Born in the mid-1930s in the Gibson Desert, Tommy Watson is a stockman, a Pitjantjatjara elder and one of Australia’s most celebrated artists. And now he’s a hotel – The Watson, named for him, opened last month in the chic inner-Adelaide suburb of Walkerville, a world away from the artist’s arid homeland. An original triptych, Anumarapiti, hangs in the foyer, and prints bearing the artist’s intense colours and motifs appear throughout the hotel’s 140 suites, apartments and public spaces. The Art Series Hotel Group opened another property last month: The Larwill Studio, in Melbourne’s Parkville. Named after the late David Larwill, known for his “figurative expressionist” style, each of the studio’s 96 workspaces (aka guest rooms) have sketchpads and art books for inspiration.
The Watson and The Larwill Studio
Two new hotels join The Art Series stable.