The Artist – Grand Hotel of Art

The name of the hotel recalls the ship Domine, built in Sestao and launched in 1935, in which Anton Iráculis, father of the owner of the Silken chain, traveled from Guinea to Bilbao. The ship docked in front of the site where the museum and the hotel are located today, and his son wanted to remember that moment by naming the hotel Domine, created with the vocation of a 21st century palace. The hotel opened in 2002 in a former industrial building (printing press) at Alameda de Mazarredo 61, transformed by the Iñaki Aurrekoetxea & Bazkideak IA+B Architecture Studio. In 2017 it underwent a complete renovation by Foraster Arquitectos, and has recently adopted the name The Artist, Grand Hotel of Art.

The architectural program is developed on an irregular floor plan with two different fronts: one facing Lersundi Street, with a traditional layout in dialogue with the urban fabric; and the other facing Alameda Mazarredo, towards the Guggenheim, with small glass curtain walls at different angles that reflect discontinuous and changing images of the museum. Javier Mariscal and Fernando Salas applied an integral design concept that encompasses architecture, interior design, furniture, objects, identity, uniforms and art pieces, as a reflection on the avant-garde of the 20th century. The Fossil Cypress, a sculpture of boulders in metal mesh, dominates the atrium next to a waterfall that descends among tableware. The hotel is filled with drawings, furniture and spaces of vibrant colors.

The hotel is located directly across the street from Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum, overlooking Jeff Koons' Puppy sculpture and the building's undulating titanium. Santiago Calatrava's Zubizuri Bridge is nearby. Bilbao's Old Town with the Siete Calles and Plaza Nueva is accessible on foot. The Bilbao estuary and the Paseo del Arenal complete the tour. Pintxos in Bilbao's taverns are a gastronomic experience not to be missed.