art'otel budapest, by park plaza

When he arrived in New York, Sultan was fascinated by the industrial cityscape. Factories with chimneys puffing out smoke are evoked in the black tar surface of his early works. The factory smoke, ephemeral and as frail as an urban blossom, reappears in the series Smoke Rings that is represented in the collection in different variations.

The smoke rings of a cigarette no longer visible in these pictures, yet operating here like a miniature smokestack, float against the dark background like a sublime warning of the risks of such indulgence.

Sultan's elegant still lifes, despite their ostensible decorativeness, have a morbid charm to them. In the tradition of the masters of Impressionism, Sultan paints fruits, flowers and eggs, some appearing to be coloured black, thus confusing the perceptions of the viewers. Are they really looking at fruit, or is there a black hole opening up in the midst of this composition?

Such play with contrasts is characteristic of Sultan's oeuvre. The works belonging to the thematic field of "Artificials" include the prints and paintings of the series Dominoes and Playing Cards, stones and cards whose symbols and dots obey a mysterious order. The white dots of the domino stones reappear in the buttonholes of the series Buttons.

The ambiguity of forms runs through his entire work. The smokestack billowing out smoke turns into a streetlamp, the stem of a tulip into a vase. The smoke of a factory turns into fragile blossoms, a lemon into a light bulb of a streetlight or the calyx of another tulip.

Following your tour through this impressive building that sensationally combines historical substance with modern lifestyle in a successful synthesis, the café "Domino" invites you to relax. Sultan also helped to structure the hotel by offering a design coordinated to his art. Sculptures round off this total work of art on the shores of the Danube excellently and make your stay an unforgettable event.