HOTELS ARE THE NEW ART GALLERIES by Maggie O'Sullivan
Art is the new food, and hotels are the new galleries, as proud of their art collections as they are their chefs. We’re not talking mass-produced prints chosen to go with the colour scheme. We’re talking original Picassos in the restaurant (Bellagio, Las Vegas), and restored Tiepelo ceilings in the hall (Ca’Sagredo Hotel, Venice). Here are six of our favourite art hotels.
Ballyfin, Count Laois
The five-star country house hotel in County Laois, southwest of Dublin, boasts an impressive collection of Irish art. Ancestral portraits hang above the grand staircase; paintings in the bedrooms and state rooms date from the 18th and 19th centuries. This lovely hotel also showcases modern Irish artists: the portrait in the bar, above, is by Brian Maguire; elsewhere there are works by Mainie Jellet, Ireland’s first Cubist painter, William Leech and Louis Le Brocquey.
Further information, 00353 57 875 5866; Ballyfin