Formerly known as the “Salle de Jeux Garnier”, this room was designed by the architect Charles Garnier and inaugurated in 1881. It is richly decorated, with a herringbone-patterned floor.
Eight paintings adorned the walls of this room :
“La Pêche” and “L'Escrime” by Gustave Boulanger, a French neo-classic and orientalist painter (born in Paris on April 25th, 1824 – died in the night of September 21st-22nd, 1888, in Paris). Boulanger was used to painting historic subjects, mythological compositions or traditional subjects. He entered the Fine Arts Academy Paris in 1846, won the “Prix de Rome” in 1849 and exhibited his work regularly at the “Salon de Paris” from 1848 to 1875. He became a Member of the Fine Arts Academy in 1882.
“L'Equitation and “Le Crocket” by Georges Clairin, a French orientalist painter (born in Paris on September 11th, 1843 – died at Belle – Ile en Mer, June 5th, 1919). Clairin made his début at the Salon of 1854. He then showed his work at the “Salon des Artistes Français” and the salon for French orientalist painters, at the “Société Coloniale des Artistes Français” and the “Salon des Artistes Algériens et Orientalistes d'Alger”.
He won a silver medal at the World Fair in Paris in 1889.
He was given a major exhibition in Paris in 1901.
He was made an Officer of the Legion of Honor in 1897.
Georges Clairin often worked with Hippolyte Lucas.
“La Chasse” and “Les Voyages” by the French painter Jules Emile Saintin (born in L'Aisne in 1829 – died in Paris in 1894).
This was the second time Saintin worked in collaboration with Charles Garnier. In 1878, he painted one of the backcloths for the stage in the Salle Garnier Opera-House.
“Le Tir aux Pigeons” and “Canotage” by the French painter Jules Eugène Lenepveu (born on December 12th, 1819, in Angers – died in Paris in 1898). A painter of historical subjects, religious compositions, allegorical subjects and battle scenes. He won the “Prix de Rome” in 1847. Decorated with the Legion of Honour in 1861, he was promoted to the rank of Officer in 1876. From 1872 to 1878, Lenepveu was appointed Director of the Villa Medicis in Rome. His collaboration with Charles Garnier began in Paris when he participated in producing a screen for the decoration of the Opera-House.
These paintings unfortunately disappeared during refurbishment work carried out in 1969. Only a few photos remain attesting to their existence.
In 1898, during work carried out on the Salon de l'Europe, Henri Schmit modified the roof of the Salle de Jeux Garnier, adding a dome recalling that of the Theater.
Transformed in1969 by André Levasseur, the ceiling was lowered and the room lost its original decor. Since then it has been known as the “Salle des Amériques”, following the installation of American games (American roulette, Black–Jack and Craps).
When it was reopened on March 15th, 1969, the Casino’s second costume ball, the "Bal des Têtes”, was attended by Their Serene Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Monaco dressed as Chinese Emperors.
In 1988, reconstruction work was undertaken with classic decor and refurbishment of the original ceiling. Ange Pecoraro created a decor of mirrors in brass and different colors. On the ceiling, the allegorical figures in the center of each panel represent the four seasons.
The refurbisment work begun in June and completed in November, 2005, gave back to the Salle des Amériques its original decor as it had been designed by Charles Garnier. On this occasion, three large paintings were hung on the walls, copies of masters :
- Two works after Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema representing women on a Mediterranean terrace. Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema was a British artist of Dutch origin (born on January 8th, 1836, at Dronrijp, The Netherlands – died June 25th, 1912, at Wiesbaden, Germany). His great talent for reproducing antique architecture had won him the nickname “painter of marble”. In 1862, he married a French girl, Marie Pauline Gressin de Boisgirard. Fearing a Prussian invasion, he left France, like Monet and Pissarro, settling in London in 1870. In 1876, he became a Member of the Royal Academy and in 1899, he was knighted by Queen Victoria. - A large canvas after C. Bokelman (a German painter from the region around Bremen), representing gamblers around a gaming table, in the Salle Mauresque.
A fitted carpet with a large pattern was specially commissioned for the restoration of the Salle des Amériques, to unify certain elements with the Salon de l'Europe.
The room has a new Change counter in pale mahogany adorned with bronzes and topped by a sanded glass screen with gold grooving : it accommodates 3 cash desks, eight Black-Jack tables and two American roulette tables. The slot machines have disappeared.
