A leading figure of the Young British Artists movement, Dan Baldwin unveils his vibrant new show at The Dorchester Collection’s 45 Park Lane
"American Quilt / Happiness in Solitude", 2024-25
A few seconds down the road from The Dorchester is its chic, younger sibling 45 Park Lane. Among gold-star amenities – including a steak restaurant from Wolfgang Puck – the hotel is home to a brilliant art collection and rolling exhibition programme in which the lobby and Bar 45 are used as gallery spaces. Having recently shown work by American photographer Brad Branson, known for capturing the glamorous celebrities of the 1980s, 45 Park Lane is now showing British artist Dan Baldwin’s Fragmented Landscapes series – a playful collection that perfectly chimes with London’s transition into spring.
Recognised as a key figure in the Young British Artists movement, Baldwin has had over 30 years of solo exhibitions worldwide. Drawing inspiration from Pop Art and traditional Dutch paintings, he is known for combining his sense of imagination with themes of love, memory and politics. In Fragmented Landscapes, Baldwin uses natural silhouettes against vivid colour, creating a joyful collection that slots into 45 Park Lane’s rich wood-panelled interiors, thanks to some inspired curation.
As you walk in, you’re immediately greeted by a large canvas, Trust. Packed with black-outlined flowers filled in vivid shades of blue, pink and yellow, the work is positioned to hang over the lobby’s floor-to-ceiling window as it becomes framed by sunlight pouring in at all angles. It’s a wise move to place these just-a-tad-too-bright-to-be-pastel colours on the ground floor, as when the evening sun floods in, it turns the work’s brightness up to maximum.
"Connect with the World", 2025
Upstairs at Bar 45, Baldwin‘s pieces become more muted: metallics paired with red and blue etchings. They match the moodier bar setting – a cosy cocktail of red leather and mirrored gold surfaces. However, it wouldn’t be a Dan Baldwin exhibition without a hit of neon and, sure enough, hanging against the mirrored walls is the titular piece, Fragmented Landscape. The scale of the 1.82m tall arch is staggering, its jagged shapes and graphic motifs – crafted from acrylic, pure pigment paint, aerosol and copper leaf – nicely juxtaposing the more wisp-like imagery in the other works.
The approach to Fragmented Landscapes’ layout is at once generous and electrifying. Visitors are immersed from the second they walk in, following the stream of colour through the sunlit lobby to the opulent, darker pieces in the bar upstairs. Credit must be given to 45 Park Lane’s art curator, Lily Ackerman – not just for this exhibit, but for 45 Park Lane’s approach to art curation as a whole.
It’s also a shining example of how the link between luxury hospitality and art is only getting stronger. Experiencing art in London is no longer just about seeing a piece on a wall, but about living out your day-to-day life surrounded by an intimate, enjoyable art collection. And at 45 Park Lane, you can wake up with a Peter Blake and have dinner next to the work of an emerging British talent. After all, why visit a gallery when you can stay in one?
Dan Baldwin: Fragmented Landscapes is at Dorchester Collection’s 45 Park Lane until 26 July 2026; thedorchestercollection.com