No Sex Or Drugs, But Plenty Of Rock ‘N’ Roll At W Hotel Lobby’s New Art Exhibit

The soaring lobby of the W Washington D.C. hotel got a temporary facelift last week, with the installation of a brand new art exhibit from celebrated pop artist John Stango.

DSC_4038 - Washingtonian — Stango’s art work lines the walls of the hotel’s “Living Room” lobby bar area.

DSC_4013a - Washingtonian — Artist’s Proof gallery owner Peggy Sparks and artist John Stango.

The vibrant collection of modern American work all pull from a common, music-inspired theme, with an overall message of unity. Stango, working in conjunction with Georgetown’s Artist’s Proof contemporary art gallery, conceived of the exhibit as an appropriate way of bringing people together (“everyone loves music”) during an otherwise polarizing time in the city.

DSC_4092 - Washingtonian — Hotel guests playfully pose in the lobby’s high-backed chairs strategically scattered amidst the works of art on display.

DSC_4103 - Washingtonian — Pop culture subjects, such as hip-hop mogul Jay-Z, come reimagined in each canvas.

With the iconic hotel centrally located mere steps from the White House, such a call for unity seems especially prescient. “I love the W because the hotel is the rock of Washington,” added the artist.