Experiences

Join us between 16 May and 7 November to explore MITICO, our new collaboration with acclaimed art gallery Galleria Continua.

Discover Argentinian artist Leandro Erlich’s two installations, “Window & Ladder” and “The Cloud”, which pay homage to our hotel’s exceptional location overlooking Florence, the city of Renaissance.

Perception is a key element of the artists’ work. The large-scale piece, depicting a ladder leading to a real window, challenges and manipulates viewers’ concept of reality.

The piece is hidden amidst the beautiful Italian gardens, a particularly alienating spot which further draws one’s eye towards it. It embraces ideas of universal beauty through differing points of view.

Another key to Erlich’s work is architecture, where he focuses his efforts on making art and history attainable for all. “The Cloud (UK)”, a unique work consisting of multiple panes of glass, lives within the historical refectory of Villa San Michele’s walls.

Erlich says: “Like an idea, the Cloud is both totally real and an illusion. Atmospheric clouds have always been a screen for human projection, while at the same time being nothing more than a momentary event.”

When seen from various angles the unique floating work of art appears as a three dimensional structure, again making the observer question what is reality and what is illusion.

Born in 1973, Erlich lives and works in Buenos Aires and Montevideo. His professional career began at 18 with a solo exhibition at the Centro Cultural Recoleta in Buenos Aires. After receiving several scholarships, he completed a residency at the Glassell School of Art in Houston, Texas. It was here that he developed his signature installations, Swimming Pool and Living Room. The former landmark piece is now part of the permanent collections at Japan’s 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa and at Voorlinden Museum in the Netherlands.

More recently, he has enjoyed great acclaim in Asia at CAFAM (Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing), China’s premiere museum, where he became the first non-Chinese artist to occupy the entire exhibition space.

Considered one of the driving forces on the contemporary art scene, Galleria Continua creates a bridge between past and present with work from some of the world’s most exciting artists.

Evoking a feeling of inclusivity and community, MITICO embodies a new art philosophy: it is the reinterpretation of universal customs shared amongst different societies, such as cooking, painting, observing,and appreciating, and how these are consumed in their environments.

Follow the art path and visit our other MITICO installations around Italy:
Colouring the World at Grand Hotel Timeo
Cooking the World at Hotel Cipriani
Loving the World at Castello di Casole