STYLE ICONS – HOTELS AS ART GALLERIES

4th May 2004 – In a world where luxury can often equate to bland interiors and repetitive design, it is reassuring to know that some hotels still recognise the need for taste and individuality. 

A great way to echo the culture and history of any destination is to introduce original artwork into guest rooms and public areas.  Some hotels have taken this to the extreme and are literally art galleries, preserving and displaying precious artworks. 

The properties of Orient-Express Hotels & Trains are one such example – here you can find Gainsboroughs in guest rooms, 17th century frescos hidden on the walls of restaurants, façades designed by Michelangelo, exotic bedrooms hung with Vettrianos, bronzes inspired by Degas, hand blown glass sculpture by contemporary artist Juginder Lamba and original Lalique panelling on the icon of style, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.

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Downloadable high resolution photography of Orient-Express Hotels & Trains is available at www.orient-express.com in our ‘image library’ which appears under ‘media information’. 
 
For further press information, please contact:

Victoria Legg      
Public Relations Manager    
Tel:  (020) 7805 5067   
vicky.legg@orient-express.com   

VILLA SAN MICHELE
FLORENCE, ITALY

The precious 1642 fresco of the Last Supper by Nicoderno Ferrucci in the refectory of the Villa San Michele was carefully restored by hand in 1999 using materials of the period such as limewash and naturally occurring oxides, such as enamel.  The fresco is painted into three lunettes separated by two painted columns behind which the scene unfolds and had suffered some damage over the 350 years since its creation by soot, dust and water.  A further delight the restoration unveiled was the presence of a little white cat at the foot of the disciples, who appears to be enjoying his own fish supper.  The Villa San Michele is a former 15th century monastery in the hills above Florence.  Its façade is attributed to Michelangelo.

LA RESIDENCIA
DEIA, MALLORCA

The art collection at La Residencia is curated by the artist George Sheridan, who lives in Deia and owns the majority of the art hanging in the hotel.  George also organises the regular art exhibitions held in the Tafona room, all of which are by artists who have lived and worked locally.
 
There are outstanding works by over 85 artists hanging in La Residencia.  The Collection is contemporary in character and wide ranging in taste, with many of the exploratory directions of modern art celebrated.  Criteria used in choosing the art is not in the signature on the painting but rather its quality and a certain magical essence that distinguishes a work of art from purely decorative furnishings.

All works hanging at La Residencia are original and there are no reproductions, although some of the works on display are improvisations of European Masters such as Veláquez, Carvaggio, Georges de La Tour, Delacroix, Vermeer and Titian. 

La Residencia also offers guided walks around Deia with Frances Graves (married to one of Robert Graves' sons) who is an artist herself who recently had an exhibition at the gallery.  She takes clients on a guided walk through the village stopping at different places, some of these being artists' studios.

LE MANOIR AUX QUAT’SAISONS
OXFORDSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM

Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons is a delightful 15th century manor house set in 27 acres of magnificent gardens.  The 32 room hotel and restaurant is full of personal touches and the reception rooms combine elegance with casual grandeur, creating an ambience described by Sir Terence Conran as “a hymn to contemporary style”.  Chef Patron Raymond Blanc personally chooses all the original artwork for guest rooms and public areas, and his greatest extravagance is three original paintings by Britain’s most popular artist, Jack Vettriano, including the 2003 work, The Look of Love.  “I was instantly intrigued by Jack Vettriano’s work. Its fantasy and drama; the daring power and strength of woman-kind and the assumption of control,” comments Raymond Blanc. “With Jack’s work in mind I created the "Vettriano Suite" at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. It is a study of the male sensuality and an extension of fantasy, romance and humour.”

WINDSOR COURT HOTEL
NEW ORLEANS, USA

Considered an unofficial museum of art in New Orleans, the Windsor Court Hotel displays numerous original paintings, sculptures and antiques.  Lord James Crathorne, formerly affiliated with Sotheby Parke Bernet of London, was commissioned to travel throughout England, Europe and the United States to assemble the hotel’s collection.  The result was a compilation of original pieces with an estimated value in excess of eight million-dollars.  Most are of British origin depicting the Royal Family’s life at Windsor Castle.  Amongst the more prominent artists featured are Reynolds, Gainsborough, Van Dyck, Huysman, and de Largilliere.

Each area of the hotel reveals a treasure, one of which is a gift from His Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent.  While a guest at the Windsor Court Hotel, Prince Michael presented a beautiful portrait of his great-grandmother, Queen Alexandra.  This painting is now on display in the hotel lobby.  Another significant piece found in the lobby is King Charles II’s Last Sunday by William Powell Frith.  One of the most prominent painters of his time, Frith began his career painting scenes from literature. 

Upstairs in the Nash Corridor is a set of twenty-five hand-finished chromolithographs by Sir Joseph Nash. The prints, commissioned by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1848, depict apartments of the Royal Court not usually seen by the Royal Family's subjects or the general public.

In addition to paintings and lithographs, the hotel also houses a number of sculptures and miscellaneous pieces including: the courtyard statue of St. George and the Dragon by John Mills, The Bronze Pointers by Captain Adrian Jones (1845-1938) which stand sentry at the lobby doors, and the silver George V. Cup in the Polo Lounge that was awarded by the King of England to the winner of the 1910 Ascot Races.
 
The New Orleans Grill, located on the second floor of the Windsor Court, recently added the first of three museum quality murals by renowned local artist Auseklis Ozols.  Done in a defined, classic style, they provide an extraordinary complement to the European-style paintings that can be found throughout the hotel. 

Measuring approximately 7' x 17', each mural captures a different New Orleans scene: a tranquil plantation countryside, Jackson Square and the bustling French Market. The first mural depicts an 1860’s plantation scene capturing the architectural grace, expansive landscaping, and fascinating period characters that allow a glimpse back to days gone by. The Jackson Square mural will include scenes of the serene park and historic Pontabla Apartments, while the French Market mural will capture the colourful energy of a traditional farmer's market. 

Providing spectacular focal points in the various rooms, the hotel offers guests guided tours of the collection, which include viewing pieces on display in the Penthouse Suites and Meeting Rooms when unoccupied.

‘21’
NEW YORK, UNITED STATES

The murals in the men’s room at New York’s legendary restaurant ‘21’ are as much a part of its fabled history as the jockeys that line the façade of the most famous speakeasy in the Big Apple.  Created by American Artist Charles Baskerville (1986-1944), the watercolour murals painted on canvas feature whimsical scenes of men and women performing “bathroom acts” in an unconventional manner.  The paintings were created and approved by co-owners Jack Kriendler and Charlie Berns since ‘21’ was considered at the time a “men’s club, ” and the murals were thought to be good humour for the male patrons.  They were created in the mid 1930s and have been viewed by hundreds of thousands of men and women visitors of the restaurant.

In late 2002 ‘21’ opened an elegant and intimate 32-seat restaurant on the first floor called The Upstairs.  The design team responsible for the new restaurant was lead by architect Warren Platner, whose previous works include the former Windows on the World.  Platner commissioned Brooklyn-based artist Wynne Evans to paint four engaging and vibrant wall murals celebrating New York City landmarks at various times of the day throughout the year, circa 1935.  On the east wall, the scene is a mid-summer Sunday morning in Central Park beside the Bethesda Terrace and Fountain.  The west wall depicts a warm autumn afternoon at Grand Army Plaza.  The north wall highlights a snowy winter's eve in Times Square.  The south wall is Radio City in the springtime, surrounded by Channel Gardens' blooming tulips and the Prometheus Fountain.  "The effect is theatrical and enlarges the horizons of this very special restaurant," says Platner, whose new soft projection lighting flatters both murals and guests. 

MAROMA RESORT & SPA
RIVIERA MAYA, MEXICO

Maroma is home to a resident artist Bertand Castelli whose work is on display throughout the hotel. Often referred to as the Paul Gauguin of Maroma, he is also known for his work as the Executive Producer of the original Broadway musical “Hair”.  Of French decent, Mr. Castelli splits his time between NY, Paris, and Maroma.  The resort currently features his entire first collection of work which celebrates the female form set within regional scenes and images of Maroma as well as his “Hair” exhibit - a series of interpretive paintings based on his experiences with this legendary musical.  Mr. Castelli also discovered Donna Summer and launched her career by casting her in the Berlin production of “Hair.”

LA CABAÑA
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

As part of the recreation of the legendary La Cabaña restaurant in Buenos Aires in 2002, Orient-Express Hotels scoured the world to amass an amazing collection of original watercolours, oil paintings and pencil drawings by Argentinean artists, as well as sculptures and gaucho artefacts. 

The main focus of the art collection is 15 original paintings by the internationally acclaimed Argentinean artist Florencio Molina Campos worth over £30,000.  The paintings depict caricatures of swaggering gauchos and suave polo players in pencil, watercolour, oil and tempera.

Orient-Express Hotels also commissioned a bronze sculpture from the British artist John W. Mills entitled Degas Dancing – Tribute to Edgar Degas, which perfectly captures the spirit of the tango dancers seen on the streets of the city. The bronze showing the French artist dancing with his model is also worth over £30,000 and was shipped to Buenos Aires from the UK where it stands at the foot of the stairs in the main dining room on the ground floor.

Degas Dancing is one of a collection of six inspired by Edgar Degas.  According to Mills, “The subject matter for this series is based on an account I read of Edgar Degas’ occasional habit of arriving at his studio and finding the model ready to work, but feeling disinclined to start just then and still dressed in his street clothes he asks for dance. After a brief turn about the studio he raises his hat and thanking the girl, leaves the studio for the afternoon, probably for a meal. I am an admirer of Degas and like the eccentricity of the image evoked by that brief account."
 
This is the third bronze Orient-Express Hotels has commissioned from John W. Mills.  The sculptor also created the statue of St. George which stands in the courtyard in front of the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans and the four horses in the waterfall guarding the entrance of Charleston Place in South Carolina.

HOTEL MONASTERIO
CUZCO, PERU

The collection of original paintings in the Hotel Monasterio is one of the most interesting in the city of Cuzco.  Most of the pieces originate from the early XVIII century and have a Flemish influence.

Angels and demons populated the spiritual world of the XVIII century Cusquenians.  The sermons in the cathedral, full of Catholic fervour, described a nonmaterial world where evil ensnared the unwary at every turn.  All the paintings have a religious message and are meant to guard against temptation.

Many of the images have been highlighted with gilt brocade.  This stencil technique became popular in 1730 and was used to redecorate the paintings.

The Hotel Monasterio arranges free weekly tours of its art collection guided by a local art historian.

VENICE SIMPLON-ORIENT-EXPRESS
EUROPE

Stepping on board the vintage carriages of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is a treat for any Art Deco lover.  Consisting of two historic trains – the umber and cream British Pullman parlour cars and the distinctive dark blue livery and golden-brass lettering of the continental train –its carriages were built during the 1920’s and 1930’s and showcase exquisite Art Deco designs.

As Art Deco swept across the globe during the inter-war years it touched the design of everything, including travel and transportation. Cars, ocean liners and trains, all symbols of the modern world, helped spread this highly distinctive and glamorous style world-wide.  

The Orient-Express played its part in this and from the moment you set foot within these painstakingly restored carriages you can experience this fascinating period of style and design. Each carriage has a distinctive personality but scattered throughout are beautiful examples of glass panelling, furnishings and marquetry all designed by the leading names of the Art Deco era – Lalique, Nelson, Milne, Morison and Prou.

British Pullman – The 20’s and 30’s were the heyday of luxury train travel and the carriages built in this period were the most comfortable, elegant and luxurious ever constructed. The 11 parlour cars that make up the British Pullman carriages of the Orient-Express were all built between 1925 and 1938 but some are more strikingly Art Deco than others.
 
Audrey, Vera and Gwen built for the Brighton Belle service in 1932, have a popular Art Deco feel. Audrey and Gwen have bright chrome fittings, sun-blast design strip ceiling lights and marquetry panels that feature elaborate landscape scenes and Deco style shell motifs. The exotic marquetry in Vera depicts a stylised gazelle leaping between two curvaceous palm trees and the 1930’s upholstery has a subtle pattern of leaves and feathers.

Zena, built in 1928 and used in the Bournemouth Belle service between 1929 – 1946 has what are considered to be the most traditional Art Deco designs with marquetry featuring geometric shapes and hexagonal picture mirrors.

Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE) – There are a number of Art Deco designers whose work is prolific throughout the 17 Wagon-Lits carriages that make up the continental train.

The traditional craftsmanship, modern techniques and exotic materials used by Rene Prou suited the French scene of the 1920’s. He exhibited in the Paris exhibition of 1925, which launched the Art Deco movement and by the 1930’s had an international reputation.

Prou was responsible for the design of six VSOE sleeping cars between 1926 - 1929. Each compartment had elegant circles of stylised flowers in an ivory-like inlay set in a chequer board design.

Rene Lalique founded the Lalique Glass Company in the 1920’s when Art Deco style was at its most prevalent. The company is still producing glass sculptures, which are sold in the most exclusive shops around the world.

Lalique decorated one of the dining cars on the continental train in the Cote d’Azur style. He mounted panels of glass depicting ‘Bacchanalian maidens’ on the mahogany walls of the car. The faintly blue opaque glass shows various classical figures holding grapes, with a matching freeze of smaller panels. Lalique was also responsible for the design of some of the Pullman chairs and for the ‘Tulip’ wall lights, made of four interlocked petals in opaque glass, throughout the train. 

Other Art Deco marquetry and fittings by the English designers Morison and Maple can also be seen throughout the train. An abstract geometrical design known as ‘Trapeze’ by Maple and chrome Deco luggage racks can be found in the compartments of sleeping car 3482.