More and more hotels are serving up a side helping of impressive art for guests to admire. Here’s where to stay to find inspiration …
Designer du jour, Jonathan Anderson has said in the past that his preferred client is an art enthusiast. The same could be said of hotel guests who often travel especially to see and appreciate hotel art collections. In Ireland, the collections of The Merrion, Dublin, the Park Hotel Kenmare and Kelly’s Resort Hotel & Spa, Rosslare rival many galleries and museums for their import and magnificence.
There’s also a growing trend to have an artist in residence to enhance guest experience and foster creativity. Chains such as Ace, the Sofitel and 24 Hours hotels have programmes inviting artists to showcase their works.
At Claridge’s London, fashion illustrator David Downton’s pen portraits adorn its hallowed walls, while the artist can often be spotted in a tête-à-tête in Le Fumoir bar (a favourite haunt of designer Louise Kennedy). His residency began in 2011 and set a precedent for these cultural initiatives.
In Ireland, The Montenotte in Co Cork has an ongoing collaboration with Kildare Gallery which sees different local artists featured every month. Pop in over the summer and you’ll find evocative works of Alison Barry on display. If visiting Mount Juliet Estate in Co Kilkenny, peruse the installation in the Morning Room of the Manor House where works are on loan from the Butler Gallery Collection, forming part of the Patron Loan Scheme. Gormley’s gallery also works with several hotels to stage its popular immersive art installations, Art and Soul. The next will be at Belfast’s grande dame, The Culloden until August 31 where you’ll find Salvador Dalí sculptures on the lawn, Andy Warhol’s iconic pop-art and a glimpse of some Damien Hirst masterpieces, among many others.
At Ballyfin, Co Laois, there are several exciting artist residencies until September, the result of a collaboration with the prestigious John Martin Gallery in London with whom the Krehbiel family (who own Ballyfin) have an ongoing relationship. Martin helped set up Art London, and was co-founder and fair director of Art Dubai until 2010. Since then, the gallery has participated in fairs including Art Fiera Bologna, Spring Masters New York, and worked on collaborations with institutions including Chelsea Physic Garden and Glyndebourne Festival.
Three of these artists will work and paint during three-day residencies. Andrew Gifford, known for his landscapes and interest in forests will be at Ballyfin. On location in the woods, Gifford’s works set out to capture the dense, lush flora of these precious pockets of woodland.
For horticulturalists, Francis Hamel will be in residence at Ballyfin in August. Hamel has built an international reputation for his landscape paintings and portraits, as well as his finely structured compositions of trees and flowers. In 2019, the V&A held the “Behind the Curtain” exhibition of his portraits, and his love and exploration of gardening has taken him to Italy to paint the formal gardens of Tuscany and Umbria, as well as the wilder landscapes of Le Marche. No doubt he will find inspiration at Ballyfin where the formal and walled gardens will be in full bloom.
Limerick-born artist Martin Fannin will be at the hotel in September. He studied at Limerick School of Art and the NCAD before moving to London and becoming increasingly interested in Renaissance paintings. His abstract works defy analysis and are vividly colourful.
For those interested in art, this trio of artists will be available to chat to guests (and non residents) before dinner and over coffee. It’s a lovely way to see how artworks take shape and also get some tips too!
Need to know: Book a stay at www.ballyfin.com and visit www.jmlondon.com for more information on the artists. @johnmartingallery @ballyfindemesne
