The Art of Fontainebleau Miami Beach - Jacquelyn Soffer Curates Legendary Hotel's Evolving Visual Art Collection with Art from James Turrell, Ai WeiWei and Tracey Emin, Among Others

MIAMI BEACH, Fla., Oct. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Since opening in 1954, Fontainebleau Miami Beach has been an icon of Miami style and design, and a revered architectural landmark in the city.  Following a $1 billion renovation and expansion in 2008, the hotel, under the direction of Jacquelyn Soffer, has since cultivated a world-class visual arts collection that will debut a commissioned piece from British artist Tracey Emin during Art Basel Miami Beach in December. In the coming month, the program will be formally unveiled as The Art of Fontainebleau Miami Beach. Designed to attract, entertain and educate its guests, The Art of Fontainebleau will also provide global recognition of Fontainebleau's brand as an innovative force in the visual arts.

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Soffer is a natural fit to spearhead The Art of Fontainebleau. Her expertise in bringing unique installations to the public is evident through her work at the nearby Aventura Mall.  Soffer is a principal of Turnberry Associates, a company with holdings that include both Fontainebleau Miami Beach and Aventura Mall. Recognizing the positive impact that art has on the community, Aventura Mall embarked on a cultural initiative named Turnberry for the Arts, led by Soffer. Combining contemporary art and education, Turnberry for the Arts features works throughout the mall by renowned international and South Florida artists in a variety of mediums. On display are installations by Louise Bourgeois, Donald Baechler, Gary Hume, Julian Opie, Jorge Pardo, Jaume Plensa, Lawrence Weiner, Daniel Arsham, Tom Otterness and Friends With You.

Bringing her expertise, personal relationships and a passion for contemporary art to her role at Fontainebleau, Soffer has curated the resort's multi-million dollar collection with work that is unique, original and site-specific. With care and attention paid to the integration of each piece into the resort's total architecture and design, The Art of Fontainebleau is defined by a select number of world-class visual artists and thinkers, each with a significant impact on the look and feel of Fontainebleau.

"The opportunity to build an art collection within a space that is itself a work of art is incredibly rewarding.  The resort provides such an iconic backdrop that I wanted to make sure the art didn't upstage the environment and at the same time, that the design of the hotel didn't take away from the impact of the art," noted Soffer. "I also wanted to give Fontainebleau's global guests and Miami locals the chance to see some of the foremost talents of contemporary art at every turn during their visit," continued Soffer.

The Art of Fontainebleau includes more than 20 pieces, with the next acquisition to debut in December during a special event with the artist during Art Basel Miami Beach. Fontainebleau along with The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), North Miami, commissioned Tracey Emin to create new limited-edition works to commemorate her first U.S. museum exhibition Tracey Emin: Angel Without You. The items, which include a limited-edition beach towel, flip-flop sandals and T-shirt, will be available for purchase at the MOCA Shop and at Fontainebleau Miami Beach during Art Basel Miami Beach week in December.  In addition, to celebrate the collaboration, Fontainebleau Miami Beach has acquired the neon work I Followed You to The Sun, (2013) by Emin for installation at the resort.

The resort is currently developing a booklet with a self-guided tour for The Art of Fontainebleau. It will include the details of each work, their location in the resort and significance to the property to educate guests on Fontainebleau's collection. Highlights of Fontainebleau's permanent artists and works on display include:

James Turrell
Third Eye (from the Tall Glass Series), 2008
LED light, etched glass, and shallow space
Each aperture: 4'7" by 12'4"
Viewable at the Chateau Front Desk, Concierge Desk and VIP Alcove

James Turrell's work in light and color was selected to provide Fontainebleau's artistic signature.  Six pieces from the Tall Glass series, Turrell's most technologically advanced series of light works, have been specially commissioned for the lobby.  Each glass work subtly shifts through a constantly changing cycle of color themes and patterns, permitting the viewer to see nothing but mesmerizing, meditative fields of colored light.  The Tall Glass works commissioned for Fontainebleau are historic in three ways: they are the first horizontal Tall Glass works created by Turrell; the single work in the VIP Alcove is the first ever curved Tall Glass work; and the remaining five pieces – one triptych and one diptych behind the main reception and concierge desks, respectively—are the first multi-panel Tall Glass works. No other installations of Turrell's are integrated with such drama into a commercial space.

Ai Weiwei
Miami Chandeliers, 2008
Stainless steel, glass crystal and lights
Each chandelier 7'3" by 13'6"
Viewable in the Chateau Lobby

Multimedia impresario Ai Weiwei is one of the most innovative and vocal personalities in the global art world today.  For Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Ai has created three stunningly massive chandeliers for the domes in the main lobby. The pieces act as contemporary updates of architect Morris Lapidus' original designs. They embrace the historic past of Fontainebleau while simultaneously looking toward the future.

John Baldessari
Striding Person (With Onlookers), 2008
Archival inkjet print with acrylic paint on photographic paper mounted on di-bond
103 3/4 x 58 1/4 x 2 inches
Each chandelier 7'3" by 13'6"
Viewable in the Chateau Lobby

John Baldessari's pioneering work, developed over several decades of conceptual practice, includes photo-text paintings, conceptual works and composite photo-based works, as well as video, books, prints, objects and installation. His use of appropriation, erasure, alteration and montage to interrupt a given narrative or to construct an entirely new meaning out of recombined fragments has been utilized in disparate ways in different bodies of works spanning his career. This work uses imagery that is iconic in the fashion industry-legendary editor of Vogue, Anna Wintour in this case, but by blanking out the face of the subjects, he forces the viewer to question what they are looking at. Anna Wintour's distinct skinny frame and bob haircut is still recognizable in this image.

Doug Aitken
Here Comes the Night, 2011
LED lit light box Ed. 3/4 plus 2 AP
48 x 66 7/8 x 7 7/8 inches
Viewable in North Chateau Lobby

Though he works in photography, sculpture, and video, Doug Aitken is known primarily as one of the pioneers of new media art. Doug Aitken explores the themes of temporality, space, memory, movement and landscape in his work. He is at the forefront of 21^st century communication. The artist's eye leads us into a world where time, space, and memory are fluid concepts.  Aitken focuses on human perception in an ever-changing and accelerating world. The work, here comes the night, 2011, is an LED light box that combines the image of a cloud, floating over black graphics with the white inscription: "here comes the night".

Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta
Fragile Future Chandelier, 2013
Dandelion Seed, Phosphorus Bronze, LED
H 49.61 L 132.28 W 28.94 inches
Viewable in Timeless

Gordijn and Nauta combine in their work the dynamism of design with the power of narrative and question the relationship between nature, technology and humankind. The resulting works are an intriguing amalgamation of fantasy and increasingly relevant reality. The creation process is very peculiar as the artists go once a year in the fields to pick the dandelion flowers before drying them. The heads are then arranged within a phosphorescent bronze structure closely resembling a circuit board. Each individual dandelion seed is glued by hand onto tiny LED light to recreate an electrical flower. "Light is an important aspect of our work, but it is used as a material or an ingredient not as illumination. The Fragile Future chandelier is not about being able to see in the dark, it is about conveying emotion and referencing the fact that light is the basis of all life", stated Ralph Nauta.

Rob Wynne
Aesthetic Movement Blue Vortex, 2011
Poured and mirrored glass
81 x 120 inches

Blue/Silver Exhale, 2011
Poured and Mirrored Glass,
110 x 46 inches
Viewable in Tresor Lobby

Rob Wynne's stunning and beautiful sculptures, reliefs, and installations are inspired by diverse sources such as art, philosophy, opera, poetry and nature. Using materials commonly associated with the "lower" art forms or craft such as glass, beads, embroidery and ceramics, Wynne raises these pedestrian materials to the "higher" realm of Fine Art as a vehicle for his conceptual practice.

"Blue/Silver Exhale" is an ongoing series of formal abstract works that are meant to evoke the idea of air bubbles floating to the surface of the water when one is submerged and exhales their breath. This reference is rendered in sparkling, reflective glass as if it is the sunlight hitting the ocean.

"Aesthetic Movement Blue Vortex" is a more recent series whereby the vortex shapes are like viewing a galaxy from Earth and are a reference to Jean Cocteau's surrealist drawings and writings. We are transfixed and drawn into the center of the spiral of "Yves Klein Blue" glass just as Narcissus was consumed with his own image reflected in the water.

About Fontainebleau Miami Beach
A spectacular blend of Golden Era glamour and modern luxury, Fontainebleau Miami Beach merges striking design, contemporary art, music, fashion and technology into a vibrant guest experience.  A revered landmark and symbol of style and sophistication since its opening in 1954, Fontainebleau Miami Beach boasts 1,504 guest rooms and suites appointed with lavish amenities and iMacs; 12 restaurants and lounges including three AAA Four Diamond signature restaurants Gotham Steak, Scarpetta and Hakkasan; two dynamic nightlife venues including the world-famous LIV Nightclub; the 40,000-square-foot Lapis spa with mineral-rich water therapies and invigorating treatments; a dramatic oceanfront pool-scape offering lush cabanas and sun loungers; and is home to BleauLive, the innovative concert series that combines intimate performances with memorable weekend escapes.   For general information or accommodations at Fontainebleau Miami Beach, visit www.fontainebleau.com or call 1.877.512.8002.

SOURCE Fontainebleau Miami Beach