bacon.
His passion for the artist’s work was sparked during a visit to London’s famous Tate Gallery: “When Bacon burst into my life, I was quickly fascinated by this unique, unclassifiable, self-taught and uncompromising giant whose works raise burning questions,” the tireless collector told Monaco Tribune in April 2022.
In 2014, Majid Boustany therefore naturally decided to devote most of his energy to promoting the work of the British artist. And to inaugurate, at the Villa Elise in Monaco and in the presence of Prince Albert II, the only foundation devoted entirely to the work of Francis Bacon.
“The project of a lifetime” for Majid Boustany, for whom “the idea of creating, in Monaco, the only foundation in the world dedicated to the work of Francis Bacon seemed an obvious one, since the artist lived here at the end of the 1940s and kept returning for long periods throughout his life.”
“This private, not-for-profit institution will be a new cultural entity on the Monegasque scene,” said the collector in 2014. And he was proved right indeed. With a collection of over 3,500 works, the Francis Bacon MB Art Foundation has established itself as a key venue for the research, study and promotion of the painter’s work over its 10-year lifetime.
“Expanding the influence of his work is and will remain among my highest priorities,” says Majid Boustany, adding “I cherish the hope that the research to come and the support provided for future projects related to Bacon will reveal yet unknown aspects of this unparalleled artist.”
In addition to his passion for Bacon, the elder Boustany brother is also an outstanding patron of the arts. In 2020, Majid Boustany donated over two million euros to the Ecole du Louvre. Franck Riester, the former French Minister of Culture, hailed the gesture as “the largest ever for a higher education establishment for which the Ministry of Culture is responsible.”
Embed from Getty ImagesKnown as much for his discretion – a rare quality in a patron of the arts – as for his personal commitment to researching and safeguarding artistic heritage, Majid Boustany also initiated the creation of a research grant and the Prix Denon at the Louvre.
Last but not least, in 2020 Majid Boustany launched an eponymous fund as part of the Louvre Museum Endowment Fund, dedicated to conserving and promoting the Parisian institution’s collections.
Monaco-Lebanon: an enduring bond
Monegasque resident Majid Boustany’s generosity is also directed towards the Principality. In 2021, the collector donated a painting by Francis Bacon to Monaco’s media library; a few years earlier, in 2016, he helped put together an exhibition dedicated to the figurative artist at the Grimaldi Forum.
Nothing out of the ordinary for Majid Boustany, who was made Officer of the Order of Cultural Merit by Prince Albert II himself in 2015. When he spoke to us he described the relationship between his family and Monaco as “an extremely strong bond. My family has been here for over forty years and I am deeply attached to the Principality and the Princely Family.”
This unique bond is echoed by the Principality and its inhabitants with regard to Lebanon, the birthplace of the Boustany family. Whether it is Monegasque officials travelling to Lebanon as part of the bilateral cooperation between the two countries, moral, material or financial support in the wake of the terrible explosion in the port of Beirut in August 2020 – thanks in particular to Les Amis du Liban Monaco – or, more recently, emergency aid for the Lebanese people affected by the war in the Middle East, the bond between the Principality and the Lebanon has endured and grown stronger over the years. A bond as powerful as it is discreet, like the Boustany family.