By
Rebecca Gibson |
Oceania Cruises has developed a new Art Collection Audio Tour for guests sailing on Marina and Riviera.
The complimentary tour will be available from 1 November and is narrated by Oceania Cruises’ founder, chairman and CEO Frank Del Rio, and co-founder and vice chairman Bob Binder. Both executives provide comical, behind-the-scenes tales of more than 25 signature pieces of art on each ship.
“We created the Oceania Cruises’ Art Collection Audio Tour and also published a book, The Oceania Cruises Art Collection, at the request of our guests, who are really enamoured by the artwork onboard Marina and Riviera,” said Del Rio. “We hope the tour will enhance the guests’ appreciation of the collection by sharing what inspired the artist, and what attracted us to the piece, but in a light-hearted way that will have anyone that knows us saying, ‘Here they go again.’”
While most cruise lines hire a third party to curate decorative art for their ships, Del Rio and Binder personally travelled the globe and acquired every piece. The collection includes more than 2,000 pieces of artwork from different genres and eras by artists such as Picasso, Miró, Robert Mars, Damien Hirst, Li Domíguez Fong and Carlos Luna. To commemorate Del Rio’s Cuban heritage, the collection also features pieces from celebrated Cuban artists, including Wifredo Lam, Cundo Bermúdez and René Portocarrero.
“Frank and I decided to personally choose each piece of artwork for the ship, which led to frequent debates over which of us has better taste in art,” said Binder. “We selected pieces that are bold and interesting, that make a statement, provoke conversation and inspire emotion, much like the ships themselves. We hope everyone will enjoy a glimpse into our selection process.”