Originally Posted by hotturnip

Well, there you go.

That's the thing about hotel art. It typically strives for that middle ground. That's why it's generally not respected in the art world. I would add, though, that an artist friend did a lot of the art for the Renaissance Convention Center in DC, at least in the lobby, and her work was well above average (although she did indeed do it at the behest of a decorator). They may have remodeled and done away with it since I was last there--a shame if that's so. Her work was beautiful.

I do find that the upper-end Hilton brands usually go for abstraction and somewhat more ambitious works than the lower-end brands. (There's probably a master's thesis in that for someone.) You'll sometimes find actual signed and numbered prints in the rooms rather than just mass-produced, framed posters.

(I'm an art historian, in case you were wondering.)