The late HSH Princess Grace would have turned 80 this year had she not been tragically killed in a car crash in the 1980s. Painter Peter Engels’ portrait of the Princess, Vintage, will be auctioned on May 9 at 3 p.m. by Sotheby’s at the Casino de Monaco, in the presence of her son, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco.
   Last year, Engels’ 200 by 100 cm portrait of Nelson Mandela, painted with a pallet knife and revealed prior to Mandela’s 90th birthday, was auctioned with proceeds going to the former president’s Aids charity, 46664 (named for his cell number during South Africa’s apartheid years). Both Engels and his Mandela painting appeared on the screen at Times Square in New York.
   This time, proceeds from the auction will go to the Lions’ Club of Monaco, for handicapped children.
   Engels says, ‘I pay homage to one of the most elegant women of all time. She was a fascinating woman. She remains an icon 25 years after her death, and continues to fascinate us.’

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