MARTinhal - How local art adds heart to Martinhal Hotels & Resorts

Visitors to any Martinhal property will see how important supporting local artists is to the company’s ethos: every Martinhal hotel features carefully curated artwork that reflects the culture, heritage, and natural beauty of its surrounding region.

Nowhere is this more evident than at Martinhal Lisbon Oriente, Martinhal’s newest property. The team behind the branded residences and five star hotel, which opened last summer, worked with a series of esteemed Portuguese artists to create bespoke artwork and sculptures for not only the lobby and communal spaces, but also the sleek apartments and studios making up the hotel’s accommodation. 

A living gallery

Wander through the hallways and curated spaces of Martinhal Lisbon Oriente and you’ll discover pieces from Portugal’s vibrant artistic scene, many from artists who have had working relationships with Martinhal for nearly a decade. Artists whose work features in the hotel include Kruella D’Enfer, Graça Paz, Pedro Batista, Maria Imaginário, Bordalo II, Vasco Águas and Tamara Alves among others. 

Graça Paz was an invited artist in residence for Martinhal’s Luxury, Art and Design Weekend 2021 in Martinhal Sagres, and two art pieces that she created for that event now hang in the lobby of Martinhal Lisbon Oriente. Paz also created “Lugares - The Sacred Lands” especially for Martinhal Lisbon Oriente, a series of colourful works that represent the journey from the elements and foundation stones beneath our feet, to the geometric shapes of buildings of the present day.

In all the lift lobbies of Martinhal Lisbon Oriente, guests will see the incredible murals created by Portuguese visual artist and illustrator Kruella d’Enfer. D’Enfer was an invited artist in residence for Martinhal’s Luxury, Art and Design Weekend 2017 in Martinhal Sagres, and her distinctive style has transformed all 19 floors at Martinhal Lisbon Oriente into one enormous internal mural.

Some of the most striking sculptures at Martinhal Lisbon Oriente were created by Bordalo II, who is known for his use of rubbish and unconventional materials to create thought-provoking works of urban art. In October 2022, Martinhal sponsored and hosted Bordalo’s first solo exhibition in five years, EVILUTION, at the Edu Hub Lisbon, a collaborative campus founded by Martinhal’s owners Chitra and Roman Stern. Martinhal Lisbon Oriente now showcases four pieces from Bordalo II; these include Big Trash Animals, a glowing koala made with leftover neon-LED that adorns the walls of the hotel’s Terrace restaurant, and a wonderful lit up spider in the pool area, as well as Small Trash Animals, including the lioness and cub in the hotel lobby.

Quote from Chitra Stern

“We have been supporting and engaging with Portuguese artists since 2012, when we started our Luxury, Art and Design Weekend in Martinhal Sagres,” says Martinhal founder Chitra Stern. “At the time, we invited artists to do work for a few spaces in the resort each year, and we got to meet such talented Portuguese artists on this journey of those annual events.”

“Since then, curated and exclusive art pieces have been incorporated in our various projects in order to showcase Portuguese talent and to give our guests authentic experiences. Martinhal Lisbon Oriente brings our connection to local artists even further, with our “Living in Art” project that showcases limited editions and original pieces from 8 talented artists.

Local art is closely intertwined with the Martinhal brand and we are proud to be supporting Portuguese artists and to help promote their creativity and their amazing work to a mainly international audience!”

Martinhal Art, Design and Wellbeing Weekend

Held every November at Martinhal Sagres on the Algarve coast, Martinhal’s Art and Design Weekend brings together talented creators, designers and artisans from the Portuguese artistic community over three days of workshops and showcases. Now in its 12th year, 2024’s event promises the same creativity and connection for all attendees, and will be taking place on 15-17th November 2024. 

High-res images of Martinhal Lisbon Oriente here

High-res images of Martinhal Sagres here

About Martinhal Lisbon Oriente and Martinhal Sagres

Opened in June 2023, Martinhal Lisbon Oriente is the newest hotel from the award-winning family hotel and residential resorts brand, Martinhal. Martinhal Lisbon Oriente provides an elegant city experience for short and long-term stays in Lisbon, featuring a selection of 5-star fully-equipped studios and apartments with extensive facilities for business, leisure and family travellers. 

  The elegant interiors have been designed to the highest standard by Architect Eduardo Capinha Lopes, Romano Design & Epoca. The accommodation options, ranging from sophisticated studios to spacious three-bedroom apartments, offer chic living areas, some with tree-adorned balconies creating a dramatic counterpoint with modernity and biophilic design. All apartments have well-equipped kitchens and feature an array of designer brands including Bruma, Smeg, Artemis and Ferreira de Sá Econyl rugs.

Martinhal Lisbon Oriente is nestled in the riverside Park of Nations neighbourhood of Lisbon, a culturally and entrepreneurially dynamic area that is home to innovative restaurants, a thriving music scene, some of Portugal’s biggest tech companies and a wide range of family attractions. 

Located on the eastern tip of Portugal’s Algarve coast, Martinhal Family Hotels & Resorts’ flagship hotel Martinhal Sagres remains the leading light in luxe family holidays. With award-winning kids clubs, a huge variety of activities ranging from mountain biking to surfing and sleek and stylish design the hotel keeps even the most active of kids entertained and gives even the most stressed of parents a chance to breathe and unwind. Martinhal Sagres is incredibly spacious, with the facilities and green areas spread out over 220,000 square metres and with its own access to a 700m beach.

For more information please contact Isabel Turner-Hicks or Alexandra Liste at martinhal@lemongrassmarketing.com or call 01865 237 990.

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Editors notes

Martinhal Family Hotels & Resorts has been renowned for providing luxurious family holidays since the opening of its first resort in 2010. Martinhal is helping more families have a holiday together to remember. Each Martinhal Family Hotels & Resorts’ property is designed with families, luxury and design in mind. Found in some of the most prestigious areas in Portugal, Martinhal Family Hotels & Resorts offers superb accommodation from beach front locations, sophisticated golf areas to Lisbon city centre. Properties include Martinhal Sagres (Algarve), Martinhal Quinta do Lago (Algarve), Martinhal Cascais and Martinhal Lisbon Chiado.

Each resort also features a baby concierge service (providing baby baths, bottle sterilisers and all the other essentials for travelling with little ones), staffed kids areas/clubs and a mini market for any necessities.