The Art of Rotterdam 7 Rotterdam
Holland America Line is proud of it lineage, which extends back into the 19th century. Continuing with a most admirable tradition, the line has invested some $4.1 million in an art collection for its new flagship, the seventh Holland America ship to bear the name Rotterdam. (Note: the official name of the ship does not include a number but a number in parenthesis is often used informally to distinguish between the various ships that have been called Rotterdam).
Rotterdam (7) is a medium size cruise ship of 99,863 gross tons. She is the third Pinnacle class ship built by Italy's Fincantieri shipyards for Holland America. Her passenger capacity is 2,268 double occupancy. Delivered to Holland America in July 2021, she was named by Princess Margaret of the Netherlands and commended her maiden voyage in October 2021. The art collection on Rotterdam (7) consists of 2,645 works, ranging in value from $500 to $620,000. It is displayed on the decks, public rooms and staterooms. It was curated by Oslo-based YSA Design and London-based ArtLink. The curators collaborated with hospitality design studio Tihany Design. Reflecting Holland America's flag-state and the homelands of the majority of its guests, most of the artists represented onboard are from the Netherlands, the United States and the United Kingdom. However, the collection includes works by artists from more than 30 countries. As on its immediate predecessor, the art collection on Rotterdam (7), is a mixture of contemporary art and historic pieces. (See our review of the art collection on Rotterdam (6). Indeed, the collection on Rotterdam (7) includes the series of portraits of Rotterdam (1) through Rotterdam (5) that hung on Rotterdam (6). The bell from Rotterdam (6) can now be found in the Crow's Nest lounge on Rotterdam (7). (Rotterdam (6) is now Borealis of Fred.Olsen Line). The centerpiece of the collection is an epic sculpture called “Harp”. Made of stainless steel, it weighs 7.5 tons. Seated at the base of the Atrium, it spans three decks. The work is enhanced by a mirrored ceiling and spotlights, which change the color. It was produced and designed by Artlink based upon a concept from Tihany Design. In recent years, Holland America has been emphasizing the musical offerings on its ships. The entertainment includes not just classical music but also blues, pop, and Broadway in a series of venues running from bow to stern. Consistent with this, much of the art work on Rotterdam (7) related to music. For example, there is a tribute to singer Billie Holiday made up of 3 miles of threads - - 8,000 threads - - by Ani Abakumova. Another musical example is an illuminated crystal “Key” (treble clef) created by Dutch artist Hans van Bentem for Deck 3, midship. The piece is valued at $27,000 Along the same lines, the collections include photographs by Baron Wolman who was the chief photographer for Rolling Stone magazine from 1967 to 1970. Holland America Line was one of the first cruise lines to develop Alaska cruising and to commemorate its link to Alaska, sculptures of wildlife decorate each of its ships. For Rotterdam (7) the line has taken a less traditional approach including in its collection an avant garde fiber-glass sculpture of an otter by Spanish artist Okuda San Miguel. Following up on a successful arrangement on Nieuw Statendam, Rotterdam (7) has a 23 foot mural by Magnus Sodamin in the specialty restaurant created by his father Master Chef Rudi Sodamin. Once again, Holland America is to be applauded for its ongoing commitment to arts and culture on cruise ships. |
Above: "Harp." (All photos on this page are courtesy of Holland America Line).
Above: “Billie Holiday” by Ani Abakumova.
Above: Some of the works of art on Rotterdam.
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Cruise ship art collection review - Holland America Line - - Rotterdam 7