Opening this April, the Fairmont Baku and Flame Towers in Baku, Azerbaijan, will boast a world-class, museum-quality fine art collection of over 100 original pieces and over 300 reproductions.
Sourced and curated by Vancouver-based art consultancy firm Farmboy Fine Arts, the Flame Towers collection features paintings, photographs and sculptures that all complement the building’s luxurious architecture (designed by HOK International) and interiors (designed by Hirsch Bedner Associates).
Featuring local Azerbaijani artists, along with artists from 19 other countries, Farmboy Fine Arts curated or commissioned all pieces in the collection. But simply buying and coordinating pieces isn’t why clients choose Farmboy Fine Arts.
As Farmboy Fine Arts CEO Todd Towers explains, “It’s not about buying art for a property; it’s about building a collection of pieces that will impact people, that fit the visual narrative of a space. Without that narrative, that thread holding a space together, the art just becomes something decorative.”
For the Flame Towers, Farmboy Fine Arts actually used the idea of narrative to inform their concept. Using the ghazal – an ancient Azeri poetic form – as inspiration, Farmboy Fine Arts carefully curated an art collection featuring rhythmic motifs of layered music, beauty and poetic flourish.
“As an iconic piece of architecture, the art within the Flame Towers had to be equally impressive, equally impactful,” says Towers. “Once we had our concept, it was a matter of reaching out to our international network of artists and galleries to find pieces that fit and were the caliber required.”
But great pains were also taken to ensure the experience remained welcoming for guests and residents.
“From early on in the project, the Flame Towers ownership group knew they wanted world-class fine art pieces – a collection that would set the building apart,” Towers says. “But the art experience still had to be accessible, something that engaged and inspired visitors. That’s the balancing act we worked with.”
Overall, the art collection at the Flame Towers is highly sophisticated, contemporary and embodies the epitome of modern luxury. One of the first developments to substantially augment Baku’s skyline, the Fairmont Baku and Flame Towers sit on the Caspian Sea coast, acting as a beacon to the city’s vibrancy, international emergence and future prosperity. Taking its name from Azerbaijan’s heritage—the land of fire—the Flame Towers features 3 individual towers rising nearly 800 feet. Incorporating a low-resolution media facade, the building itself lights up with flame graphics, visible for miles around.
About Farmboy Fine Arts
Based in Vancouver, Canada, Farmboy Fine Arts is an international art consultancy firm cultivating site-specific collections for the hospitality, institutional and corporate sectors. Farmboy Fine Arts builds collections by acquiring or commissioning original works from emerging and established artists, as well as creating and manufacturing unique custom art. The result is a rich, guest-focused environment; one that adds lasting value to the space for years to come.