Art collections, an art program, sculpture gardens—at least something “arty”— is pretty much a given in any haute hotels. It’s no mystery why: keeping your personal art collection in use in a commercial context often allows billionaire owners to dodge millions in taxes. Some hotels have been raided by authorities for doing just that. But it’s nice for the guests, too.
Now, more hotels around the world don’t just want to act as ersatz private museums, they want to be art factories.
A coterie of artists create odd and eye-popping moments at the Hotel Kristiania in Lech, Austria.
Hotel Kristiania
It’s been going on since 1988 on the island of Crete at the 5-star Minos Beach Art Hotel, owned by Gina Mamidaki. She has over 70 pieces of art in the hotel’s sculpture garden, collected from three different artists-in-residence.
The origins of the idea are even older. In the late 14th-century, Cosimo de Medici famously cloistered himself in a villa to “create.” In the 18th and 19th centuries, aristos collected poets and artists to reside in their country estates. Today, offering artists free board, financial assistance and a place to create is something more: smart business. It allows a hotel to become part of a work’s terroir—while adding cache to the property and attracting interest. It’s art with a jigger of advertising.
The grounds of Minos Beach Art Hotel in Crete are littered with stirring works.
Minos Beach Art Hotel
After ending her art residency program in 1993, Mamidaki revived it during the pandemic, offering an “Art Prize” and a “Research Residency Programme.” It was so successful that she expanded the concept and opened it to the public.
“The residency aspires to provide a safe space for…