Qualified as the largest private real estate project in the history of USAthe imposing urban complex hudson yards turned an abandoned area of western Manhattan into one of the most futuristic and expensive neighborhoods in the city, with hundreds of shops and restaurants and thousands of homes. To give it a unique touch, two original structures were placed between the imposing buildings, such as the art center “The Shed” (The shed) and the sculpture “The Vessel” (The ship), idea of the British designer Thomas Heatherwick, which became an emblem of the neighborhood and one of the attractions of the Big Apple. Premium skyscrapers and works of art there are enhanced to make it one of the most developed neighborhoods of the new millennium, where homes are priced between 4 and 50 million dollars. This is just one example of a synergy that has become irresistible in the world. the duo “art and real estate” is so important today that any self-respecting premium real estate project must include a quality aesthetic proposal as part of its offer.
Most developers today understand that supporting artists and their works means leaving a mark that could become an emblem of the era in the future. “Introducing art in unexpected places can change the public’s perception and increase the appreciation of the built environment”, says architect and designer Julio Oropel.
Artistic Habitat
Although today it is on the rise again, this presence of art in the building projects it has a long history. The best buildings in Buenos Aires always had works on their facades and in the entrance halls. In fact, these became emblems that identify them, such as the immense murals by Alfredo Guido, Emilio Centurión and Dante Ortolani and the bas-reliefs by Alfredo Lagos, at the headquarters of the Argentine Automobile Club. Or the replica of the Winged Victory of Samothrace in the courtyard of the Estrugamou Palace.
Currently, this synergy has increased steadily throughout the world and also in Argentina.
Released in 2019, the luxurious complex SLS Puerto Maderobuilt by the company Related Group, was the collector’s first venture in Argentine territory Jorge Perez, renowned art lover who gave his name to the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM). Inside and in the open spaces, the complex brings together a fountain by Nicola Costantino, an openwork sculpture with phrases by Marie Orensanz, an immense colorful mural by Gachi Hasper and works by Jorge Miño, Diana Cabeza, Eugenio Cuttica, Aldo Sessa and Grace Sacco.
Another businessman who combines these two passions is Eduardo Constantinifounder of the Museum of Latin American Art of Buenos Aires (Malba) and of Consultatio Real Estate. In Florida he developed his first two “Oceana Residences” projects, in Key Biscayne and Bal Harbour. There you can see the famous “Ballerina” by Jeff Koons, which was previously exhibited on the esplanade of Malba, in Buenos Aires. “The decision to convene a group of artists and compose a body of work specially selected for each project is one of the pillars of the product construction process,” says Gonzalo de Serna, CEO of the company.
Under this same brand, Consultatio has just launched the Oceana Puerto Madero, associated with another real estate “entrepreneur” and art lover, Alan Faena. And he has already announced that he will build another one in Nordelta. Located on the last available piece of land in Puerto Madero on Dock 2, Oceana will consist of two buildings joined by a large park with a reflecting pool and art interventions. The pieces selected for the central square are star maps by Leo Battistelli with sculptures by Elba Bairon for the exterior. Inside the towers there will be mobiles by Daniel Joglar and paintings by Federico Lanzi, Lola Goldstein, Alejandra Seeber, Karina Peisajovich and a video installation by Juan Solanas. At Oceana Nordelta, there will be an installation by Argentine artist Pablo Reynoso, an artist, designer and sculptor who has lived in France since 1978.
In the same vein, Gerardo Azcuy, founder of the premium tower real estate developer that bears his name, owns seven developments in the Caballito neighborhood. It has recently been inaugurated in the Donna Terra complex, “Mutanti” by Diego Bianchi, a tubular piece of seventy linear meters, which unfolds like a large worm through different sectors of the property and which, in parts, works as a receiver to generate compost. The work was the winner of the first edition of the Azcuy Prize, an alliance between the construction company and the Museum of Modern Art of Buenos Aires. Adriana Bustos with the “Imaginary World” project won the second edition and Fabián Bercic, the third. “In each edition we have the participation of a jury from abroad that provides a vision of international contemporary art,” they explain in the construction company.
home art
Art has changed its habitat. It is no longer confined exclusively to museums or galleries. Along with architecture, design and landscaping make up a whole. There is even a German word that represents it: “Gesamtkunstwerk”, which means “total work of art”, in the sense of creating an integral artistic experience within a space.
To foster this relationship between art and real estate, Carmine Dodero the creator of the Six O’Clock Tea, put together the proposal of “in-house art” through the slogan “Meet The Artists”. The idea was born when the painter Nahuel Vecino had the idea of bringing art and cuisine together with a small group of collectors, but the initiative was expanded by Dodero. His first meeting between artists and art collectors was in his mother’s apartment and later he replicated it by making a real estate “match”. His recent edition was in Palermo Chico, in the last house in which he lived Franco Macri, which was built in the 1940s by architect Antonio Ubaldo Vilar and is for sale for $8 million. “I thought it was a great space to display art. They consulted the family, who gave the authorization, “said the organizer. The event featured renowned contemporary artists: Andrés Paredes, Nahuel Vecino, Carolina Antoniadis, Paola Vega, Daniel Basso and Ignacio Valdez.
More personalized and outside the confines of the four walls, Creta Caliza, the creative team made up of Micaela Chediack and Silvina Piredda, imagine and make large-scale sculptures especially conceived for open spaces, such as gardens or parks at the request of their owners or the neighborhood or country consortium. Metal, wood, stone, glass or even water, all possible materials are amalgamated and integrated with the environment and Nature, and imagine an imprint that personalizes not only the home, but the neighborhood. “Bringing art to gardens and parks, whether in public or private spaces, also means giving people not necessarily interested in art the possibility of an aesthetic experience,” says Chediack.
More than a trend, the pairing of art and real estate is a way of re-understanding the value of creating more habitable and beautiful spaces and a way of imagining the lasting in a world where everything seems increasingly ephemeral.
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