C.C. Sullivan • July 17, 2019

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Ever since abstract expressionist master Mark Rothko legendarily backed out of a 1958 commission for The Seagram Murals to be installed in the Four Seasons restaurant in Manhattan’s newly built Seagram Building, the importance of art for modern U.S. restaurants and hotels has loomed as large as accommodations and cuisine.

Several modern installations, such as the new Sarah Moore murals for Queensyard at Hudson Yards in Manhattan or the 20 stories of haute-cred graffiti produced on site at citizenM’s Bowery hotel have set the bar high for hospitality spaces as art galleries. “The incorporation of art, used in a non-precious but respectful way, creates an elevated and memorable experience that reveals an underlying story,” says Nancy J. Ruddy, founding principal and executive director of interior design for CetraRuddy. “It’s a respectful reference to a tradition of great New York restaurants with integrated art but interpreted in a fresh, modern way.”

Below, four projects highlight the fruitful partnership between art and hospitality.

Bluebird London, New York
At Bluebird London in Manhattan’s Time Warner Center, CetraRuddy partnered with restaurant management company D&D London to conjure a refreshing and kaleidoscopic journey into British pop culture references, all revolving around iconic racecar driver Donald Campbell and his 1950s machine—and the venue’s namesake—the Bluebird K7. “The energetic, colorful interiors draw inspiration from midcentury and contemporary British creativity, pop culture, and such notable cultural landmarks as Sir John Soane’s Museum in London,” says Ruddy. “The result is an explorer’s gallery of UK visual culture.” Alongside the vintage photographs, Ruddy commissioned local artists for 32 sculpted wire portraits—abstracted British caricatures in the 1930s continuous-line method—and several minimalist-cubist sculptures in a recessed niche, as well as iconic illustrations and prints by UK artists. References include period Celia Birtwell textiles and op-art compositions by painter Bridget Riley, as well as a Plexiglas figure of a ponytailed woman behind the bar.

Queensyard, New York
Another collaboration between CetraRuddy and D&D London led to Queensyard in Hudson Yards, which entertains diners with irreverent references to the Queen and British royalty, including Jean Michel Basquiat’s Crown, Andy Warhol’s portrait of Queen Elizabeth, and an Alexander McQueen butterfly headdress. A ceiling referencing 16th-century British manor houses, painted by mural artists, extends overhead. Further celebrating this British-American connection, CetraRuddy’s team developed an integral art commission: “Referencing the great tradition of art murals in New York restaurants such as Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle and the Old King Cole Bar at the St. Regis, we commissioned two large murals that flank the dining space,” says Ruddy. “The encompassing art creates a magical backdrop for a memorable experience.” Sarah Moore, a noted American artist from Knoxville, Tennessee, executed the two murals: Rowing in St. James Park and Picnic in Somerset County. Her work also offers a fresh reinterpretation of the tradition of great New York restaurants with carefully curated, original art commissions.

Studio Allston, Boston
For the 117-room Studio Allston hotel in Boston’s Allston neighborhood, design firm Dyer Brown worked with art director Isenberg Projects to integrate new, thematic artworks in the lobby, bar, meeting rooms, suites, and guestrooms—all original, and most created by local artists. Twelve of them offer colorful new guestroom murals, like one by animator and director Maya Erdelyi. Five suites imagined as immersive works of art highlight New England landscapes by David Buckley Borden, drawings by Sophie Ainsley, and the space-age modernism of Jim Drain. “We created the canvas and the 17 artists worked with it, creating unique suites, elevators, and common area elements, including the lobby’s one-of-a-kind floor and wall installation,” says Deniz Ferendeci, director of asset design + support with Dyer Brown. “It creates a continuous story in every corner of the hotel. There were really no boundaries or limits to the ideas we imagined. We were told, shoot for the moon.”

CitizenM New York Bowery
For this 300-room modular hotel in the hip Bowery area of Manhattan, the project team led by citizenM and Amsterdam design firm Concrete filled the interiors with an eclectic mix of furnishings, contemporary art, photography, and objects by local artists. Among the most notable is the hotel company’s collaboration with 5 Pointz, a well-known street art collective, on an installation spanning all 20 floors of the hotel’s stairwell and called the Museum of Street Art, which is open to the public. CitizenM also commissioned the New Museum, and its incubator NEW INC, to supply art for each guestroom. Before entering, visitors notice a vibrant red plaza mural—Rebirth by graffiti artist Meres One—facing a series of niches containing works by street artists like Lady Pink, Don Rmix, and Rubin 415. “When we were looking for our next New York location, it became clear very quickly that Bowery is an exceptional destination,” says citizenM founder Rattan Chadha. “We didn’t want to be just another building; we wanted to become a part of the neighborhood’s fabric while showing New York’s visitors a different side of the city. So the art we used is drawn from the local art scene, as well as international contributors.”