Australia’s beloved Art Series Hotel group have announced that their next hotel will be a new $100m Brisbane flagship named The Fantauzzo. Set to open in March 2019, The Fantauzzo will be the first Art Series property following their acquisitioned by AccorHotels earlier this year, sticking true to the brand’s language by designing the 166-room hotel after the works of acclaimed Australian artist Vincent Fantauzzo.
Fantauzzo, who moved from England to Australia as a child and was a graduate from RMIT university before being exhibited worldwide everywhere from India and Vietnam to Hong Kong and Los Angeles, was renowned for drawing on various techniques from mediums like photography and film to create narratives, elevated by contrasting elements of light and dark. Seeing as his penchant for heightening the realism and theatrical effects of his works is one of the artist’s defining traits, his namesake hotel should be another fascinating expression from the same group behind unique property’s like The Olsen, The Blackman, and most recently The Chen.
We’re also expecting some of Fantauzzo’s most famous portraits to make an appearance throughout the hotel, featuring notable people like Heath Ledger, Matt Moran, Brandon Walters, and Julia Gillard, and Fantauzzo’s wife Asher Keddie. The latter was famously immortalised in one of his 2012 portraits, for which he picked up the Archibald People’s Choice Award that year – one of four times he’s taken home the accolade.
“To have Art Series hotel dedicated to showcasing my work is truly an honour and I cannot wait for the doors to open in March”, said Fantauzzo. “I’m strongly passionate about accessibility to the arts, and what excites me most about the collaboration is that this hotel will give all guests the opportunity to connect with art, and immerse themselves in a really creative experience”.
As the eighth property for Art Series Hotels and the second in Brisbane, The Fantauzzo has been ambitiously chiselled by architects SJB to create a counterpoint to his work through dark tones and glossy finishes. It’ll be a subversive step away from the traditional ‘white gallery’ space, making use of polished concrete and contrasting tones against a highly reflective back glass. Elsewhere in the hotel, natural rock and timber take cues from the cliff face under Story Bridge – the location for The Fantauzzo – adding a bit of earthiness to the space’s profile with angular forms found on both the façade of the building and interior elements to provide further clarity and distinction between Fantauzzo’s artworks and the hotel’s design.
Luxury guest rooms will feature custom contemporary furnishings and continue the display of Fantauzzo’s most recognised works, which totals up to 500 reproductions and originals across the property.
More details will be revealed closer to opening date. The Fantauzzo opens at Howard Smith Wharves, Brisbane in March 2019. Bookings are now available here.
