Asher Keddie and husband Vincent Fantauzzo unveil their Art Hotel

She’s normally the centre of attention, but Asher Keddie’s apperance in Brisbane was strictly as a support act for her husband.

Vincent Fantauzzo and his wife, actor Asher Keddie, with a portrait of Wayne Blair at The Fantuazzo art hotel at Howard Smith Wharves. Picture: Mark Cranitch

SHE may be a Logie Award-winning artist but yesterday Asher Keddie rolled up her sleeves to help husband Vincent Fantauzzo hang his paintings in the foyer of Brisbane’s new Art Series Hotel.

The Fantauzzo, at Howard Smith Wharves, is a tribute to the work of the 42 year-old celebrity artist whose portraits have made him the most prolific winner of the Archibald People’s Choice award.

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Now he’s the namesake artist for a swish new 116 room $100 million hotel which opened its doors recently and celebrates with a star-studded opening night party tonight.

As the party guests started checking in yesterday Fantauzzo, 42, and Keddie, 44, were busy putting the finishing touches on the joint.

Vincent Fantauzzo at The Fantauzzo art hotel at Howard Smith Wharves. Picture: Mark Cranitch

Offspring star Keddie says the couple got involved, boots and all, in the project and despite having a busy acting schedule Keddie, whose portraits also adorn the hotel, spent six months helping her husband prepare the work that now hangs around the premises.

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“We’ve been busy planning the artwork and where it’s going to hang and I’ve loved doing it,” Keddie says. “It feels a little bit overwhelming because it’s been this big creative project we have shared together. So the party tonight will be the culmination of a solid six months of work and now we are going to share it with everybody.”

Fantauzzo’s latest photo realist work, a portrait of Top End Wedding director Wayne Blair arrived during our interview. The couple carried it into the foyer and Keddie quickly set to measuring the wall and overseeing the hanging of the work in a foyer that also features a huge portrait of her near reception, one of actor Guy Pearce and near the lifts is a breathtaking portrait of the late Heath Ledger as The Joker in The Dark Knight

and there are other works featuring Ledger in the hotel.

Vincent Fantauzzo’s painting of the late Australian actor Heath Ledger was an entry in the 2008 Archibald Prize.

Ledger’s parents, Kim Ledger and Sally Bell are jetting in for the opening party which will also be attended by Fantauzzo and Keddie’s close friend, the actor Richard Roxburgh.

Chef Matt Moran whose portrait is also featured in the hotel is coming, so is Lisa Wilkinson, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Tourism Minister Kate Jones and around 250 others.

Fantauzzo’s works of everyone from former prime minister Julia Gillard to Queensland Ballet’s Li Cunxin stud the walls and there are quite of a few of his wife Asher Keddie who has just filmed a new SBS series about a nude photo scandal called The Hunting which also stars Roxburgh.

“But doing the hotel, I’ve almost forgotten about my other job,” Keddie says.

Fantauzzo says the couples’ son Valentino (they have two boys - Valentino, 4 and Luca, 9,) was recently asked what his parents did.

“Val said I do paintings and mum works on the computer,” Fantauzzo laughs.

After our chat it’s back to work for Keddie who has a hotel to sort out by tonight. Her husband looks on lovingly bemused.