LOUISVILLE, Kentucky-
At seemingly every turn, visitors can gaze upon contemporary art ranging from quirky to whimsical to daring. It's not your typical gallery though–at this one you're invited to spend the night.
The place is 21C Museum Hotel, which combines the comforts of a boutique hotel with an eye-catching collection of edgy works by artists from around the world. Forget about reproduced art. At 21C, the works are originals.
"We don't use art as decoration here. You're living with art," said Steve Wilson, who developed and owns 21C with his wife, Laura Lee Brown, a descendant of the founder of Louisville-based liquor giant Brown-Forman Corp.
21C, which opened in early April, features 91 rooms and 9,000 square feet of exhibition space. It's strategically located just a short stroll from such downtown attractions as the Muhammad Ali Center, the Louisville Slugger Museum where the famous bats are made, a science center and the Frazier International History Museum. The city's performing arts center is down the street and Churchill Downs–home of the Kentucky Derby–only a short drive away.
The hotel's museum is free for guests and anyone else wanting a peek at avant-garde art. The atrium features 5,000 square feet in exhibition space.
Visitors lingering in the 21C lobby can gaze at statues, paintings and a singing chandelier, which bemuses visitors. Push a button and the chandelier jiggles amid a recording of a soprano singing a high-pitched aria. Even a lobby coffee table represents art–inside it is an ever-changing sand dune sculpture.
"Unlike a museum where you look and leave, here you can go back and really study it again," hotel guest Debra Burnham Hyman said.
21C–the culmination of a $25 million project in which several historic buildings were restored–is the inspiration of Brown and Wilson, avid art collectors. Part of their multimillion-dollar collection is on display at the museum, which is run by a foundation that the couple formed.
The hotel's name stands for 21st century, attesting to its cutting-edge feel. As a testament to the museum's contemporary theme, Wilson says it will exhibit only the works of living artists.
The museum will have an ongoing series of shows. In the fall, there will be a John Waters exhibit displaying some of his photography, installations and video work. While the works of such established artists are featured, the museum's emphasis is on up-and-comers.
"We're much more interested in great art that comes from people you've never heard of–emerging artists that we think could have a career if they had a break," Wilson said.
Some works are whimsical–one painting portrays a flock of birds as the hunters instead of the hunted. The birds wear helmets and are armed with weapons. Another picture shows a llama that's been given a trim to resemble a fancy poodle.
Other works delve into darker subjects. One such painting shows a young woman dressed in a Nazi-like uniform, one of her eyes visible and the other undetectable in a shadow. Other works are daring. Perched behind the check-in desk is a series of life-size sculptures of nude children.
"We like to provoke conversation, thought, confrontation, emotion," Wilson said of the museum's works.
The artwork is seemingly everywhere, even in the bathrooms. Human eyes are projected onto mirrors in the main lobby bathrooms. In actuality, they are the eyes of blind people, offering a message about vanity, Wilson said.
"We come in here to adjust everything and look in the mirror to see how we look," he said, "and then you're confronted with people who can't see you, and so what does it matter?"
Strolling through the hotel, visitors encounter more art in the hallways and in the guest rooms. "There's a little surprise everywhere," Wilson said.
Each room offers iPods with music customized to fit each guest's tastes, flat screen TVs and sterling silver mint julep cups. There's a full exercise facility with a steam room, sauna and spa services. Connected to the hotel is an upscale restaurant, Proof on Main, that also features an array of contemporary art. The hotel also features rooms for business meetings.
Depending on the season, guest rooms start at $199 per night.
Wilson said some investors have expressed interest in spreading the museum-hotel concept to other cities. Wilson said a business plan is being drawn up that would include the 21C name wherever future hotels might be developed. Among the cities being considered are Austin, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; Sante Fe, New Mexico; the Raleigh, North Carolina; and Ann Arbor, Michigan, he said.
Hyman, who was in town recently to attend a board meeting, said the art was thought-provoking and fun. She said it helped create a more enjoyable experience than the "typical chains" she stayed at during past visits.
"It was incredibly memorable and I really want to come back to see what eclectic tastes will meet us next time," she said.
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