Have you ever experienced Stendhal syndrome? We’re sure you’ve had the chance to visit some of the most celebrated museums and galleries in the world on your trips around the European capitals, places like the British Museum, La Louvre, the Acropolis museum, El Prado or the Uffizi Gallery. Nothing extraordinary up to here.
But did you know that there are a small number of people in the world with extremely high sensitivity who actually experience physical symptoms when faced with a beautiful work of art? That’s right, although it seems incredible, there are works of art capable of raising the heart rate, causing dizziness, confusion, shaking, and even hallucinations. It was the French writer, Stendhal, who first described this phenomenon during his visit to Florence in 1817.
Art really does have this power. Art can impress, it can move you, and even make you feel faint. Art is an immersive journey that unleashes thought, can awake feelings, and unsettle the senses. Because art reaches places words cannot, where reality cannot reach, and at Nivia Born Boutique Hotel we want to share a unique space with you: the Gallery Red Junior Suite, or, in other words, the place where art lives.
As well as providing all the comforts you would expect from a luxury room with an exclusive design, the Gallery Red Junior Suite, created thanks to a collaboration with the prestigious Gallery RED, is a unique art gallery where you can pause and admire works by renowned artists. As you cross the threshold, you will soon spot the oil paint brushstrokes of Hunt Slonem, the American neo-expressionist painter that many consider Warhol’s successor, and who has captured the attention of celebrities like Madonna, the Clintons, and the Kardashians. His passion for ornithology has led him to create work where tropical birds play a major role, but also butterflies and rabbits.
Slonem shares space with Elena Gual in the Gallery Red Junior Suite. And no, we haven’t thrown them together by chance, they share a space because they complement each other perfectly. Of Mediterranean origin, Gual majestically combines light and colour in her paintings and finds inspiration in feminine figures that evolve into lively portraits of very diverse women. Her work will catch your eye even before you settle into this amazing room.
There’s more to discover in this exclusive tour of works by contemporary and emerging artists; Swiss sculptor, Evelyne Brader-Frank, creates a human connection with masculine and feminine figures created from soapstone, bronze, and steel, which she associates with characters from Greek and Roman mythology. Delightful pieces that will keep you company.
Art at Nivia, a commitment
Nivia’s commitment to art extends beyond the walls of the Gallery Red Junior Suite. On every floor of the hotel, there are works of art by the talented Andrea Torres Balaguer, inviting you to interpret the stories suggested by her images, which play along the limits between reality and fiction.
As well as the artwork we have already described here, it’s very likely that you’ll find new expressions of art in other rooms and spaces at Nivia. Maybe at the rooftop bar? Pay attention, because we’ll soon be revealing which artist will be adding to your experience at “El cielo del Born”.
