Art & Design In Focus Art & Design In Focus Less renowned on a global scale but remarkably ambitious in its aims, Oslo’s Munch Museum (munchmuseet.no) is the new 13-storey waterside repository for Norwegian artist Edvard Munch’s 26,724 works, in addition to hosting regular exhibitions of global artists (Tracey Emin will be the opening display) and becoming a major cultural centre in the Norwegian capital. Elsewhere in Europe, Kunsthaus Zurich (kunsthaus.ch) has expanded exponentially, thanks to a US0m extension by London architect David Chipperfield, allowing the Swiss institution to show much more of its excellent collection. Swiss philanthropist and collector Maja Hoffmann, meanwhile, has added to her Luma Foundation’s space in Arles (lumaarles.org), a repurposed industrial campus that encourages artistic experimentation on a dramatic scale. New this year is a 56m stainless-steel tower by Frank Gehry – an evocation, says the architect, of Van Gogh’s Starry Night, which was painted nearby. • From top: the Humboldt Forum, on Berlin’s Museum Island; Frank Gehry’s stainlesssteel tower, at the Luma Foundation’s campus in Arles IN LIVING COLOUR Hotels with a creative spirit are showcasing art like never before From left: specially commissioned busts by South African sculptor Otto du Plessis at Xigera; a replica of Monet’s House among the Roses in the Albertina suite at the Ritz- Carlton Vienna; an outsized sculpture on the terrace of Atelier Inès’ Pulcinella suite It’s almost hard to remember the old days, when hotels were merely tastefully decorated and the only places to see interesting art were galleries and museums. First, it was the hotel structures themselves that received design-forward upgrades, and over the past decade, their art collections have exploded: urban destinations like The Thief in Oslo and The Silo in Cape Town borrow from the storage facilities of nearby museums (the Astrup Fearnley and Zeitz MOCAA, respectively), while country retreats like Château La Coste in Provence and Jackalope in Australia’s Mornington Peninsula put artistic treasures at their very heart. Now, every decent hotel boasts at least one standout piece in the lobby, if not in each room, and it takes a remarkable offering to stand out from the crowd. One such is the Ritz-Carlton Vienna ( ritzcarlton.com), where the astonishing Albertina suite features not just two expansive bedrooms and a private panoramic balcony and dining room, but also your own personal experience with five expert replicas from the collection of its namesake art museum, The Albertina, hanging on your walls (not to mention VIP passes to the museum to see the rest any time you like). It’s a very different concept at the new Atelier Inès Arts & Suites in Naples (atelierinesgallery.com), where the works of artist Annibale Oste suffuse each of the six rooms of the diminutive property with an ineffable charm that extends to the creative workshops held on site. Meanwhile, at Xigera (xigera. com), safaris are supplemented by a lovingly curated “living gallery” of art from Botswana and surrounding countries – enhancing the experience on site while offering collectable pieces to take home. – BN TALES OF A MAVERICK Italian creative luminary Gio Ponti receives the handsome, outsized tome he deserves with this new XL volume that chronicles his exploits in the worlds of architecture, design, art direction and publishing. Weighing in at 5.67 kilograms and measuring 36 centimetres on each side, the numbered edition will make an appropriately sculptural addition to any living space. taschen.com PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM: © TASCHEN, ADRIAN DEWEERDT, CHRISTOPH MUSIOL, © XIGERA, © RITZ-CARLTON VIENNA, © ATELIER INES 58 CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM
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