Art By Bill Frampton
WJFrampton@aol.com
(Selected by iVoya.com Luxury Cruises)
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The hunt is on for a royal
treasure trove of fine art to decorate the cabins, companionways and public
rooms of Cunard Line's highly anticipated liner, Cruise QM2. The
London-based marine interior design firms Tillberg Design and the Design
Team created detailed specifications for a multi-million dollar contract to
supply nearly 5,000 works of art for the pleasure of the 2,620 guests aboard
the 150,000-ton ship. The contract has been awarded to the Netherlands art
consultant firm Onderneming & Kunst (Enterprise & Art).
Cruise QM2 will be the
largest passenger ship ever built, and she plans to possess an art
collection worthy of her status. Cunard Line has always been a patron of the
arts, and Cunard liners have always been repositories of fine art. QM2 will
continue this tradition in grand style.
The firm expects to award
commissions for well over 300 original works, which will be created
especially for QM2 by renowned international artists. Works will range from
free-standing bronze and glass sculptures to expansive murals, oil
paintings, watercolors, mosaics, reliefs, models, and many other works.
Major elements of the liner's art collection will include a sculptural
relief of some 450 square feet, a 300-square-foot tapestry, a number of oil
paintings in the range of 250- to 300-square-feet each, several groupings of
oversized bronze sculptures and a trompe d'oeuil painted ceiling of 1,200
square feet. In addition, the company will supply some 4,000 limited edition
prints for use in cabins and companionways on board.
There will be time for the
paint to dry, however. The massive ship is scheduled to enter service in
January 2004. She is being built by the Alstom Chantiers de L'Atlantique
shipyard in Saint Nazaire, France.
Cunard Line, one of the
world's most recognized brand names with a classic British heritage, has
been in the business of providing luxury ocean travel for more than 160
years. The Cunard fleet includes famed Queen Elizabeth 2 and Caronia
(formerly the Vistafjord).
Cunard Line is a unit of
Carnival Corporation (NYSE: CCL) and a member of the exclusive World's
Leading Cruise Lines alliance, which also includes Carnival Cruise Lines,
Seabourn Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Costa Cruises and Windstar
Cruises. Together, these member lines share a commitment to quality and
value, offering cruise vacations that appeal to the widest range of
lifestyles and budgets and sail to some of the world's most exciting
destinations. |