Asher Keddie’s artist husband has a $100m hotel named after him

When it comes to popular Australian creative couplings, they don’t come much more well-known than Gold Logie-winning Offspring actress Asher Keddie and acclaimed artist Vincent Fantauzzo. The pair met in 2012, married in 2014 and welcomed their son, Valentino, in 2015 (Vincent also has a nine-year-old son, Luca, from a previous marriage). And while Keddie has a lot of Logies to her name, it’s Fantauzzo who just had a $100-million hotel named after him. The Fantauzzo in Brisbane is decorated exclusively with his artwork, including more than two dozen prints of his celebrity wife. It also has a suite named after her. Just in case anyone was wondering who his muse is.

Vincent Fantauzzo’s artwork is displayed in the lobby.

Built in the historic Howard Street Wharves precinct of Brisbane under the Story Bridge, The Fantauzzo is the newest Art Series Hotel inspired by an Australian artist – there are eight in total across the country, including The Larwill in Melbourne and The Watson in Adelaide. Designed by SJB – a design firm that has previously featured in Vogue Living for architectural projects in Bondi and Melbourne – the hotel contains over 250 of Vincent’s artworks, including portraits of Guy Pearce, Matt Moran and Natalie Bassingthwaighte.

The Fantauzzo is located under the Story Bridge in Brisbane.

When it comes to portraits, Vincent’s a man with mass appeal. He has won the Archibald People’s Choice Award a record four times with paintings of Heath Ledger, Brandon Walters, his son Luca and his wife (the winning picture of Keddie was titled Love Face and a print of it hangs in the lobby of The Fantauzzo). He painted the official portrait of Julia Gillard that hangs in Parliament House. His paintings sell for as much as $319,000 each. Not bad for a boy who dropped out of high school at 13 and struggles with reading and writing to this day (he was diagnosed with dyslexia in the early 2000s).

This print titled All that’s good in me is a self-portrait of Vincent as his son Luca. It won the Archibald People’s Choice Award in 2014.

The diagonal, repeating forms across the hotel’s façade are inspired by the trusses of the Story Bridge.

When The Fantauzzo was preparing to open, Vincent took all the staff on a four-hour tour of the hotel and explained the story behind each piece of his art on the walls – the staff can pass those insights on to guests if they choose to take a free tour. The hotel also offers art channels on television and an art library.

Add to that fabulous views of the river city, a rooftop pool and garden, four food-and-beverage offerings, a gym, as well as elegant function rooms and you have a hotel that is a destination in itself.

The hotel is designed to blend into its surroundings.

Built near heritage buildings and against a steep bluff, it was a priority for the architects to integrate The Fantauzzo into its surroundings. “We wanted to create a building that was almost a non-building,” says Tristan Wong, director of architecture at SJB. “This was so the hotel could sit quietly behind the heritage buildings – giving them their moment in the sun – while the tonal qualities of the facade allow it to become part of the cliff face.”

Emerald couches add pops of colour to the interior.

The hotel’s interior is sleek and contemporary; leather accents in furniture create a feeling of glamour and luxury. A rich palette of grey emanates from the exposed concrete used in structural columns, walls and ceilings, while emerald soft furnishings add pops of colour. “The toughness of the concrete aesthetic relates back to the industrial nature of the bridge and the green touches are a nod to the vegetation on the cliffs,” says Andrew Parr, director of interior design at SJB. Warmth comes from timber flooring and brass finishings.

Over 250 artworks by Fantauzzo are on display in the hotel.

SJB deliberately choose dark, broody interior colours to challenge the traditional idea that a space displaying art should be white. “Brisbane is evolving,” says Parr. “The design of The Fantauzzo reinforces that it now has a strong cultural scene, with a highly evolved arts program and food culture.” And for a good dose of that art, you don’t even need to leave the hotel.

Visit: The Fantauzzo

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