Villa Royale is home to an original, commissioned collection of more than 50 large-format oil paintings by Juan Antonio Casas, Lou Kregal and Sara Radovanovich, which were painted on site in the year prior to the hotel’s opening. These artists lived and painted at the property for weeks at a time, separately and together, channeling the history and vibe of Palm Springs in their eclectic, respective bodies of work, featuring desert landscapes, classic cars and icons of popular culture, film and music.
Spanish artist and poet Juan Antonio Casas, primarily based in Portland, Ore., created works that include portraits of Dennis Hopper from “Apocalypse Now,” Debbie Harry from Blondie and Charles Bronson from “How the West Was Won.” Lou Kregal, an Athens, GA-based artist, created fascinating geometric surfboard- and diamond-patterned works for Villa Royale’s guest rooms. Los Angeles-based Sara Radovanovitch created glamorous portraits of Lana Turner and Clark Gable using 1940s reference photos.