An Evening at the Opera: The Story Behind the St. Regis Budapest Bar Murals

As part of the St. Regis brand, each St. Regis Bar is distinguished by a signature mural inspired by its destination. For Budapest, the client envisioned a composition centred on an orchestra. The client's vision provided the creative starting point. ArtLink's curators saw an opportunity to connect the commission more closely to the city through one of its most celebrated cultural institutions.

Referencing the Hungarian State Opera House offered a way to honour the client's vision while expressing the city's cultural identity through a distinctly local reference. More than an architectural landmark, the Hungarian State Opera House has long stood at the heart of Budapest's artistic life. Its Belle Époque interiors, gilded ornamentation, dramatic ceiling frescoes and centuries of performance offered a rich visual language from which the concept could begin to take shape.

To realise the concept, ArtLink invited Parisian studio Redfield & Dattner, experts in reinterpreting historical decorative aesthetics through large-scale hand-painted surfaces for contemporary interiors. Their exceptional knowledge of decorative art history and mastery of traditional and contemporary materials and techniques gave them a particularly rich foundation for the commission.

This ability to work fluently between historical references and contemporary expression allowed the studio to translate the character of the Opera House into a distinctive art installation that brings its visual language into the St. Regis Bar.

Behind the bar, a large églomisé mural is the focal point of the space, depicting the Opera House and its performers through an expressive composition that captures the energy and theatricality of the setting.

Referencing the building's dramatic ceiling frescoes and the view experienced by audiences from within the auditorium, the composition brings together gesture, movement and architectural detail.

Executed in the traditional églomisé technique, its gilded reverse-glass surface catches and refracts light throughout the day, recalling the dazzling play of light across the Opera House's gilded interiors.

Beyond the bar, the installation continues into the adjacent seating area through another large wallcovering mural composed of layered, hand-painted gold paper collage elements.

Inspired by the Opera House's ornate interiors, the work reinterprets architectural details through more stylised forms. The layered composition draws on the accumulated history and memory of the Opera House, bringing together fragments of architectural ornament in a richly textured arrangement.

Together, the murals become part of the architecture. The Opera House's visual language extends throughout the space, shaping the atmosphere of the bar.

Behind the finished murals is a meticulous process of painting, layering and gilding. Watch the artists at work in the studio and see how the two works took shape.

Although the murals were created in Redfield & Dattner's Paris studio, the final stages of the commission were always intended to take place in Budapest. Decorative surfaces reveal themselves differently once installed. Light, material and architecture all influence the way colour, texture and reflective finishes are perceived. From the outset, the artists planned to complete the final layers on site, allowing the murals to respond to the conditions of the space they were created for.

Working alongside the artists throughout production, ArtLink oversaw the commission as it moved from concept to completion. During the installation, artist Violette Dattner from Redfield & Dattner returned to Budapest to complete sections of both murals on-site, refining the composition in direct dialogue with the architecture, lighting and atmosphere of the St. Regis Bar. It is a subtle part of the story, yet one that reflects the nature of site-specific art. The work was only complete once it became part of its intended setting.

Today, the murals are an integral part of the St. Regis Budapest Bar, inviting guests into an environment shaped by the city's artistic heritage.

The installation is a collaboration between the client, Redfield & Dattner and ArtLink, demonstrating how a destination's cultural identity can be expressed through contemporary art while remaining relevant to a contemporary hospitality setting.

Inspired by one of Budapest's most celebrated institutions, the murals offer guests an experience that feels deeply connected to the city itself while becoming part of the identity of the St. Regis Budapest for years to come.