Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest celebrates its 26th anniversary in September 2018. Since its opening, the hotel has made it its mission to support art and culture, and amassed a collection of hundreds of Hungarian paintings and sculptures. The hotel is delighted to have collaborated with Gábor Kovács Art Foundation to curate a selection of this diverse and rich collection, to show in the Embassy of Hungary in Berlin in autumn.
Creating the Corvinus Collection dates back to the construction of the hotel in 1992. The Collection has tracked the continual transformation of the hotel’s interiors. Kempinski Corvinus, Hungary’s first five-star luxury hotel, has accordingly treated the two projects with unprecedented investment and commitment, made manifest in the quality of the materials and the harmonious design details, as well as the display of works of art in the hotel. This approach and policy were unusual, avantgarde at the time, in the local hotel industry as well as in art collectors’ circles.
The Corvinus Collection offers a marked connection to the art history tradition, which is reflected in its name, making reference to King Matthias Corvinus’ Renaissance court. Faith in universal values and quality, combined with contemporary luxury inspired by the noblest of tradition, informs the hotel’s philosophy.
Kempinski’s collecting instinct remains moderately progressive. At the inception of the Collection in the early 90s, several classical, traditional works were acquired, while there emerged a conspicuously budding interest in contemporary art in the early 2000s, which has since become the focal point of the Collection. As the hotel’s objective is not so much financial investment, it can afford the risk of artistic discovery. Due to the physical context of the hotel, its space lends itself favourably to series, the focused display of a single artist, as well as sculptures.
Two aspects distinguish the Corvinus Collection from similar corporate collections. First, the quality of the body of its contemporary works is higher, its composition more conceptual, as the Collection as well as the hotel maintain a close relationship with the art scene. The hotel’s Gallery on the ground level regularly shows contemporary works. Secondly, some of the best pieces of the Collection were specifically designed for the hotel, which acts as a permanent exhibition space.