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With increasing frequency, owners and designers are distinguishing their superyacht interiors with a little help from the superstars of the art world, past and present.
by Matthew Esposito
photography by Bob Marchant
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06/01/2007
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So it seems in the last decade and a half, fine art has found a
home on the sea and, if chosen, can have a significant effect on how one crafts
a design. Several additional Starkey designs exemplify this point, among them
the 158-foot Feadship Mi Gaea (now called Inevitable). In this
instance, Starkey consulted with the Agnew’s gallery on Old Bond Street in
London when the owners let him know they "were thinking of putting a couple of
pictures on the yacht." Said pictures were J.M.W. Turner’s complementary
paintings "Going to the Ball" and "Returning from the Ball," which were located
on the forward and aft bulkheads of the dining salon. Starkey also designed a
detail in the wall that would allow the paintings to be concealed so the owner
could decide to whom he would show them. "Eventually he had very good copies
made for insurance reasons, but it was an interesting feature," says the
designer.
Top: Mylin
IV’s Picasso-adorned owner’s lobby. Photograph courtesy of Donald Starkey. Bottom: A
unique space aboard Candyscape. Photograph by Henry Bourne. (Click images to enlarge)
The medium being employed by these designers is certainly not
restricted to painting. Aboard the 147-foot Benetti Candyscape, designer
Brigitta Spinocchia artfully combined photography, sculpture and rare objects
alongside famous paintings throughout the yacht. Highlights include a collection
of vintage cameras and authentic James Bond props in the media lounge and a
Giacometti coffee table base in the main salon. Starkey is also responsible for
implementing an early Dale Chihuly glass installation in a yacht interior.
Before the renowned glass artisan made his mark on the ceiling of the Bellagio
hotel in Las Vegas, he completed a beautiful "faux aquarium" aboard the 144-foot
Heesen formerly known as Honey Money (now called Harbour Moon).
The owner wanted a live aquarium, but he was dissuaded by the weight and care it
would require. Starkey suggested instead a work in glass that would be visible
from both the foyer and dining room, with the ability to see through it. As art
collectors, the owners agreed and hired Chihuly and his team to install close to
$1 million worth of glass on the yacht, including the inside of the
Starkey-designed display case separating the dining room and the lobby.
 The VIP cabin on The Maltese Falcon is enlivened by this painting
from the owner’s personal collection. Photograph by Giuliano Sargentini. (Click image to enlarge)
There is greater design awareness on the part of yacht owners
today as the population as a whole becomes savvier and more evolved regarding
this au courant topic. "Yachts are getting bigger and therefore are more
suitable for displaying this type of art," says Freivokh.
Whether it’s a Picasso lithograph subtly taking the focus of your main and
dining salon (as aboard the recently refit Palmer Johnson Helios2) or multiple works from Roy Lichtenstein, Josef Albers
and Agnes Martin (as with Disdale’s design of the recent Lürssen launch Ice),
fine art is becoming a valuable asset to the fine yacht interior.
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