Art Collection at Leading Hotels

A PICTURE IS WORTH A
THOUSAND WORDS
Art Collections at Leading Hotels

A picture is worth a thousand words – and in that respect, many
members of The Leading Hotels of the World have volumes of
stories to tell. The tales include, not just paintings and graphic
art, but sculptures, photographs and mixed-media installations.
Some collections are international in scope; some are treasure
troves of local or regional talents. All serve to enrich and enhance
the guest experience and to create a unique sense of place. Here
are just a few examples of the richness and diversity of artwork
to be found among the members.
InternatIonaL ConneCtIonS
The collection at Austria’s Schloss Fuschl comprises more than
170 Old Master paintings, ranging from the 17th to the 19th
centuries and including works by Dutch, Flemish, French, Italian,
German and Austrian artists. The employees of Bernheimer
Gallery Schloss Fuschl offer guided tours of the collection in a
variety of languages. Among the many highlights are Allegory of
Spring, a collaboration between by Joos de Momper the Younger
and Jan Brueghel the Elder; Allegory of Taste by Jean François
de Troy; Music Teaching Cupid to Play the Lyre by François
Boucher; The Golden Cloak by Maximilian Lenz; Portrait of
Princesse Murat by Franz Xavier Winterhalter; Still Life with
Flowers by Hendrick de Fromantiou; Banquet Still Life by
Cornelius de Heem; Still Life of Fruit with a young Girl by
Michelangelo da Camidoglio; and Architectural Capriccio by
Giovanni Paolo Panini. At the heart of the Schloss Fuschl Collection
are 15 paintings of the Austrian rococo artist Johann
Georg Platzer.
Hotel negresco in Nice is renowned for its extensive and very
eclectic collection of art with 1,250 works on the walls and
approximately 80 sculptures, representing epic periods in the
history of France, from the Renaissance to the 3rd Millennium.
It ranges from the classical and historical paintings of the royal
portraits in the Salon Louis XIV and Salon Royal, and pieces by
Schloss Fuschl
Renoir and Franz Xavier Winterhalter, to the works of such contemporary
artists as Raymond Moretti, Salvador Dali, Niki de St
Phalle, Yvaral, Victor Vasarely, and Jean Cocteau. Perhaps the
most noted jewel in the crown is the official portrait of Louis XIV
by Hyacinthe Rigaud which has hung in the hotel’s Salon
Versailles since 1991. There are only two other such portraits extant:
one in the Chateau de Versailles and the other in the Louvre.
Among the 112 pieces in the collection at the Widder in Zurich
are lithographs by Andy Warhol, including one entitled Ram; 2
Homme and 1 Femme, sculptures by Raffael Benazzi; works on
paper by Aldo Rossi; an Alberto Giacometti lithograph, Nu
Debout; Augusto Giacometti pastels, and paintings by Serge
Poliakoff. When Robert Rauschenberg stayed in the Penthouse
Suite in 1995, he was inspired for one of his masterpieces called
Tenant. He actually painted it to be placed in the Suite in a spot
that he thought was "empty." The hotel bought the painting later
and placed it in the Penthouse Suite – as the artist had intended.
the Grove in Hertfordshire, England, is home to an impressive
collection of art which complements the hotel’s glamorous
interiors, giving guests an environment that is also fun and relaxed.
There are nearly 200 pieces by the German “object artist”
Volker Kühn, whose work is reminiscent of the boxes, cases and
cabinets made by Marcel Duchamp, Kurt Schwitters and Joseph
Cornell. The much talked-about French sculptress Nathalie
Decoster designed distinctive sculptures for the hotel – one
outside the front entrance, more in the formal gardens and one
outside the entrance to the golf house. American-born sculptor
Gregory Ryan created the magnificent five-panel aluminum
Water Wall, a reproduction of the sea off the coast of Deauville,
at the entrance to the hotel’s spa. He also designed the two large
bronze posts that stand next to the ornamental canal in the formal
garden, each one is topped by the skeleton of a large leaf, cast in
bronze from leaves taken from the estate.

Sculpture by Nathalie Decoster
The Grove, Hertfordshire

Elysian, Chicago
An outstanding feature of one aldwych in London is an exciting
collection of contemporary art, selected personally by Managing
Director Gordon Campbell Gray. There are more than 350 paintings
and sculptures, from England, Europe, Africa and the United
States displayed throughout the hotel. Among the artists represented
are sculptor André Wallace, whose Boatman with Oars is
the central feature of the lobby, and the first thing guests see when
they arrive. Sculptress Emily Young’s The Head of Dionysus is
also on display in the lobby, while Justine Smith’s papier maché
dog sculpture is the cause of many smiles from guests, as they
check in at reception. English artist Richard Walker has painted
a large mural entitled Secret City, directly onto the walls of Axis
Restaurant, creating a dramatic focal point for the room. Also in
the collection are paintings by Richard Bartle, Mimei Thompson,
David Breuer Weil, Sandra Liccione and Dutch artist Joost Beerents,
and mixed-media pieces by William Dick, Joanna Chapman,
Gerardo Bricourt and Anna Shutt.
The collections in the Sherwood taipei can be classified in two
categories: those from 18th century and pre-impressionist 19th
century Europe; and those from the Far East; which combine to
illustrate the spirit of the hotel as a crossing of cultures between
West and East. The latest acquisition, Large Interior Form by
Henry Moore, one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th century,
also known as “the last of the romantics,” is situated in the forecourt.
Other notable works include: SU-Zhou Canal, by renowned
Chinese artist Yi-Fei Chen, who favored subjects such as natural
scenery, historical figures and musicians. Constrained during the
Chinese Cultural Revolution to eulogizing doctrinarism, in 1983
he began to establish his reputation in the West with his solo
exhibition in New York. Another charming painting in the collection
is Le Petit Patissier by Aime Deschamps, first displayed
during the 1878 World’s Fair.
The soon-to-open elysian in Chicago will have approximately
65 pieces in its public space and over 1,000 pieces in the 188
guestrooms and suites. The collection includes the works of 30
international contemporary artists, and encompasses photography,paintings,
drawings, fibers and sculptures. In the lobby is a
large-scale oil painting by Austrian painter Herbert Brandl
commissioned by the hotel. Other lobby works include two
sculptures by Javier Marin, a large scale color photograph from
Seton Smith’s Istanbul Series and an oil alkyd and graphite linen
piece entitled Union by Mark Sheinkman. Other featured pieces
include a tapestry entitled Victoire and the Life of Beauty by
Marilyn Pappas and Rose, a black and white photograph by Bing
Wright. If guests are interested in a particular piece, they can
purchase artwork through Patti Gilford, the project’s art
consultant.
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The Bellagio in Las Vegas boasts an international collection of
more than 100 pieces, including paintings, lithographs, sculptures
and woodcuts. Among the artists represented are Pablo Picasso
(Aztec Vase with Four Faces, Bust of a Man 1969 oil on canvas,
Still Life with Flowers and Fruit Dish 1943 oil on canvas, Woman
with Beret 1938 oil on canvas), David Hockney (Hotel Acatlan:
Second Day and Hotel Acatlan: Two Weeks Later), Jasper Johns,
Julian Schnabel and Frank Stella. The peripatetic Robert
Rauschenberg stayed at the hotel while he worked on a commission
of two large-scale paintings for the main lobby. Dale Chihuly
is also a frequent guest and one of his massive installations also
graces the lobby.
artISt In reSIdenCe
Many hotels acquire artwork from external sources. Some members
of Leading Hotels have served as an atelier. The Lancaster
in Paris had its own artist in residence, the Russian émigré Boris
Pastoukhoff who stayed at the hotel on many occasions during
the 1930s and exchanged more than 80 of his paintings for
payment of his bill. Pastoukhoff’s works still hang on walls of
The Lancaster and bear testament to his skills as a portraitist and
still life painter. His work is also found among private and public
collections throughout the world, including the Brooklyn
Museum of Fine Arts and Moderne, Madrid.
reGIonaL reFLeCtIonS
The Hotel Sacher Wien houses one of the largest private
collections of original art in Austria, comprising approximately
1,000 pieces. The gourmet restaurant Anna Sacher features an
exceptionally comprehensive group of paintings by Anton
Faistauer. The artist ranks among the most important painters
and leading exponents of the “Österreichische Moderne”
(Austrian Modernism). His oeuvre – portraits, landscapes and still
life – is characterized by a vivid painting style and rather dark,
but radiant use of color. Greatly influenced by Paul Cezanne,
Faistauer also decorated the walls of the Small Festival Hall
Salzburg with monumental frescoes in 1926. These are only

partially preserved today. In 1939 they were taken down and
could only be replaced partly in 1956.
One of the best-known Bohemian painters, Ludek Marold, created
magnificent frescoes throughout Hotel Le Palais in Prague.
He was not only responsible for the artistic design of the original
building; he also lived on the top floor until 1898. Guests can
observe the extent of his talents in the delicate floral tracings that
grace the stairways of the hotel and in the incredible overhead
treatment in the Marold Suite. Further examples of his work can
be seen in the Belle Epoque, Bellevue and Boheme Suites. His
most famous work, the remarkable panorama The Battle of
Lipany, can also be seen at the Prague Exhibition Grounds. Nonresidents
can admire the frescoes in the public areas of the hotel,
and on request they can arrange a private tour to see those in
unoccupied suites.
In total, 500 pictures and original works are on display at the
Louis C. Jacob, the majority of which were created by artists
who lived, worked or taught in Hamburg. Each room has at least
one work by a local artist. Featured are pieces from the 18th, 19th
and early 20th centuries, as well as carefully selected contemporary
works. The Hamburg Artists Club, which was founded in
1897 by young painters in search of a progressive literary
language, met at Hotel Jacob, with Berlin artist Max Liebermann.
Resident of the hotel in the summer of 1902, the impressionist
painted Terrasse im Restaurant Jacob, which is now on display
at the Hamburger Kunsthalle (Hamburg Art Museum). Other
works by Liebermann, including the painting Blick von der
Terrasse des Restaurant Jacob now hang in the hotel.
Of course one would expect to find paintings by Dutch masters
in Amsterdam, and indeed Hotel de l’europe has several displayed
in the lobby. Just a few of the works on view are: Hendrik
Dirk Kruseman van Elten’s Op de Heide oil on canvas; The Call
to the Colors, oil on panel by Herman ten Kate; Eduard Alexander
Hilverdink’s Munttoren Amsterdam; Johannes Karel Christiaan
Klinkenberg’s Winter: A View of the Oude Waal, Amsterdam with
the St. Nicolaaskerk Beyond, at Sunset; Amsterdams Stadsgezicht
oil on canvas by Evert Jan Ligtelijn; Johannes Weiland’s
Homework; and Gentlemen Visiting an Exhibition by Henri
Timmermans.
The Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest houses a collection
of more than 1,000 pieces, almost exclusively by Hungarian
artists. Indeed, the hotel’s business plan devotes a percentage of
its budget to be spent on its nation’s artistic heritage. Painter Bela
Kadar incorporated themes of Hungarian folklore and peasant life
into his art, and his style reflected many of the artistic movements
of the early 20th century including expressionism, constructivism
and cubo-futurism. The hotel is proud to have his Landscape in
Blue among its collection. A student of the Julian Academy, Paris,
and the École des Beaux-Arts, Odon Marffy worked in the studio
of Cormon. A leader of Hungarian postimpressionism, he retained
remnants of constructivism of his youth, combining elements of
the Paris school with Hungarian traditions. His painting Circus
hangs in the hotel. Other national artists represented include
Miklos Barabas, Erno Fischer and Hugo Scheiber.
Noted Irish landscape artist Frank Eggington is well represented
in the collection on display at ashford Castle in County Mayo
with a total of 27 pieces on view. Watercolor works include
Glenmesk, County Mayo – Haymakers Near a Farmstead with
Distant Mountains, Two Donkeys and a Donkey Foal on a
Country Road with Distant Mountains, Lake and Mountain
Landscape with Farmer Building a Turf Reek with Donkey
Alongside, and Connemara Farmstead with Clothesline. Among
the Eggington oil paintings in the group are Connemara
Mountain and River Landscape with Distant Cattle Grazing, The
Maam Valley,Connemara with a Lone Tree by a Stream, Killarny
Harbour with Distant Mountains, and Ballycroy, County Mayo –
Woman Outside a Cottage with Donkey Carrying Turf.
In Dublin, the Merrion houses one of Ireland’s largest private
collections of art, with the majority of the work by 19th and 20th
century Irish artists, many of whom have been residents of the
city. Notable works include: Jack B. Yeats’s The Hour of Sleep
1951, with abstract color and loose expressive brushwork, it
features a man sleeping amid flowers beside a lake; Louis Le
Brocquy’s Lady in White 1951; Martin Mooney’s Imaginary
Views of Daingan, a triptych commissioned for the opening of
the hotel in 1997; Roderic O’Connor’s Red Rocks & Sea 1898;
and William Scott’s Still Life with Pots & Pans 1973. While it is
a private collection and not open to the general public, tours led
by a guide from the National Gallery can be arranged and a full
catalogue of the works is available.
Among the collection at the Westbury in Dublin are several
pieces by native son Patrick Scott. Best known for his gold
paintings, abstracts incorporating geometrical forms in gold leaf
against a pale tempera background, he originally trained as an
architect. Three of his works are featured in the Grafton Suite
Lobby – Flame Device, White Foam and Orange Device. His
paintings are also in several important collections including the
Museum of Modern Art in New York. Other 20th-century and
contemporary artists on display in The Gallery of the hotel are
landscape painter Norah McGuinness, figurative painter Michael
Kane, abstract expressionist Barrie Cooke, and romantic painter
Daniel O’Neill.
The Hour of Sleep by Jack B. Yeats
The Merrion,Dublin

Ashford Castle, County Mayo

The Seven Stars Galleria in Milan has just unveiled a group of
works from the private collection of noted Italian art dealer
Giorgio Baratti. The highlight is the portrait Vittorio Amedeo II,
Duke of Savoy and King of Sardinia, His Excellency Visconti
painted by Felice Biella. Also included are paintings by the grand
masters of Tuscany, such as Jacopo Vignali (Arezzo 1592-
Florence 1644) and Domenico Pugliani (Florence 1589-1658),
along with sculptures from private collections assembled by
experts, and Flemish tapestries from the 16th and 17th centuries.
Guests can make arrangements for guided tours of the exhibitions
which are on display on the noble floor of the Galleria V.
Emanuele II.
The Albemarle restaurant at Brown’s Hotel in London is the
showcase for a number of noted contemporary British artists.
Among them are Tracey Emin, who works in a multitude of
media – painting, drawing, installations, sculpture, photography,
needlework and video; Mat Collishaw, whose paintings also hang
in the Tate in London and Centre Pompidou in Paris; Tim Noble
and Sue Webster, a couple who have exhibited in London, New
York, Boston, Athens and Copenhagen; painter and sculptor Toby
Zeigler; Peter Peri, whose pieces have been shown in London,
New York, Basel and Berlin; the photographer Rankin; and
painters Caragh Thuring, Keith Coventry and Bridget Riley.
Also, the Donovan Bar pays homage to Terence Donovan, one of
Britain's most famous photographers, with 50 of his black and
white photos on display.
More South African treasures are on display at one&only Cape
town, including pieces by actor-turned-artist William Kentridge;
photographers Nontsikelelo Veleko, Guy Tillim and David
Goldblatt; multi-media artists Moshekwa Langa, Deborah Bell
and Peter Clarke; sculptors Walter Oltmann and Paul Edmunds;
and sculptor and printmaker Jeremy Wafer. Among the most
notable works are Walking Stick Jig, a wall sculpture by Willem
Boshoff, arguably South Africa’s best-known sculptor and
conceptual artist. Both evocative and sensuously aesthetic, Berni
Searle’s piece, Offering is the highlight in Gordon Ramsay’s maze
restaurant. The 14 panels depict abstracted red and ochre crepe
paper forms that bleed vibrant, swirling color into water. The
piece draws on the artist’s Cape Malay heritage, invoking the
rituals and traditions that persist through generations. Nobu at
One&Only Cape Town houses another special commission from
sculptor and printmaker Brett Murray. The lino-cut piece in wood
and finished in gold against a claret background, delivers an
interesting marriage of South African and Eastern iconography.
Camino real Club & Suites in Mexico City houses more than
500 pieces of art, including paintings, murals, sculptures and decorative
items. The hotel, opened in 1968 as the official host of
the Olympic Games, was conceived as a sculptural space, where
each wall and area was designed to showcase some of the best
artists of the time. One of the most exceptional works of Mathias
Georitz is the hotel’s famous exterior lattice, which is a blend of
Mexican and Moroccan elements. Upon entering the hotel, one
finds an immense mural by Rufino Tamayo, considered by experts
to be his best work. Another remarkable piece is a mosaic
entitled The 16 Riddles of a Hindu Astronaut by Pedro Friedeberg,
one of whose paintings is next to the ballroom, and whose
hand-shaped chair sculpture is next to the front desk. In the presidential
suite is a painting by David Alfaro Siqueiros, a contemporary
of Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco, who together
gave a new concept of the Mexican visual art. Other artists represented
include painter Rodolfo Morales, Pedro Coronel, Jose
Luis Covarrubias and Javier Esqueda.
Grand Velas all Suites & Spa resort riviera nayarit celebrates
the art of Mexico. Every suite has works by artists from
the Jalisco and Oaxaca area as well as the Huichol Indians,
including Amador Montes, Raul Soruco, Roland Rojas, Ernesto
Cruz and Isabel Moncada. Sculptor Alejandro Colunga created
two pieces for the hotel: in the lobby, El Majo a sculpture of a
high chair made of bronze next to a lectern, and in the Imperial
Suite, El Niño, another bronze chair with a clown. Similar pieces
by Colunga can also be seen in downtown Puerto Vallarta.
These are only a few examples of the artistic tales Leading Hotels
can tell. We invite you to set off on your own quest in search of
more.
For reservations and information,
visit www.lhw.com or contact a travel professional.

SU-Zhou Canal by Yi-Fei Chen
The Sherwood Taipei