The Beverly Hills Hotel Sign, Los Angeles (1979
The Beverly Hills Hotel is one of the most glamorous destinations in the world, with an Old Hollywood vibe that has kept me returning as a dedicated fan for almost four decades. A famed celebrity hot spot since 1912, its historic Polo Lounge opened in 1941 and quickly became the ultimate deal-making spot for power diners, where you are almost guaranteed to see a famous face when you visit.
As part of their dedication to art and part of the hotel's hospitality experience, they have appointed James R. Hedges, IV, as Curator of the Arts for The Beverly Hills Hotel and Hotel Bel-Air. In this position, he will oversee the art program across both hotels. As founder of Hedges Projects and with a specialized focus on photography by Andy Warhol, Hedges has acquired and placed, as a private dealer, more Andy Warhol photography than any other collector, private dealer, or gallery in the world.
Jean Pigozzi, Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall at the 2017 Vanity Fair Oscar Party
This month The Beverly Hills Hotel offers up a new exhibit, “Jean Pigozzi: The Photographs, Beverly Hills to Cap d’Antibes,” which is currently on view through May. The exhibition features 39 photographs taken by the Simca auto heir and photographer, art collector, and fashion designer Jean (“Johnny”) Pigozzi, famed for his snapshots of famous people around the world.
Pigozzi picked up a Leica camera long before cell phones and started a photographic diary of his social life and friends. Influenced by Robert Frank and Helmut Newton, Pigozzi’s candids are up-close and intimate. Many of the photos are being shown for the first time from his own personal archive – including shots from his extended stays at The Beverly Hills Hotel back during this time, offering a privileged and unique view of Hollywood royalty.
Jim Hedges at the Beverly Hills Hotel
Jean “Johnny” Pigozzi’s life is legendary. Born in Paris in 1952, businessman, art collector, philanthropist, clothing designer, television host, author, and photographer has mingled with the world’s most influential and glamorous people. As a child, Johnny’s father, Henri Pigozzi, the founder and head of the Simca automobile company, gave him his first camera, and he began to continuously photograph the world around him. As the consummate insider, he has become one of the best documentarians capturing candids of the elite in revelry and leisure.
The Pigozzi show at the Beverly Hills Hotel not only spans five decades with a focus on celebrities in the 1980s from John Belushi, Michael Douglas, Dolly Parton, Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart, Steve Jobs, Clint Eastwood, Hugh Grant, Warren Beatty, and Tom Ford but there are also images that were taken during Pigozzi’s year-long residency at the hotel, offering a rare glimpse inside.
Beverly Hills Hotel valet parking with Rolls Royces
I spoke at length with Jim Hedges about how he began his work with Dorchester Collection. “I’ve been a guest of The Beverly Hills Hotel for three decades, and I’ve always cherished this special iconic place as my LA home before I actually moved to LA from NYC 7 years ago,” he said. “I was introduced to Hotel Bel-Air for an opportunity to mount an exhibition of photographs by Andy Warhol last year during the Frieze Art Fair. Owing to the success of that exhibition, the Dorchester Collection management team invited me to work with them to create an arts program for their two LA properties.”
There is a particular talent for creating exhibitions for travelers, and Hedges enjoys offering new perspectives. “I love getting art in people’s way,” he said. “It’s a wonderful thing to share artwork and aspects of contemporary culture in an environment like these hotels where guests are on an adventure, outside their normal routines, and even comfort zones. Presenting art in a hotel has its own set of challenges, but our shared goal is to provide the guests with intellectual, visual, and cultural stimulation.”
Mick Jagger and Arnold Schwarzanegger
His connection with Pigozzi inspired his current exhibition. “Johnny Pigozzi is an old friend from the South of France,” said Hedges. “We both spend a large chunk of our summers there, and Johnny has the most important home on the Riviera, a spectacular estate located on the Cap d’Antibes directly next to the Hotel du Cap. This beautiful home and his passion for entertaining have served as a venue where Johnny has developed relationships with the world’s most notable characters, members of the jet set, and celebrities. His work captures this demimonde through his unique lens. The corollary between Johnny’s world and the guests of The Beverly Hills Hotel makes for a very nice synergy.”
The connection to the hotel is particularly inspiring for the new exhibition, “Johnny actually spent the better part of a year living in The Beverly Hills Hotel in the late 1970s and has a very special relationship to the property and documented that moment in history for the hotel,” adds Hedges.
In addition to seven planned exhibitions in 2023, Hedges will oversee a series of educational artist-focused events and will organize art experiences in partnership with local galleries and museums.
