Regent Seven Seas Cruises will offer a cruise industry-first digital art tour aboard Seven Seas Grandeur to showcase a 1,600-piece collection when the ship launches in November 2023.The multimillion-dollar collection which predominantly features contemporary art, took nearly two years to curate and commission, sourcing from artists and galleries worldwide. The catalogue of works can be self-guided by guests aboard the ultra-luxury ship via the new “Art Experience” option available through the new Regent Mobile App (to debut in December) which will also be launched on Seven Seas Grandeur.The digital art tour will provide an immersive, interactive experience for guests to connect, not only with the artwork, but with the artist who created the piece. The tour will shine a light on works within central guest areas, including Rauschenberg, Matta, Sophie Elizabeth Thompson and Eduardo Arranz-Bravo. Using expert technology, luxury travellers will be able to scan select artworks via the app, and discover a film connecting them to the artist, their process, and their inspiration for the piece.Subscribe to LATTE Cruise’s free eNewsletter to keep up to date with everything in the luxury cruise space.The new Regent Mobile App will also allow guests on board to review the daily program guide Passages, view the shore excursion catalogue, all restaurant menus, and ship phone directory.Andrea DeMarco, President of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, said: “With each new ship, our team works tirelessly to identify and source the most impressive array of art pieces, building a collection that would be enviable by most modern-day museums, to ensure our guests’ time onboard is as enriching and thought-provoking as their time on land. It is extremely rare to enjoy such personal access to artwork of this caliber, and now guests will be able to connect deeper with the art and artists they’ve fallen in love with onboard our ships through our first-ever virtual art tour.”“Regent’s art-loving guests will find Seven Seas Grandeur to be one of most engrossing galleries they have ever explored,” DeMarco added.The highly anticipated art collection has been a topic of discussion since the exterior design of the first piece of art, a commissioned Fabergé Egg, ‘Journey in Jewels’, was unveiled last year. The first and only Fabergé Egg to reside permanently at sea, the interior design and mechanisms of this one-of-a-kind piece remain cloaked in mystery and will be revealed alongside the full art collection during Seven Seas Grandeur’s christening in Miami this December.
In July, Regent Seven Seas Cruises revealed that Sarah Fabergé, Founding Member of The Fabergé Heritage Council, and great-granddaughter of Peter Carl Fabergé, will serve as Godmother to Seven Seas Grandeur. One of her first duties as Godmother will be to host art lovers on board Seven Seas Grandeur on a special Spotlight Voyage in July, featuring behind-the-scenes access to Fabergé through master classes and shoreside excursions.
A variety of notable works will join the commissioned Fabergé Egg as centerpieces of the Seven Seas Grandeur art collection, including a staggering nearly 40-foot-tall hand-woven tapestry, “The Enchanted Tree,” created by world-renowned Brazilian artist Walter Goldfarb. The close to tapestry will hang adjacent to the elevator wall in the ship’s lavish atrium, giving multiple vantage points of this breathtaking feat of intricately woven textiles.Another exclusive piece in the collection features a custom-made bronze and hand-cast glass Bonsai Cherry Tree Sculpture by Savoy Studios, creating an experiential entrance to Pacific Rim, the ship’s pan-Asian specialty restaurant. The delicate installation contrasts with the Pacific Rim entrance pieces of a Tibetan Prayer Wheel and Mythical Dragon found on board Seven Seas Explorer and Seven Seas Splendor respectively.Trees are an ongoing design theme for Seven Seas Grandeur, which can also be witnessed in the largest specialty restaurant at sea, Compass Rose. Once inside the restaurant, guests will sit under a canopy of interwoven crystal and wood-edged illuminated trees, giving the illusion of dining in an enchanted forest featuring thousands of individually placed crystal-faceted leaves, enveloping the restaurant in an awe-inspiring display.Sarah Hall Smith, Regent’s Art Director, spent close to two years piecing together the art collection on board Seven Seas Grandeur, having also assisted in the curation of the collections on board her sister ships.
“Seven Seas Grandeur is inspired by the past, reimagined for the future and we’ve endeavored to mirror this with a fascinating onboard art collection,” Smith said.
“The artwork featured on Seven Seas Grandeur includes work from some of the most notable artists of our time, from Pablo Picasso to Eduardo Arranz-Bravo, as well as unique installations and features such as the largest hand-woven tapestry on board a Regent ship, a hand-cast glass Bonsai Cherry Tree Sculpture and first Fabergé egg to live permanently at sea.”Seven Seas Grandeur’s curated art collection features artists from all over the world across dozens of mediums including sculpture, original paintings, photographs, and more.
Highlights include:
Pablo Picasso (Lithograph and Linocut). “Toros y Toreros”, “Antes de picar al toro” and “Picador picando al toro, con matador al quite”
Three Picasso works are on display in Prime 7 on deck 10. From the colourful costumes and movements of the matadors to the majestic power of the bulls, each painting offers a glimpse into the rich cultural heritage of Spain. These artworks are windows into a world that is both beautiful and dangerous, where tradition and spectacle collide in a display of courage and skill.
Fabergé: “Journey in Jewels”
“Journey in Jewels” will be displayed in the Atrium in Deck 5 and embodies the Regent sailing experience with a cascading waterfall of ocean greens and subtle turquoise throughout its three-tiered base, while the outer shell features soothing deep blue waves which break into a sea spray of pearls. The outer egg ‘shell’ is comprised of seven blades, representing the seven seas, which will unfurl to reveal a surprise hidden inside, details of which are being kept as a closely guarded secret until Seven Seas Grandeur’s christening.
Savoy Studios: “Bonsai Cherry Tree”
Exclusively created by Savoy Studios is a custom-made bronze and hand-cast glass Bonsai Cherry Tree sculpture, creating an experiential entrance to Pacific Rim, the ship’s pan-Asian specialty restaurant on Deck 5.
Walter Goldfarb: “The Enchanted Tree”
The close to 40-foot-tall tapestry, “The Enchanted Tree”, will hang adjacent to the elevator wall in the ship’s lavish atrium on Deck 6, giving multiple vantage points of this breathtaking feat of intricately woven textiles.
Zheng Lu: “Water in Dripping – Waterfall”
The stainless-steel sculpture “Water in Dripping – Waterfall” by Zheng Lu can be found at Serene Spa & Wellness on Deck 5.
In addition to a number of notable design touchpoints, Seven Seas Grandeur will exemplify Regent’s 30-year heritage of perfection with unrivaled space, unparalleled service, and transformative experiences that will begin the moment guests step on board.The new Regent Mobile App can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play starting in December 2023, providing guests sailing on board Seven Seas Grandeur with exclusive access to Art Experience.
