Palacio Arriluce: Artistic Modernity in a Historic Context
Palacio Arriluce: Artistic Modernity in a Historic Context
The Palacio Arriluce Hotel in Getxo, the first five-star luxury hotel in the Basque Country that is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World collection, houses a large and carefully curated art collection that is displayed throughout the hotel’s common areas. Among its standout pieces are lithographs by Alexander Calder, Adolfo Schlosser, Eduardo Arroyo, Javier Virseda, and Damien Hirst; engravings by Mitsuo Miura; serigraphs by Victor Vasarely; a gouache by Joan Hernández Pijuan; a photogravure by Cristina Iglesias; a woodcut and serigraph by Agustín Ibarrola; and photographs by Jon Cazenave. These modern and contemporary works coexist gracefully with historic treasures: an eighteenth-century ceramic tobacco recipient and Chinese vases, nineteenth-century corbels and English porcelain, and a twentieth-century Oriental tibor vase.
The establishment’s 49 rooms —defined by a contemporary residential style— make light, color, and art the central elements of their serene and refined atmosphere. Guests will find there sculptures by Enrique Salamanca, Diego Canogar, and Esteban Alberdi; prints by Mateo Maté; engravings by Andreas Cellarius and Hendrik Hondius II; sculpto-paintings by Alberto Palomera; and lithographs by Sonia Delaunay.
Delaunay holds a special place in the Palacio’s collection — so much so that the hotel’s signature restaurant bears her name. Inside, guests dine surrounded by photolithographs, engravings, and lithographs done by this pioneering founder of Simultanism.
Another cornerstone of the collection is František Kupka. In the hotel’s English bar, composed of a former library and a spectacular chapel (now dedicated to the world of champagne), the 1911 engraving Red and Blue Discs by this founder of Orphic Cubism takes pride of place.
Across the event halls and meeting rooms, all of which have sea views, there are engravings and etchings by Mitsuo Miura alongside sculptures by Diego Canogar and Alberto Palomera, specially commissioned for the Palacio Arriluce.
On the lower level, a long corridor lined with etchings by Alfredo Alcaín connects the kitchens (which guests are invited to visit) with the Neguri Spa & Wellness space and the wine cellar, home to a refined collection of national and international wines displayed alongside a monumental sculpture by Diego Canogar and a serigraph by Marianne Heske.
This immersive artistic experience integrates seamlessly into the architecture of the building, designed in 1912 by José Luis Oriol and Manuel María Smith for the Marquis of Arriluce. Built entirely in stone and situated on an escarpment, it was designed in the Neo-Gothic Medieval Revivalism style. This grand building stands out for its use of stone from the nearby Berango quarry, as well as red marble inspired by Queen Anne style and Victorian Gothic castles – details that were preserved after its renovation to convert it into a hotel.
To extend the cultural experience beyond its walls, Palacio Arriluce offers guests a private boat tour along the Bilbao estuary, with visits to the Guggenheim Museum of Bilbao and the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum, which is unveiling a new exhibition space this year designed by Norman Foster. It’s an itinerary in which each stop is a work of fine art.
Palacio Arriluce
Atxekolandeta 15, Getxo.
