Art is food for the soul – Immerse yourself in Spanish art and unparalleled relaxation

So much of art centres around the ideas of cultural exchange and understanding, which are significant factors when visiting and exploring new places. Simply put, locally made art — perhaps more than any other format — helps us understand and empathise with one another.  More than that, local art helps cultivate a sense of cultural identity. Some of last year’s most popular art trends involved supporting local art in particular as it highlights the artists’ authentic experience of the place, they lived in.

Art has also been proven to help calm us and take our minds off things that might be causing us stress. The founders of It Mallorca, Miguel Conde and Cristina Marti, have taken both of these facts into account while creating their six boutique hotels in Mallorca. Every hotel is a passion project for the owners, who in 2011 opened their first hotel, Can Cera, Palma. Guests at IT Mallorca properties are invited to take in and enjoy the impressive collection of local artworks on display.

Can Cera, Palma

Right from the arrival at Can Cera, guests are met with incredible pieces of art, one of them a sculpture inspired by the branches of a kiwi fruit from a farm in Sant Cebrià de Vellalta by Jordi Alcaraz, one of the leading artists in Spain’s national scene.

Further on in the salons, guests can marvel at the evocative tapestries of Adriana Meunié, a Mallorcan, who uses esparto, raffia and ancient threads full of stories to hand-make these art pieces in her atelier in Felanitx. 

The ceramics that fill the former palace, from the impressive masterpiece on the patio to the small pieces over the marble tables and the stunning sculpture by their library, are all the work of Jaume Roig. The Mallorcan artist finds inspiration through the stones, rustic landscapes and the neutral colour scale you find in Southern Mallorca, where he lives.

Can Auli, Pollença

Housed in a 17th-century mansion, Can Auli also uses the talented ceramist, Jaume Roig, to bring a rustic chic feeling to its interiors. Influenced by his mother, Roig preserves traditional techniques while developing new organic shapes as a form of self-expression.

Inside their rooms, guests will be able to find pieces by Mallorcan artist, Estefania Pomar, who uses a palette of vivid red, orange, olive green and black, derived from oxides of different metals, marbles and charcoal and applies these to natural linens, sackcloth and cotton.

While Can Cera has a sculpture by Jordi Alcaraz, Can Auli features a painting by the artist where he fuses sculpting and painting to create an ethereal piece of art that highlights the malleability of materials and the ever-changing nature of our own reality and surroundings.

Calatrava, Palma

At Calatrava, guests can discover the 87 black and white photographs by Jose Taltavull and Xim Izquierdo. The two childhood friends have created the “As Above So Below” collection as a tribute to their land, Mallorca, and to its surrounding sea.

The horizon is the line that divides the work of both artists, Xim captures the oceanic world while Jose focuses on the land above water. They mix depth and simplicity in a collection removed from the traditional “hotel art”, created especially for Calatrava for its refurbishment in February 2023.

Sant Jaume, Palma

Sant Jaume is home to an imposing 12-meter sculpture by acclaimed artist, Robert Ferrer i Martorel, that welcomes guests inside the 18th-century mansion. The three-dimensional masterpiece has been created specifically for this hotel and its materials and colours blend in with the intense blue walls, the furniture and designer lighting.

Across the hotel and its rooms, guests can spot curated art pieces by Mallorcan artists Estefania Pomar and Victoria Masdeu at every turn. This series of illustrations is the result of bravely mixing natural pigments on linen canvases and depicting everyday scenes of the fascinating island.

Can Alomar, Palma

One of Roland Fischer’s portraits will catch guests’ eye as soon as they enter Can Alomar’s lobby. His illusionistic “Chinese Pool Portraits” are meant to respond to the artist’s desire to isolate the protagonist from their geographical context.

Art enthusiasts will be met with a wave of emotions when spotting Prudencio Irazabal’s pieces around Can Alomar. His artworks are defined by their great luminosity and intense emotion created through complex colours and removed from all narration and symbolism.

Other emotive paintings around the hotel are highly complex interplays of geometry by Manolo Ballesteros. He lets the painting express itself through form and brushwork, giving primacy to colour, gesture and emotion.

Hotel Valldemossa

Opening in February 2024, It Mallorca’s newest boutique hotel will stun future guests with its impressive art collection just the same as the other properties. Inside the refurbished Royal Charterhouse Palace, imposing halls and rooms embrace the French aesthetic of the 1950s with original furniture by Charlotte Perriand, Le Corbusier, and Miguel Milá. The latter is juxtaposed contemporary art by Jor-di Alcaraz, Aythamy Armas, and Antonia Ferrer, among others.  More details about the individual art pieces will be coming soon!