Art buffs: here are seven of the most remarkable collections at sea

, The Sunday Times

Some cruise lines have multimillion-pound collections that mean ships have been transformed into floating museums — with art everywhere from the restaurants to the spa. Here are seven vessels where you can find unique works whilst taking in Europe’s best bits on holiday.

1. Viking’s Mira"The Scream" painting by Edvard Munch displayed on a large screen above a wooden staircase on the Viking Sea cruise ship.

Viking has nightly high-resolution screenings of Edvard Munch’s paintings on a screen in the Living Room

Viking’s fleet of near-identical ocean-going ships features a fine display of Scandinavian art by an eclectic collection of practitioners including Queen Sonja of Norway, Magne Furuholmen of A-ha and Edvard Munch, best known for The Scream. Viking has a partnership with Oslo’s Munch Museum that grants the line digital rights to his entire collection. Each evening Munch paintings — serene landscapes as well as iterations of The Scream — are shown in high resolution on a giant screen in the Living Room, accompanied by Norwegian classical music. When the ships dock in Norway, there are behind-the-scenes tours of the magnificent Munch and National museums — the latter has a larger collection than the Guggenheim in Bilbao.
Details Seven nights’ full board on Viking Mira from £3,990pp in a balcony cabin, including flights, drinks with meals, excursions, wifi and crew tips, departing from Bergen on August 5, with a call in Oslo (vikingcruises.co.uk)

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2. Regent’s Seven Seas GrandeurThe Regal Splendor Fabergé egg, a lavish blue egg with purple accents, encrusted with opals, diamonds, and pearls.

Regent’s custom-designed Fabergé egg

Collectors’ bragging rights don’t come better than a custom-designed Fabergé egg, which is part of Regent’s 1,600-piece art collection for Seven Seas Grandeur, its newest ship. The egg, named Journey in Jewels — a fantasy of sea greens, deep blues, turquoise and pearls across a waterfall-like base — took 18 months to create. There are original Picassos too and a hand-woven tapestry stretching 40ft high by the Brazilian artist Walter Goldfarb. You can download the Regent app on board to take yourself on a digital tour of the collection. Better still, join May’s Spotlight on Fabergé cruise from Rome to Southampton, hosted by Sarah Fabergé, a descendant of the brand and an expert on jewellery design.
Details Thirteen nights’ all-inclusive from £9,900pp in a balcony cabin, including shore excursions, laundry, wifi, tips, lectures and masterclasses, departing from Rome on May 24 (rssc.com). Fly to Rome

3. Oceania’s AlluraOceania Allura cruise ship sailing on turquoise water with a mountainous landscape in the background.

Oceania Allura has a digital phone-guided tour of the works of 14 different artists on board

NICK TORTAJADA

On Oceania’s contemporary ships you might stumble across works by Picasso or the occasional Miró lithograph. Even more eye-catching, though, is the vibrant collection of colourful Cuban art across the fleet, reflecting the heritage of its founder, Frank del Rio, a serious collector. The line has just announced a digital Art Experience on its newest ship, Oceania Allura, which will guide you, via your phone, around 30 of the works on board by 14 artists. Scan the QR code by each piece to watch a short, custom-produced film diving into the artist’s inspiration, technique and philosophy. Try it out on a cruise from Barcelona to Rome this autumn.
Details Seven nights’ full board from £2,279pp in a balcony cabin, including all dining and a choice of a drinks package or onboard credit, departing from Barcelona on October 31 (oceaniacruises.com). Fly to Barcelona

4. Cunard’s Queen AnneA luxurious lounge area on a cruise ship with a large, illuminated art installation depicting people in various activities.

Ian Kirkpatrick’s A Cunard Journey is the star piece aboard Queen Anne

DIMITRIS SPYROU

Cunard commissioned the art curators Double Decker to assemble the collection for its new flagship, Queen Anne, featuring 4,300 contemporary works from established and emerging artists. The overall theme is Cunard’s heritage, explored via paintings, sculptures, tapestries, graphic art and photography: the headliner is Ian Kirkpatrick’s shimmering A Cunard Journey, a brass triptych that soars the full height of the triple-deck Grand Lobby. Opt for a self-guided tour of the collection hosted by Russell Tovey and Robert Diament, the duo behind the Talk Art podcast, which is dedicated to making art accessible — you can collect an audio device from the purser’s deck.
Details Two nights’ full board from £369pp, departing from Southampton on April 30 (cunard.com). Fly from Hamburg

5. Holland America Line’s RotterdamPolygonal art illustration of a multi-colored otter holding a fish.

Okuda San Miguel’s geometrically patterned otter is valued at £45,500

MICHEL VERDURE

There is so much art to admire on Holland America Line’s Rotterdam that you could spend this cruise to the Norwegian fjords just gazing at it. The 2,645-piece collection is worth more than £3 million, with the most expensive work, Harps, an avant-garde steel sculpture that graces the atrium, valued at more than £460,000. The art beside the ship’s three stairwells is themed around architecture, music and zoology, while pieces in the lift lobbies include a giant treble clef in sparkling crystal (£20,000) by the Dutch artist Hans van Bentem, and a rather endearing geometrically patterned otter (£45,500) by the Spanish artist Okuda San Miguel.
Details Seven nights’ full board from £1,689pp, departing from Rotterdam on April 5 (hollandamerica.com). Fly to Rotterdam

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6. Uniworld’s SS BeatriceLife-sized glass horse by Pino Signoretto displayed in a lobby.

A lifesized glass horse by Pino Signoretto

Most river cruise lines operate almost interchangeable vessels, but Uniworld’s Super Ships all feature wildly opulent, individual design, which works with their art collections. One of the most lavish is the SS Beatrice, sailing on the Rhine and the Danube, its interiors a vision of mirrors, marble and Murano glass. A few Picassos are dotted around, one stashed in the royal suite and four lithographs from the A Los Toros series in the lounge and corridors. Arguably the most impressive piece, though, is an intricate, lifesized glass horse by Pino Signoretto — regarded as one of the most important glass artists of the 21st century — displayed in the lobby.
Details Seven nights’ all-inclusive from £2,309pp, including flights, excursions, wifi and tips, sailing from Regensburg to Budapest on July 5 (uniworld.com)

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7. Silversea’s Silver NovaThe cruise ship Silver Nova on the ocean with a partly cloudy sky.

There are almost 2,000 pieces of art aboard Silver Nova

The 1,800-strong art collection on Silversea’s Silver Nova, featuring a remarkable range including installations and sculptures, is wonderfully thought-provoking. A highlight is the Messina Collection of 38 graceful bronze sculptures by the Italian artist Francesco Messina. Look out for the exquisite travel shots by the American photojournalist Steve McCurry, who found fame with his Afghan Girl cover for National Geographic in 1985. And check out the ceiling of the atmospheric library, a 280 sq ft work by the Albanian artist Artur Sula, hand-painted in situ and topped off with swirls of 24-carat gold leaf.
Details Seven nights’ all-inclusive in a balcony cabin from £3,240pp, including wifi and tips, sailing round-trip from Athens on July 19 (silversea.com). Fly to Athens