Van Gogh, Matisse, Monet and Renoir Masterpieces!
Ray Goldenberg
I received this press release from Norwegian Cruise Lines and thought
it would be of interest. If you have missed any of my news' postings,
they are available on my web site.
Best regards,
Ray
LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL
800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905
http://www.lighthousetravel.com
NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE EXHIBITS ORIGINAL WORKS OF WORLD'S GREATEST
IMPRESSIONISTS ON NORWEGIAN DAWN
Van Gogh, Matisse, Monet and Renoir Masterpieces Displayed on the
cruise line's newest Freestyle Cruising ship
MIAMI October 7, 2002
Most new ships boast a multi million dollar art collection. On
Norwegian Cruise Line's (NCL) new Norwegian Dawn a single restaurant
will feature four original works valued at more than the entire
collection of most other ships. In a new development for the cruise
industry, NCL is installing a collection of original oil paintings by
20th Century masters Renoir, Matisse, Van Gogh and Monet in its
signature Le Bistro restaurant. Elsewhere on the ship guests will
enjoy a collection of original Pop Art featuring original signed works
by the likes of Andy Warhol.
The artworks are on loan from Star Cruises Chairman Tan Sri Lim Kok
Thay's personal collection and will be displayed on the
2,240-passenger Norwegian Dawn, the sister ship to the acclaimed
Norwegian Star, scheduled to debut in December.
NCL is giving passengers on Norwegian Dawn the unprecedented
opportunity to enjoy the stunning creativity and genius of these
masters on each of its sailings in 2003 and 2004. The centerpiece
paintings have been exhibited world wide including the Van Gogh Museum
in Amsterdam and the National Gallery in Washington DC.
"Students of both art history and cruising will see the connection
immediately between Impressionism and Freestyle Cruising," said Colin
Veitch, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line. "They know that
the Impressionists, in a short extraordinarily innovative period,
broke the classical/traditional mold that had characterized all
western art for the entire 19th Century. Art was never the same again
and virtually everything since then traces its roots to masters such
as Van Gogh, Renoir, Monet, and Matisse. How fitting then that we have
fine examples of their works on the ship whose ordering in April2000
marked the announcement of Freestyle Cruising. Freestyle Cruising has
broken the mold of traditional cruising that has characterized all
cruising since the 1960's. It's hard to deny that cruising will never
be the same again!"
"Themes utilizing reproductions and derivations of impressionist art
have often been used for bars and lounges aboard cruise ships. This is
the first time original pieces of this quality from artists of such
world renown have formed the permanent collection aboard a cruise
ship. New Yorkers will love it!" Veitch added.
The four master works on exhibit each represent outstanding works from
different periods in the artists' lives. A summary of each work
follows:
"Un Parc Au Printemps (A Park in Spring)" - Vincent Van Gogh (1853 -
1890)
Painted in May 1887 during the two years the artist spent in Paris -
among the most pivotal of his career -- the earliest known owner of
this piece was Mme E.H. du Quesne-Van Gogh. It has previously been
exhibited in Amsterdam at the Van Gogh Museum on loan from 1993 -
1999, and in Washington, D.C. at the National Gallery of Art from 1998
- 1999.
"Nu Au Turban (Nude with Turban)" - Henri Matisse (1869 - 1954)
Often regarded as the most important French artist of the 20th
century, Matisse painted this work in Nice in 1921. Acquired from the
artist in April 1921 by Josse & Gaston Bernhelm-Jeune it was exhibited
publicly by the National Museum in Stockholm in 1963.
"Vethueil de Soleil (Vethueil in Sun)" - Claude Monet (1840 - 1926)
Painted in Giverny in 1880 by the man credited with the birth of
Impressionism, this work was originally acquired from the artist in
April 1880 by Luquet and Ernest Hoschede. It has a long history of
exhibitions starting in Le Havre by the Society for Friends of the
Arts of Le Havre in 1880. It was later exhibited at the Hotel de la
Curiosité et des Beaux-Arts in 1925.
"La Baigneuse (The Bather)" - Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841 - 1919)
A leader among the Impressionists, Renoir painted this work in Cagnes
in 1909. Maurice Gangnat of Paris, a friend and patron of the artist
acquired it in June 1925. It was first exhibited in Pairs at the Musee
de l'Orangerie in 1933 and then at the Palaise des Beaux-Arts of
Brussels in 1935.
"North American audiences will now have the opportunity to view these
priceless works together for the first time," Veitch said. "At the
same time, we wanted to provide a range of modern art onboard a ship
that will be based in two vibrant modern cities, New York and Miami,
so we have included a series of original works by New York icon Andy
Warhol and modern Miami sensation Romero Britto to reflect the fun and
bright colors of the new NCL. "
NCL will display 20 signed and numbered Warhol silkscreen prints in
two of its expansive stairwells on Norwegian Dawn. Britto, the popular
Miami-based Brazilian artist, is creating an original painting
incorporating Norwegian Dawn, and the ship will feature a Britto
gallery displaying the artist's original artwork and high-end
collectible items.
Masterworks for A Masterful Ship
Norwegian Dawn, the third ship purpose-built for Freestyle Cruising,
is now under construction at the Meyer Werft Shipyard in Germany. It
will sail from Southampton, England on December 7th arriving in New
York City on December 14, 2002. From there, NCL will roll out the red
carpet for its inaugural festivities in New York and Miami before the
ship begins her regularly scheduled sailings alternating between the
Eastern and Western Caribbean from the port of Miami on December 21,
2002.
The ship begins her innovative summer season from New York on May 18,
2003 to begin a series of seven-day, round-trip sailings to the
Bahamas and Florida.
Ports of call on this innovative itinerary include Nassau and Great
Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas, and Miami and Port Canaveral/Orlando in
Florida. Guests have the additional option of embarking in Port
Canaveral as well.
Like Norwegian Star, Norwegian Dawn will be one of NCL's largest
ships, accommodating 2,240 passengers and 1,100 crew. It will also
feature NCL's new standards in cabins, with rich cherry wood
finishing, refrigerators, tea and coffee makers in every room, and a
much larger bathroom unit than other ships, containing separate WC,
shower, and washstand compartments separated by sliding doors. Seventy
percent of cabins are outside staterooms and over 70 percent of these
have balconies.
Thirty-six suites, 372 standard staterooms with balconies, and an
entire deck of 107 mini-suites with balconies are among the spacious
and well-appointed accommodations located on the 15-deck ship. There
also will be 20 cabins of various types designed for passengers with
disabilities.
In addition, Norwegian Dawn offers the ultimate opportunity to cruise
in style with the spectacular Garden Villa suites. At a cost of
$26,000 per week, each of the two Garden Villa suites offers an
unprecedented 5,350 square feet of living space at sea.
Also like Norwegian Star, this ship offers more dining options than
any other ship in the world, with the flexibility of 10 different
restaurants and 11 different menus every night. Guests can choose from
three main dining rooms and an array of seven ethnic, gourmet and
casual restaurants.
Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line is an international cruise company
and industry innovator that currently operates a fleet of eight ships
sailing to more than 140 ports around the world. NCL is currently
building Norwegian Dawn (for delivery December 2002), a
2,240-passenger sister ship to Norwegian Star.
For further information on NCL, contact a travel agent.