The passion for art of Baron Samuel von Brukenthal, founder of the most important art collection in Transylvania, is honoured through a tripartite partnership. It includes the Ice Hotel at Bâlea Lac, the Brukenthal Palace in Avrig and the Cluj Art Gallery. Through this partnership, Transylvanian art will be promoted internationally, according to ClujToday.ro.
The partnership will enter into force on 1 February 2024. It was concluded in the context that the theme of this year’s edition of the Ice Hotel is precisely “Art&Ice”, and the Brukenthal Palace in Avrig has assumed as its mission the preservation of the cultural heritage of one of the most important personalities in the history of Transylvania. Cluj Art Gallery is known for the exhibitions of Romanian artists organized in Romania, Italy, Spain or Bulgaria, as well as for the events it organizes in unusual places, such as the Corvinilor Castle in Hunedoara. As a result of this partnership, the Ice Hotel and the Brukenthal Palace in Avrig will be able to admire artists of high calibre, whose works of art can be found in the collections of the Royal Family of Romania, the Vatican or in the possession of members of the Order of Malta, such as Sergiu Man or Vasile Tholvay.
“Cluj Art Gallery’s involvement in this season’s “Hotel of Ice Bâlea Lac” tourism marketing project consists of a multi-faceted exhibition project, centered around the theme “Echoes of fragility: Like an ice structure, the artist’s emotions are initially fluid and devoid of a concrete form. Through an assiduous process of creative reconfiguration, the artist gives rise to antithetical artistic manifestations, apparently solid and imperturbable, they are essentially perishable and suspect to the passage of time. This theme seeks to create a link between ephemeral forms of artistic manifestation and the nature of the space where the works will be exhibited – the Ice Hotel and the only Baroque complex with themed gardens in Romania, the Brukenthal Palace in Avrig. Cluj Art Gallery aims to transform the Ice Hotel and the Brukenthal Palace into a synesthetic space, dedicated to beauty in all its forms, to delight all the senses of the public: Sight, through a collection of visual artworks selected to ennoble the crystalline hallways without diminishing their value, hearing, through musical representations meant to bring warmth in contrast to the cold space we find ourselves in at Bâlea Lac, and also, in the warm space of the Brukenthal Palace in Baroque architecture and design, taste and smell, through wine tasting that elevates the experience of the audience and, finally, through live painting sessions, thus offering a complex and, at the same time, pleasant experience”, says the representative of the “Cluj Art” Gallery, Eugen Moț.
The first components of the seventeenth Ice Hotel – “Art&Ice” were built at Bâlea Lac, in the vicinity of the Cable Car Station.In the next period, when the weather conditions will become favourable for the construction work on such a project, other rooms and structures will be added to the existing core.
The “Art&Ice” Ice Hotel at Bâlea Lac will have 20 rooms in its final form, each named after a great personality of the arts, artists or art lovers. 10 rooms will be named after female personalities such as Queen Maria of Romania, Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, Corina Chiriac or the great German actress Marlene Dietrich. The other 10 rooms will be named after male art personalities such as Andy Warhole, master Mircea Codrea, Count Dracula, Elvis Presley or Constantin Brâncuși. The unique hotel will also have a restaurant and bar, and all the rooms will be linked by a series of corridors.
The interior decoration of the hotel will be designed in line with the theme of this season’s project.The ice restaurant will be decorated with ice elements and sculptures reflecting the Historic Cafes Route and will be named after the famous historic café in Budapest, New York, says the ambassador of the Council of Europe’s Historic Cafes Route, Arnold Klingeis.
In recent seasons, the Ice Hotel at Bâlea Lac has been included in various international rankings alongside the world’s most important and fascinating winter tourist attractions. As a result, the 2023 – 2024 season is expected to be a truly special one, and the number of guests and visitors is expected to reach a new record.
The Ice Hotel at Bâlea Lac is the only one of its kind in south-eastern Europe.
At the Brukenthal Palace in Avrig, the famous “Cluj Art” gallery will decorate the Oranjeriei’s screens in both the restaurant and the banqueting hall with works by local artists. This will showcase the talent, creativity and passion of talented creators.
Thus, contemporary art will adorn the elegant Baroque palace in Avrig, which is a miniature of the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna.
