Page 44 - DIVA_3_2007_No.30

Not quite iour regular Hilton

known for boasting some paintings, with my thirteen-
interesting paintings by year-old son Paolo, sipping
sought-after artists from the a drink and observing the
XVIII and XIX centuries. paintings and the hotel
By now the prestigious guests coming and going.
establishment
five-star Most of them did not even
could right-fully claim the look up, let alone realize
status of art gallery. they were laying eyes on
some 18th century art won-
In the main lobby the der disclosed to public view
educated Martini lover will after resting for 200 years
find himself face to face in the shadowed vast rooms
with not one but three large of a Venetian patrician pala-
ce. Not that you can easily
paintings
from
Giambattista Tiepolo. This miss the canvasses: the cen-
Venetian artist born in tral one must measure 6
1696, was no conventional meters in length and the
painter. scene is not one that goes
unnoticed. The characters
The Italian art lover who in the painting are no less
bought the paintings from than Hercules, Ulysses,
Sotheby's in 2006 is no Achilles, Apollo, Mars,
ordinary man either. Guido Anteus and Lycomedes. All
Angelo Terruzzi is known names that once held
in art circles for having powerful meaning and told
accumulated for his perso- even more powerful stories.
nal pleasure a private col- Today they probably sound
lection of over 5,000 pie- to the average interconti-
ces. But his latest buy was nental traveller like they
too large, even for substan- come from Matrix the
tial villa in Bordighera, movie.
where most of his collec-
tion is gathered. So he It must be said that the
thought of hanging the Hilton itself does not give
three paintings by Tiepolo much publicity to the pain-
in the main lobby of the tings. At the reception desk,
Hilton hotel, which he a glossy flyer among many
owns. The paintings come others illustrates briefly this
from Palazzo Sandi in new acquisition and descri-
et upposedly, Hilton
Venice and had not been bes the life and art career of
hotels all look the
shown in public for almost Giambattista Tiepolo. Apart
same. The standard quality
two centuries. Mr. Terruzzi from that, no big fuss. I
and features that feel
used his money to buy the reckon this blasé attitude
reassuring to many interna-
Tiepolos when he realised towards art at its utmost
tional travellers are, for
the Italian government was expression is very Italian:
many others, reasons valid
to
going for this people driving daily
not
enough to avoid Hiltons.
intervene to avoid the pain- through the historical
Well, today the ditcum "all
ting leaving the country. It foundations of Europe's
Hiltons look the same" is a
had been over 50 years civilisation, one Tiepolo
little less true. See for your-
since any Tipeolo's pain- more or one less does not
self next time you go to
tings were put on auction. make much difference.
Rome.
An opportunity that someo-
ne like Terruzzi could not I have briefly researched
The Cavalieri Hilton, nes-
miss. this Mr. Terruzzi and found
ted on top of Italy's capital's
out I could not pierce his
Monte Mario, was already
I sat right under the famous discretion and
42 3 2007 Diva

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