Artist residences: why wealthy travellers pay to be around good art
Hotel groups have caught onto the idea that corporate types like hanging around with artists. The rise of ‘artist residences’ across the capital and further afield proves artists have clout that bankers will buy their way closer to, if only for the night. Properties often house artists for free or cheap in return for them providing paintings, sculptures or other art pieces throughout their stay. There’s even a hotel in Paddington called ‘Artist Residence,’ showing how pervasive the trend has become.
While a handful of the capital’s hotels, including the new art’otel in Shoreditch, have artist-in-residence schemes, the Bankside Hotel on the Southbank is one of the most comprehensive. It has a 200 square metre art gallery in the basement, big enough to be an attraction in itself, and double the size of many Mayfair galleries with a higher profile. An atrium in the hotel’s foyer is an extension of the gallery, tying into the hotel’s theme – another common idea – that the whole building should be experienced as one piece of art.
It’s a similar idea at Villa Lena in Tuscany, where the artist residences programme asks creatives to “leave a trace” of their work behind when their residency is finished.
Artist residences: bringing art into every part of the hotel experience
The idea brings the artwork “into public view, expanding the residency’s reach beyond the studio walls.” Painter Georgi Morrison is the current artist in residence, working on the hotel’s Summer of Sculpture exhibition exploring the relationship between painting and sculpture. Morrison will paint the work of three international sculpture artists, adding new sculptures to the studio every month. Her work explores the dialogue between nature, architecture and the human figure. Guests are welcome to wander the gallery during their stay.
“This piece was definitely part of me stepping into new territory. I’ve been pushing myself to explore different styles during the residency,” says Morrison, writing on Instagram. “I’m still exploring. I don’t think I’ve found my forever style yet. I approach each new piece differently. It’s kind of my personality – trying everything.”
Morrison says the residency has helped her experiment with practices involving oil pouring and charcoal for the first time. Works by another sculpture artist, Gareth Griffiths, extends beyond the hotel into the hotel’s courtyard to make the work accessible to broader audiences.
The Bankside Hotel is working in partnership with art agency Contemporary Collective to present this season’s Summer of Sculpture exhibition, which will also feature sculpture by Claire Jackson, Johannes Nielsen and Natanya Barrett. Georgi Morrison will be working with the hotel for three months. The idea is to offer emerging artists the opportunity to develop in front of real audiences.
The ground floor Art Yard Bar and Kitchen restaurant takes inspiration from the artists across the seasonal British menu. Opened in 2018 as a part of the Marriott Autograph Collection of boutique design-led hotels, Bankside was an early adopter of the artist residences trend, but eight years later it remains one of the properties committing to the idea most fully.
The Bankside Hotel costs from £198 per night; marriott.com/en-us/hotels/lonkb-bankside-hotel-autograph-collection