Lena Evstafieva: Bringing Together Art and Slow Luxury at Villa Lena

What does it take to transform a wild dream into a thriving slow luxury hospitality business? In this episode, host Katy Wellesley Wesley speaks with her friend and former colleague, Lena Evstafieva, founder of the extraordinary Villa Lena. Lena, a former director at Pace Gallery, shares how she leveraged her creative background to build a hospitality brand unlike any other. They discuss the ambitious decision to combine a hotel with a multidisciplinary artist residency, the challenges of fostering organic collaboration, and the importance of hiring the right team. Lena reveals how Villa Lena's growth was driven by a community of creative "pollinators" who spread the word organically. This conversation is a compelling look at how art, nature, and community can come together to create a powerful, enduring legacy, especially at a time when the hospitality industry is projected to reach $7.5 trillion by 2029, with a strong trend towards experience-based travel.(00:00) - Welcome to Compelling (02:42) - The Unique Artist Residency (04:13) - Challenges and Successes (06:50) - Expanding the Residency (08:07) - Balancing Hospitality and Creativity (11:36) - Community and Collaboration (15:42) - Nature and Sustainability (18:05) - Selecting Collaborators (20:35) - The Future of Villa Lena (23:46) - Balancing Renovation and Tradition (25:07) - Navigating the Hospitality Industry (30:39) - The Importance of a Strong Team (32:36) - Lessons in Decision Making (39:05) - The Value of Friendships Lena Evstafieva: A former curator at the Garage Museum and a director at Pace Gallery in London, Lena Evstafieva is the visionary founder of Villa Lena Hotel and Foundation. Leveraging her extensive network and creative background, she transformed a family-owned Tuscan estate into a unique hotel and a not-for-profit artist residency. She is also an art collector with a focus on supporting emerging and female artists.Visit Villa LenaKaty Wellesley Wesley: With over 18 years of leadership across galleries, foundations, and startups, Katy has built a career shaped by curiosity and a drive to explore new ideas. She spent a decade at leading commercial galleries—first at Gagosian, then at Pace, where she was Director of Exhibitions in London. She went on to lead the Villa Lena Foundation in Italy as Director, before joining the founding team of ROKBOX, a pioneering environmentally focused art logistics startup, as Sales Director. After relocating to Paris six years ago, Katy developed a strong interest in the intersection of art and luxury. To deepen this focus, she recently completed an Executive Master’s in Luxury Management and Design Innovation, a joint program between ESSEC Business School and Parsons School of Design. She now works as a consultant to brands, artists, foundations, and collectors. Among her clients is the legendary art publisher Cahiers d’Art, where she heads Commercial Partnerships.Compelling is proudly in partnership with Cahiers d’Art.Compelling is produced in collaboration with Cahiers d’Art, the iconic Paris-based art publisher founded in 1926, home of the Catalogue Raisonné of Picasso and most recently the Frank Gehry Drawings Catalogue Raisonné. At the heart of it's publishing program is the Cahiers d'Art Revue, one of the most significant and longest-standing annual art publications of the last century. In 2026, Cahiers d’Art will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a series of major publications, projects and exhibitions in collaboration with leading global institutions, including the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the MoMA in New York City and the Musée Picasso in Paris.Visit Cahiers d’ArtArt direction by Eddie Harrop StudioWebsite and Production by Story Ninety-Four