The Artist Hotelier talks pop, abstract and moderist

Artist and hotelier - which came first? Franz-Josef Perauer is not only the talented owner of the art hotel Zillertalerhof, an Aficionados design hotel in Austria's Mayrhofen in Tirol; he also happens to be an artist – a creative energy that marries his love of culture, design and hospitality.  

Fascinated by Abstract Expressionism and the modern art movements of the 20th century, viewing Franz-Josef Perauer's artworks is like reading into his hot-wired charisma, and they portray his natural flamboyance for vivid colours in creating bold, hugely distinctive works of art that are modern, abstract and bursting with colour.

As an introduction from the artist himself, Franz-Josef Perauer reflects that “my art style is a mixture of Pop Art, Dadaism, Surrealism and a dash of street art."

A passion that was kindled over 20 years ago, Franz-Josef Perauer’s first subject matter was his idol Elvis Presley, creating an acrylic painting silhouetted with the ‘King of Rock’. Since then, he dabbled in art whenever he could, yet it wasn’t until the self-imposed break Covid gave him that he began to work in earnest with a view to painting canvases for the walls of his hotel, Zillertalerhof. Covid, in fact, threw him a curve ball, as the hotel became his own personal art gallery where today many of his pieces sell to admiring guests.

A family man with a busy life running a hotel, we wonder where Franz-Josef gathers his inspiration and motivation. Franz-Josef says that “the best source of inspiration is nature and people including the social and political environment we are living in" although his wide range of influence is clearly reflected in his art and love of modern artists including Picasso, Matisse, Monet, Pollock, Warhol and Basquiat plus living legends like Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, Romero Britto, Gerhard Richter, Banksy, Alexander Höller and Leon Löwentraut. 

For any budding artists out there, Perauer has some pearls of wisdom:“You should not wait for someone to come and get you out of your comfort zone! If you really feel it, do it. The first step is the most important one!" 

For Perauer that first step often needs some planning, sometimes not, but normally a piece of work takes "over four to six weeks…sometimes I paint for a few hours a day; sometimes I just paint for a few minutes…depending on my mood, time and inspirational power." Perauer loves to paint on canvas but also says, "I love it even more to see my very individual paintings printed on as many different products as possible. [Brazilian artist and painter] Romero Britto is one of the world’s most successful licensing artists, and as such, he is a big idol for me."

This has led Franz-Josef Perauer to experiment with using his artwork on wine bottles and beer cans—his modern style is the perfect pairing for the craft beer revolution and trendy natural wines. We think the best match is the marriage of Franz-Josef Perauer’s artwork in the setting of his hotel—amid the tropical botanical luxe of design den Zillertalerhof or on the walls of your own pad.