The Kulm Hotel St Moritz (www.kulm.com) will host four Montblanc Art Bags in its extensive parkland gardens during this year's St Moritz Art Masters (http://www.stmoritzartmasters.com/), which takes place from 22 to 31 August 2014.

Montblanc (www.montblanc.com) began building a contemporary art collection in 2002, when it commissioned six cutting-edge artists to create six 3-metre-high shopping bags sculpted out of aluminium, each imprinted with a design created by the artists, to mark the opening of its flagship boutique on the Champs Elysées in Paris. These bags have subsequently been exhibited around the world, including at The Rockefeller Centre in New York and on London's Bond Street.

Three of the original bags, by Switzerland's Sylvie Fleury, Young British Artist Gary Hume and David LaChapelle of the United States, will be on show in the grounds of the Kulm Hotel St Moritz, alongside a bag by the Chinese artist Huang Min. Each bag weighs 475kg and has a concrete base to maintain its stability.

The main theme of the St Moritz Art Masters this year is contemporary Indian art. A group exhibition “India: Maximum City”showcases the works of 10 emerging and established artists who are deeply engaged with the uncontrolled, yet dynamic growth of the metropolis.

Another highlight of this year's festival is British artistBilly Childish's multi-part image series, referencing the Engadin artist Giovanni Segantini. These works – large-format paintings – were developed specifically for St Moritz Art Masters and are being exhibited in the French Church of St Moritz.

A “Walk of Art” connects the various venues in the Engadin – from Maloja to S-chanf – that are taking part in the Art Masters, exhibiting the work of regional, national and international artists. The venues include public space, churches, private homes, hotels and galleries of the Engadin; more details are available on the Art Masters website.

During the St Moritz Art Masters, rates at the Kulm Hotel start from CHF535 (approx £345) for two people sharing a double room on a half-board basis; to book, call +41 81 836 80 00, email info@kulm.com or visit www.kulm.com.

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Notes for editors

Kulm Hotel St. Moritz was the first hotel to be built in St. Moritz. The Kulm Hotel opened its doors in 1856 and immediately became popular for summer spa and painting holidays, particularly among the British who comprised around 75% of the hotel guests. The owner of the Kulm Hotel, Johannes Badrutt, initiated winter holidays to St. Moritz from 1864.

Since the 19th century, the Kulm Hotel has changed considerably through expansion and renovation, but the fabulous location at the heart of St. Moritz with views over the Lake remains the same. A member of The Leading Hotels of the World, Kulm Hotel St. Moritz has 173 rooms, five restaurants (offering formal dining, French fine dining – the Gourmet-Restaurant the K awarded 15 points by GaultMillau, Italian, local Engadine specialities and Japanese with 13 GaultMillau points), the extensive  Kulm Spa St. Moritz (with a 20 m indoor pool with underwater music, various saunas and steam room, a Jacuzzi, a fully-equipped gym and treatment rooms, all with stunning views over Lake St. Moritz) and six conference rooms, with capacities ranging from 50 to 500 people.

Entertainment and sports facilities include the 9-hole Kulm Golf Course St. Moritz, three tennis courts, a natural ice rink, a curling field and the Marmotta Club for children. The Kulm Hotel St. Moritz is inextricably linked to the Cresta Run through the Sunny Bar, where tobogganing pilots have congregated for decades; the walls are lined with trophies and images of famous people who have hurled themselves down the infamous ice track.

Awards in 2013 for the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz include a place in a list of the top ten best holiday hotels in Switzerland compiled by renowned Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung and the top ten most welcoming luxury hotels in the country list put together by Switzerland Tourism.

In 2012, the Kulm Hotel's gourmet restaurant the K received 15 GaultMillau points and, in the latest ranking list of Switzerland's best winter hotels, Kulm Hotel St. Moritz ranked at number 4 in the category of five star hotels as 'one of the best managed and most excellent hotel in the Alps with immaculate consistency'. In January 2014, the Kulm Hotel was named one of Switzerland's favourite lakeside hotels by HolidayCheck.

Both the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz and its sister property Grand Hotel Kronenhof are owned by the Niarchos family.

St. Moritz Art Masters first took place in 2008; the 10-days arts and culture festival, which presents the work of national and international contemporary artists, is held annually and always takes place in the last week of August.

For more information, please contact:
Sue Heady
Director
Heady Communications
T: 01608 651 692
M: 078 5595 0705
E: sue@headycommunications.com