Looks like the Hotel Indigo chain is making good on its promise to always have interesting art in its hotels.
The Boston Traveler reports that the Hotel Indigo in the Newton 'nabe will display some of John Lennon's artwork at the hotel this weekend as part of a two-day art exhibit called, "Power to the People."
Billed as "a look into John's life through his artwork," the event will feature the largest collection of Lennon's art on paper from the years 1968 to 1980, including limited-edition prints and song lyrics, that express Lennon's stance on peace, hope, and love.
The exhibit takes place June 28-29 from 11am to 6pm. The cost is just $2.00 at the door, which benefits the Boys and Girls Club of Boston.
Things that do not come to mind when we think of the scene of one of our most pleasant, if not religious, bathroom experiences: many pairs of eyes upon us while we do our business, one-way mirrors and a red breed of Billy Madison-esque giant penguins.
And yet! The funky-fab (if not a bit creepy sometimes) 21C Museum Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, featuring all of these unsettling delights, has been named one of ten public bathrooms nominated for the honor of America's Best Restroom.
It's a cool bathroom and all -- and yes, we get it, it's art in a hotel that dually functions as a public art museum -- but imagine taking a pee in an environment with "gender-specific latent exhibitionist fetish features" such as these:
The men's restroom has a two-way mirror that allows users of a long urinal to contemplate passers-by outside the restroom. Both the men's and women's restrooms have tiny LCD screens displaying a multitude of different, open eyes in the mirror above the sink area that make washing up or primping a communal affair.
We always enjoy news about the Hotel Chelsea that doesn't involve a murder, a peeping Tom, or a hostile takeover.
We popped into the hotel last Friday to tour some of the first-floor rooms that had been transformed into mini-art galleries as part of the PooL Art Fair. Different emerging artists were able to showcase their work in the Chelsea's historic rooms. One lucky artist got to show off their work in the room where Sid Vicious may have killed Nancy. Here's a review from artinfo.com.
There was some quite excellent work here and -- as though to underscore how distant the whole enterprise was from the other fairs -- nobody tried to sell me anything. Come back next year, PooL. You'll be very welcome.
This art fair was put on by the hotel's new management BD Hotels who seems to be trying hard to respect the hotel's bohemian past. (Note: BD Hotels also manages the just-opened Greenwich Hotel, not that we care or anything.)
If you aren't aligning yourself with the new establishment then stop by the Museum of the City of New York tonight. The museum is hosting an evening dedicated to the 125th Anniversary of the Chelsea Hotel. Yes, the hotel is that old. There will be a reading and a panel discussion to commemorate the milestone. The event will also be showing a video interview with beloved former manager Stanley Bard.
Oh and it wasn't completely drama-free during our visit to the hotel. FDNY made a stop in to investigate a hoarding problem by one of the residents. Which is probably as representative of the Chelsea's wild boho spirit as the artwork hanging from the walls.
The folks of Sin City are going to get a $40 million project that doesn't involve gambling, drinking, or burlesque shows. Instead Las Vegas will be getting a $40 million fine art program at the ginormous City Center by MGM Mirage, mega-retail/hotel/residential/gaming complex.
The amazing list of artists adding to the aesthetics of CityCenter include Maya Lin, Jenny Holzer and Nancy Rubins, who are collaborating with CityCenter's architects to create permanent site-specific commissions. This is the first time that ANY artist of this caliber will create a new work of art specifically for Las Vegas.
Additional pieces are being acquired for the program by artists such as Claes Van Oldenberg, Frank Stella, Henry Moore and others.
It all sounds very convenient, and it does seem to be happening more and more: hotels are making a big deal about displaying impressive collections of art work, to the point where they're starting to sound like art galleries.
While we've never actually chosen a hotel based on the artwork, there must be someone who does, or there wouldn't be so many hotels going to the effort of hanging expensive stuff on their walls.
The NYT's The Moment blog just did a bit of cubicle dreaming about some appropriate hotel and artist match-ups that they'd like to see ... for example, they figure that the ultra-expensive Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi would make a great home to a few pieces from Damien Hirst, the English guy who covered a platinum skull with diamonds and called it "For the Love of God"--it sold again at auction in August for $100 million.
Whether or not his dead animals series (he went through a phase of cutting up creatures like sharks and cows and preserving them artistically in formaldehyde) would fit into the Emirates Palace is a whole other question.
The whole discussion of art in hotels arose from the news that the Eden Rock Hotel in St Barths is starting a series of art exhibitions, beginning with Richard Prince from Thursday. Will that entice extra guests to book in? They obviously think so.
Le Méridien Tahiti is expanding the respite it offers art-conscious travelers. Last year, the hotel opened L'Atelier, an onsite gallery and workshop center featuring the teachings and creations of South Pacific artists.
Taking it one step further, guests no longer have to leave their rooms to unleash their inner Bob Ross. With the Tahitian sunset through the window, visitors can use the included easel, canvas, and pastels that come, just as reliably as the mini bar, with every room to try and recreate the island's beauty.
Winter rates at the hotel start at $152 per person per night in a lagoon room which includes breakfast. The three-hour art workshops start at $120. And if you plan on staying over Christmas morning, the resort is hosting a first-ever Artistic Holiday Scavenger Hunt with the chance to win a free art lesson from L’Atelier. Good luck.
Morgans Hotel Group could use some good press these days so it's a good thing that its two Miami hotels---The Delano and The Shore Club are both official host sponsors of the Art Basel art fair taking place in Miami this week.
Both the Delano and The Shore Club are hosting several events throughout the week. Here's the breakdown:
DELANO · UBS Welcome reception, Wednesday, 7-11pm · RUSH Philanthropic hosted by Shinique Smith and Russell Simmons, Thursday, 9pm · Agent Provacateur, Thursday, 10pm · Visionaire Music Issue with Linda Evangelista and Paul Davies, Friday, 10pm · Art Basel Miami Beach's Art Loves Film VIP Dinner: Lou Reed's film Berlin, directed by Julian Schnabel and Erick de Bokay, Saturday, 10pm
SHORE CLUB · Lynn Goldsmith's Rock and Roll Book Party, Wednesday, 9:30pm · The MisShapes Party at SkyBar, Thursday, 10 pm · Vanity Fair/MoMA party at SkyBar, Friday, 9pm · Sam Keller, Director of Art Basel Miami Beach, Cocktail Reception, Sunday, 7pm followed by a Goodbye Party at SkyBar.
And just so you know, every party is invitation only so party crashing will not be happening here, although we certainly encourage you to try. Lastly, we hope everyone who visits the Shore Club is on the lookout for these.
Remember when artist Spencer Tunick put out a call for naked people at the Sagamore Hotel? Well, the fruits of his naked photography labor will be revealed at Art Basel Miami Beach during the the end-of-the-festival blowout Annual Sagamore Brunch on December 8.
This is far from the first site-specific art show at the Sagamore, which prides itself on being a gallery as well as a hotel. Last year, Yoko Ono brought her interactive piece Onochord to the hotel's gardens. Photographer Massimo Vitali practically invented Art Basel Miami Beach's self-obsession with his fine-art snaps of the first Sagamore Brunch in 2002. Of course, this year's show will put a new spin on navel-gazing.
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by juliana
