You Can Buy Art Right Off The Wall In This Manhattan Hotel’s Street Art Suite

The Dominick, an upscale boutique hotel in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood, is steps away from so much that’s beloved about New York City. Guests can easily walk to shops, restaurants, art galleries, and displays of street art.

While exploring the neighborhoods around The Dominick, it’s not unusual to come across one of New York City artist Paul Richard’s signature drip paintings. Since Richard has been leaving his mark on the city’s sidewalks and other ordinary objects for decades, Sharon Telesca, the vice president of sales and marketing at The Dominick, told me that a partnership with the artist felt like a natural fit.

The Dominick teamed with Paul Richard to turn one of their penthouses into a gallery called the Street Art Suite where guests can stay and enjoy his work in their suite. It’s a re-imagined Landmark Sunset Penthouse Suite, a 1,700-square-foot, two-bedroom penthouse, on the hotel’s 44th floor. Guests may even choose to buy a piece of Richard’s art off the suite’s wall to add to their private collection.

Paul Richard told me that he created the art in the suite over months of time. He said, “There are a few general themes that include drip paintings, conceptual pieces, and oil on canvas. All the works were inspired in some way by street art I’ve done and by iconic New York motifs such as manhole covers, water towers, the Chrysler and traffic signs.”

“A number of pieces were created specifically for the suite. My aim was to bring some of the ethos and energy of the streets of SoHo and its surrounding area into the suite,” he added.

Richard was able to stay in the suite himself before it was offered to the public, and the artist shared, “It’s very relaxing and it’s a time to experience the city entirely on your own terms. It’s a heartening indulgence and a spa for the mind. I love the location, the historic SoHo neighborhood, and the views are breathtaking.”

The suite exhibit includes a few different styles of Richard’s work. “The drip paintings in the suite were inspired by similar paintings I had done on the streets of New York. They’re based on a contour line drawing exercise I learned as a child in drawing class, where you look at the subject but not the paper and draw all the contours of the subject with one continuous line without lifting the pencil. The altered street signs attempt to transform the traffic signs into an artwork where they still function as a sign. The tube of oil paint on panel attempts to bring the ‘oil on panel’ medium into its most basic form or its essence, and is a nod to Dadaism,” he explained.

If you think street art may seem like an odd fit for a luxury suite, the juxtaposition might be a statement in and of itself. Richard himself adores that inevitability about the city. He observed, “One of the things I love about New York City is the juxtaposition of aesthetics. You can find brutalist architecture next to renaissance or renegade street art next to a formal art gallery or a hotdog cart on the same block as a Michelin star restaurant.”

There’s another fun aspect to staying in this luxurious, art-forward suite. Guests get their own commissioned work of art.

“Upon booking a stay in The Street Art Suite, The Dominick connects guests with Paul Richard and his gallerist to discuss their commissioned piece. There are various styles, mediums, canvases, and locations to consider,” Telesca said.

Options for guests to choose from include a drip-painted portrait on cotton paper, oil on canvas, or even alterations to found objects in the city such as street signs to standalone doors, among other options. Guests might even choose to turn their own portrait into a lasting piece of New York City’s street art. Richard works with guests to select a piece for a private collection or one to see from the city’s streetscape.

“I am very happy to be sharing my work with the Street Art suite. I can’t think of a better venue for this collection, and I’m grateful that The Dominick felt my playful street art compulsions should be shared not only with those outside but inside,” Richard explained.

The Street Art Suite will be available at The Dominick through June 2023.