Fine impressions

a central fire pit. Inspired by the makeshift tin
shacks used by gauchos, the walls have been
painted by Marcelo Legrand.
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Page 2
Living room featuring Carrara marble sculpture by
Pablo Atchugarry and Google Earth-inspired mural
with views of South America by Clever Lara
Fine impressions
Page 5
The Parillero, a Uruguayan
barbeque
room with
And who’s
serving
a central fire pit.up
Inspired
the makeshift tin
art inbyLondon?
mount
shacks used by Scott’s
gauchos,
thestreet
walls have been
Arguably London’s finest fish restaurant,
paintedthebyrealMarcelo
Legrand.
beauty here is
on the walls. The
oak panelling is enlivened with Damien
Hirst’s Hortensia (a stunning painting of a
diamond), sketches by Tracey Emin and
Gary Hume’s Bouquet painting, all of
whom are fans. scotts-restaurant.com
green of the land; and Marcelo Legrand painted
the barbecue walls with wild colours. The art is
an integral part of the hotel and the living room
A contemporary culture project covering some
bears some comparison to the Sistine Chapel,
1,200 acres in southern China, the Yuzi Paradise is
with its ceiling panels painted by Clever Lara.
an art park on a vast scale. It took ten years and
Doubles from £175. estanciavikjoseignacio.com
£100 million to develop with 200 sculptures
dotted around its terrain. Tourists can stay at
tHE CULLEN MELBOURNE
China’s first Relais & Château property: Homa
The first of Will Deague’s Art Series Hotels, the
Château, where each room is a ‘miniature gallery’ Cullen opened in Melbourne in 2009, a tribute to
with its own collection of artworks. Among the
the controversial Adam Cullen, an artist known
exhibits are works by the Japanese kinetic
for his grungy, humorous depictions of
sculptor Takamichi Ito, Polish Barbara Falender
masculinity via Ned Kelly and Batman. A pair of
and British artist Allen Jones. Doubles from £373. Cullen’s fibreglass cows greets guests in the
relaischateaux.com/homa
lobby, with a further 450 of his works on view
throughout the hotel. Doubles from £150.
GRAMERCY PARK HOTEL
artserieshotels.com.au
HOTEL OF MODERN ART
CHINA
NEW YORK
The Basquiats and the Hirsts are impressive, but
it’s the high bohemian design that gives the
hotel its arty character. In cahoots with the
painter Julian Schnabel, designer Ian Schrager
took the idea of the artist as his inspiration,
using ‘Renaissance painting’ colours and mixing
styles fearlessly. The rooms contain curated
photography and one-off furniture by designers
such as Maarten Baas; the 18th-floor Ava room
has a pair of Warhol silkscreen portraits. Doubles
from £300. gramercyparkhotel.com
ESTANCIA VIK JOSE IGNACIO
URUGUAY
Each of the dozen rooms at this luxurious ranch
resort, 20 miles from Punta del Este, is named
after a local artist: Lacy Duarte, whose work
reflects the countryside of her childhood;
Enrique Badaró’s suite evokes the red, ochre and
English antiques
cohabiting with
modern lamps.
There is not only
a museum-like
exhibit of Egyptian
pieces dates from
between 2660BC
and 200AD, but
also a fifth-century
Roman mosaic, a
few tenth-century
Hindu goddesses
and a clutch of
original Warhols
in the bar.
British Airways offers
a three-night stay
from £425 per
person including
return flights and accommodation.*
Visit ba.com/barcelona or call +44 (0)844 493 0758.
Page 3
Living room featuring Carrara marble sculpture by
Pablo Atchugarry and Google Earth-inspired mural
withHOUSE
views of South America by Clever Lara
ELLERMAN
CAPE TOWN
There’s an old-world graciousness to Paul Harris’s
Edwardian mansion above Bantry Bay; the art
collection, assembled over decades, is
appropriately venerable. Sought-after artworks
by major South African artists such as William
Kentridge, Irma Stern and John Meyer hang
throughout; the Ellerman Contemporary gallery
shows newer art in a dedicated space. Harris has
become a heavyweight in the art world,
accumulating the biggest private collection
nationwide. Doubles from £393. ellerman.co.za
CLARIS HOTEL BARCELONA
The ancient Egyptian art is a surprising extra at
this central Barcelona hotel, whose architectural
eclecticism is something in itself: a 19th-century
façade concealing machine-age fittings and
TOWN HALL HOTEL
LONDON
London’s East End artists were invited to
submit ideas to embellish this Grade II-listed
building, which opened this summer. Among
the artists selected are Bálint Bolyngó, Zoe
Mendelson, Claire Morgan and Debbie Lawson,
whose proposals included the installation of
photographs of hills covered with trees, the
commissioning of copies of mayors’ ceremonial
jewels from local silk weavers, and the
refurbishment of the Patriot Square letterbox.
Doubles from £290. townhallhotel.com
take inspiration from OUR regular BLOGS ON FASHION, HOTELS & SPAS, FOOD & DRINK, family escapes [[1R]] high life bahighlife.com
Additional words: Sophie Watkins. Photographs: Relais & Châteaux; James Royall/www.jamesroyall.com; courtesy of Estancia Vik Jose Ignacio. *Subject to
availability, based on two sharing and includes all UK taxes. For reservations visit ba.com/budapest or call +44 (0)844 493 0758
Among the Picassos and the Hirsts, discover the hotels that put you truly in the frame. By Sophie Dening
The Rex Whistler Restaurant
Tate Britain, millbank
One of the most remarkable artists of
the 20th century is Rex Whistler. And
it’s in the Tate’s restaurant that you will
find his most ambitious work, the mural
The Expedition in Pursuit of Rare Meats.
It catalogues his horror of the Great War
and was left unfinished by his own death
in WWII. tate.org.uk/britain/eatanddrink
The Hix Brewer Street
For his eponymous venture, chef Mark
Hix collaborated with British artists
such as Sarah Lucas, Tim Noble and Sue
Webster for art to complement his classic
British menu. Look out for Damien Hirst’s
mobiles hanging from the ceiling.
hixsoho.co.uk
Page 6
Dining room
Clockwise
from top
left Hotel
of Modern
Art, China;
Estancia Vik
Jose Ignacio,
Uruguay; Town
Hall Hotel,
London
The Albemarle Brown’s Hotel,
albemarle street
Tuck into Morecambe Bay shrimps and
fried haddock while taking in works by
Michael Landy, Fiona Rae, Toby Ziegler
and Bridget Riley. The highlight? Tracey
Emin’s I Loved You More Than I Can Love in
pink neon. thealbemarlerestaurant.com
The Ivy West Street
There’s a Bridget Riley above table 32 and
a Howard Hodgkin over table six. Next
door, The Club at The Ivy is a veritable
gallery, with about 50 paintings, video
works and sculptures by the likes of David
Bailey, George Condo, Andy Warhol and
Peter Blake. the-ivy.co.uk
and adventure, VISIT BAHIGHLIFE.COM
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