Reflected throughout our properties, Rocco Forte Hotels’ passion for art is one of the founding pillars of the brand. We’ve proven our commitment over the years, not least by supporting a number of events and exhibitions at the Royal Academy of Arts, including last year’s architectural display, Renzo Piano: The Art of Making Buildings.
This year, we’re going a step further, offering our very own Rocco Forte Hotels Architecture Prize as part of the Summer Exhibition Architecture Prize at the Royal Academy of Arts. Our £5,000 prize will be awarded for “an outstanding work of architectural design” within this year’s theme: A Sustainable World, chosen by Spencer de Grey RA.
The focus of this year’s submissions is the ever-evolving relationship between creative design and an environmentally sustainable agenda. This is something de Grey himself has experience with—he was the overseer for The Great Glasshouse at the National Botanic Garden of Wales, the world’s largest single-span glasshouse and home to many plant species threatened by human developments and climate change. The Royal Academy’s exhibition of shortlisted and award-winning submissions will be held in the Architecture Room.
Later this year, the environmental theme at the Royal Academy continues, with exhibition Eco-Visionaries set to open on 24th November 2019. Through a display of cutting-edge art, sculpture, installation, architectural models, digital media and more, it aims to investigate the way in which mankind can respond to and help combat the environmental changes transforming our planet.
Agrigento’s roots run as deep as the gnarled olive trees that dot its landscape, stretching back over 2,500 years to its founding as Akragas, one of the greatest cities of the ancient Greek world. Set against a breathtaking coastline, this once thriving cultural and political hub was praised by the Greek poet Pindar as “the most beautiful city of mortals”. Today, this splendour is immortalised in the Valley of the Temples.
In 1925, a world still shell-shocked from the ravages of World War I found renewal in a burgeoning artistic movement: Art Deco. It reflected motion, progress, the future. Immediately embraced by famed Belgian architect Victor Horta, he laid the foundations for Art Deco in Brussels with his plans for the Centre of Fine Arts (Bozar). This marked the inception of a radically modern approach to architecture and art in the city. Now, as Brussels marks a century of Art Deco style, it’s the perfect time to explore this distinctly walkable city with your own budding artists.
Along Italy’s dazzling southern coastline, two Rocco Forte Hotel retreats prepare to welcome spring’s arrival. Each destination, from Puglia’s rolling hills to the sugary shores of Sciacca, exudes charm and space to unwind while offering personalised onsite activities and local experiences.
