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 Art By Bill Frampton
 WJFrampton@aol.com
 (Selected by iVoya.com Luxury Cruises)
 
    
    
     | 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, Queen Mary 2. 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). Queen Mary 2 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 Deluxe 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, Discount Holland America Line, Costa Cruises and Discount 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.  |