Art-Break Hotel

Maja Hoffman and Jorge Pardo on Creating a remarkable Provencal retreat.

- Benoit Loiseau

In 1888, Vincent van Gogh, ravaged by heavy drinking and disillusioned with life in Paris, found refuge in Arles, intent on creating an artists’ commune. ‘L’Atelier du Sud’ would, he hoped, become a laboratory to experiment with colours and light, repositioning the Provençal city as a centre for artistic production. But the project ended abruptly the same year, after a series of violent quarrels with his friend Paul Gauguin – the only artist who had responded to the invitation – drove the Dutchman to a mental breakdown, during which he famously cut off part of his own ear.

Despite its failure, the ideals behind l’Atelier du Sud left an indelible mark on Arles which, some 130 years later, may get its artist colony after all. Designed by the Cuban-born American artist Jorge Pardo, l’Arlatan – a hotel and artist residence, housed in a 15th-century palace once belonging to the Counts of Arlatan de Beaumont – is set to become a hub for the international intelligentsia brought to the city by the newly established contemporary art centre, Luma Arles.

Built on an ancient Roman basilica (its remains are still visible), and a stone’s throw from the Unesco-listed Baths of Constantine, the 5,500 sq m building boasts an impressive list of historic features added through the centuries, including a classical façade on three levels, rebuilt in the 18th century; exquisitely painted wooden ceilings from the 15th century; and a dramatic, monolithic column from the 5th century, formerly part of the baths. ‘I thought it’d be interesting to bring a new dimension, one of the 21st century,’ explains the president of the Luma Foundation, Swiss art maverick Maja Hoffmann, of the refurbishment she commissioned.