How Monet Helped The Savoy Get Its Groove Back

December 16, 2011 at 12:38 PM | by Heidi Atwal | Comments (0)

Art aficionados staying at London's historic Savoy hotel have been experiencing a short lived treat this week: Monet's "Waterloo Bridge," sketched from Room 618, was recently returned to the Savoy over 100 years after it was first drawn. The room offers prime panoramic views of the Thames River, and Monet's creative interpretation of the scene has been on display at The Savoy Museum since December 13th.

Monet isn't the first artist whom the Bankside lodgings have hosted, reports BBC News: fellow luminaries Picasso and Whistler have also enjoyed the perks of staying in one of the city's most celebrated hotel establishments.

Viewings of the piece have seemingly been limited to hotel guests, with a few select individuals invited to view Waterloo Bridge from Monet's former suite. Ending today, the limited and highly secure display of Monet's piece isn't particularly surprising given recent high profile art thefts at both The Ritz Carlton Marina Del Rey and The Carlyle.

This vigilance sits in huge contrast to Melbourne's Art Series Hotels, which, as we reported earlier this week, have been encouraging art theft among guests as part of a Banksy-themed contest. Sounds fun, yes, but we wonder if, in the words of Cher Horowitz, rewarding such crime (staged or not) could lead to a Monet-esque "big ol' mess."

[Photo: McMaster Museum of Art]

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