Posted on Tuesday, September 4, 2012 by Martin Cox
NORWEGIAN BREAKAWAY art work, courtesy of NCL
Norwegian Cruise Line issued a press release revealing the new NORWEGIAN BREAKAWAY’s hull artwork designed by American pop artist, Peter Max.
“This is the first time Norwegian has commissioned a well-known artist to paint the hull artwork on one of its ships. Launching in April 2013, Norwegian Breakaway will be the largest ship to homeport in New York City year-round. Max’s signature artwork will cover approximately 40,000 square feet of Norwegian Breakaway’s hull.
“While it has been an honor to have my art exhibited in museums and galleries, I have also enjoyed creating giant ‘canvases’ for public view, including my 600 ft. Woodstock stage, a giant World’s Fair mural, the body of a Continental 777 super jet, and now, the hull of Norwegian Breakaway,” said Peter Max from his New York studio. “The artwork is a composite of New York City and cosmic imagery— the Statue of Liberty, the Manhattan skyline, a giant sunburst, planets, stars, and musical notes. That’s my New York! And now Norwegian Breakaway is my New York cruise ship ‘canvas.’”
“NORWEGIAN BREAKAWAY is New York’s ship and this colorful artwork by Peter Max will make the ship an instant icon,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s chief executive officer. “The Big Apple is known for its love of art and its many galleries – and now, Norwegian Breakaway becomes a floating piece of art that will cruise in and dock every Saturday on New York’s West Side. With this distinctive design, unlike anything else on the water, the ship will be recognizable to the millions of New Yorkers who will see her as she journeys up and down the Hudson River each week.”
“Peter Max
With paintings on exhibition in hundreds of museums and galleries worldwide, Max and his vibrant colors have become part of the fabric of contemporary culture. Max has been successively called a Pop Icon, Neo Fauvist, Abstract Expressionist and the United States’ “Painter Laureate.”
Max has achieved his place in history having painted for various Heads of State, including six U.S. Presidents. From art that appeared on the first U.S. 10-cent stamp bearing the title “Preserve the Environment,” to 235 U.S. Border murals greeting millions of people entering America each year, Peter Max seeks to capture themes of America at its finest in his art.
He has a long-standing career as the preeminent Pop artist in America. His art has appeared on a Continental Boeing 777 jumbo jet; a 600-foot stage for the Woodstock Music Festival; the covers of Verizon’s New York City yellow and white pages; and a giant mural unveiled at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Max has also been designated Official Artist of five Super Bowls, six Grammy Awards, World Cup USA, The World Series, the United Nations Earth Summit, and numerous other events. Max was honored at the Jefferson Awards with an award for his lifetime dedication to America, and its charitable causes.”
“NORWEGIAN BREAKAWAY
The 4,000 passenger Norwegian Breakaway will arrive in her year-round homeport of New York City in early May 2013. The ship will begin weekly summer
seven-day cruises to Bermuda on Sunday, May 12, 2013. From October 2013 through April 2014, New York’s ship will offer voyages from the heart of Manhattan to the Bahamas & Florida and the Southern Caribbean.”
Hank
September 4, 2012 at 10:16 am
I’ve been wondering. During 1983-1984, the QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 was painted dove grey. It actually looked beautiful when new, but it was difficult to maintain. The north Atlantic was brutal, and the grey would fade and be covered with rust streaks. It was also expensive. Cunard quickly went back to a blue-black color. Now I know cruise ships do not travel in open ocean, but does Norwegian Cruise Line have difficulty maintaining their colorful hull artwork? And I expect it will applied by a number of workers, but if it wears down, do they repaint it just the same? And does Peter Max need to be contacted each time to oversee? I remember the INDEPENDENCE and CONSTITUTION were painted in a big sunburst with the eyes of Jean Harlow in the late 1960′s.
Dan
September 4, 2012 at 10:36 am
I understand this may just be my opinion; however that is truly horrible.
Dieter Killinger
September 4, 2012 at 12:24 pm
I don’t know about how others feel, but I simply could not sail on a ship that had artwork plastered all over its hull. Call me old-fashioned, but even years ago when the Independence and Constitution had the sunburst on their hull, it galled me. A ship should look like a ship!
Chris Thompson
September 4, 2012 at 4:07 pm
Pity the poor paint crew who have to keep that looking good, plus the extra paint colors in storage, usually it’s just White!!!!!!
Ed Gugliotta
September 4, 2012 at 8:01 pm
This will challenge the Continental Airlines year 2000 artwork that Peter is so proud of, and will be one of the latest Mega Projects of the MAX Studio. No one better than Peter to complete the Breakway hull with all his iconic themes, the Lady Liberty, the cosmic elements, and of course the New York skyline used in the 2011 special New York homage. My compliments,
Ed Gugliotta
Hank
September 4, 2012 at 8:22 pm
That’s funny. I had a comment but I guess it didn’t pass moderation. Wonder what was not approved of? Maybe I just ask too many questions. Oh well. I found the sunburst for the CONSTITUTION and INDEPENDENCE to be a bit overwhelming. But it was radical. I give it that much. At least it looked like a classic cruise ship. This new NORWEGIAN BREAKAWAY seems a little too boxy. But it looks better then NORWEGIAN EPIC. It doesn’t have the huge decks stacked atop the bridge. I like the artwork. It is great. Does it look as good on a ship as opposed to a canvas? I really can’t say. I must say that NCL has some very creative hull art. It will be a challenge to keep the paint looking good. The artwork certainly fits with the name, NORWEGIAN BREAKWAY.
Hank
September 4, 2012 at 8:24 pm
Now my old comment pops up on my browser. Now I look like a fool.
Martin Cox
September 4, 2012 at 9:51 pm
Apologies for slow approving, dealing with no ship issues all day and could not get over to MM. If i did not have this set to approval delay, you would all be reading about glass garage doors and enlarging parts of the anatomy, sad but true! – martin
Bob Graham
September 5, 2012 at 5:21 am
I think of the noble creation forced to bear this atrocity, and I think of the Richard Attenborough film “The Ship that Died of Shame.”
Kenneth Eden
September 5, 2012 at 5:43 am
Nice thing about hull art, once in the ship sailing you don’t have to look at it! I for one think it is god awful, same goes for the rest of the NCL ships and AIDA too.
Would we like it better if Andy Warhol were here to paint the hull like a soup can? Remember the vulgar job plastered on the “big red boats” – was that art?
Nice thing for me, I will never sail NCl, so, I can just look away when one of there ships is near.
Richard Weiss
September 5, 2012 at 8:24 am
In short, you can’t put lipstick on a pig..
david r
September 5, 2012 at 7:03 pm
Another NCL shoe box
jon fostik
September 6, 2012 at 6:15 am
Although I will be cruising on this ship early next year I agree with the others. The hull work, on all NCL ships, is simply repugnant. Chalk it up to generation gap, what you will, but the cruise lines have done things causing you to scratch your head. E tickets, no baggage tags, menus with no menu art…just leatherette binders. We live in an age of little elegance.
Kalle Id
September 6, 2012 at 7:53 am
I admit to liking several of the pre-existing NCL hull arts (as well as many of those of the Baltic Sea ferry operator Tallink), but this one does look terrible. The images conflict with the shape of the ship, the colour scheme looks atrocious and the disconnected relatively small images do not make a coherent whole. Peter Max’s product makes even the Moby Wonder (http://www.mobylines.com/moby-lines/navi/moby-wonder.html) look refined…
Peter Kohler
September 6, 2012 at 8:18 am
Barf.
I don’t know what’s worse, this eyesore or the adjective dripping– “instant icon”, “Neo Fauvist” (?)– press release heralding it.
I guess I am just not a hip Manhattan urbanisti to appreciate the “cosmic imagery” but I can still stick my finger down my throat can’t I?
hank
September 6, 2012 at 9:10 am
Aida cruises has some pretty bizarre looking ships. They are quite angular. They also have lips with lipstick. So apparently you can put lipstick on a pig. And they have eyes. I know it is supposed to be the face of Aida herself, but I don’t think it works well on the ship.
Clive Harvey
September 6, 2012 at 3:27 pm
In the text above Peter Max is described as being a “well-known artist.” It also says that his work on the sides of the ship will make it into an instant icon………..
It is only because of this recent publicity about this man being commissioned by NCL to create designs for the hull of this ship that I have become aware of his name.
I am reminded of a line from the Mel Brooks film ‘To Be Or Not To Be’ – “well, I’m world famous, in Warsaw!”
Kenneth Eden
September 7, 2012 at 4:27 am
Peter Max is an icon, whose work is well known around the world.
Mr. Max hit the art scene in the late 1960′s, and has been painting ever since. Works often include American symbols, famed for Statue of Liberty works and NYC scenes.
Contemporary artists Ernst, Calder and Warhol being peers, in the fashion world, Paloma Picasso, Diane Von Furstenburg and Ralph Lauren also emerged during that time period, give or take a few years. Max Ernst is a – I would assume – a popluar sell on cruise ships, since I have seen many of his works displayed for art auctions.
I still do not like hull art LOL
Clive Harvey
September 8, 2012 at 4:22 am
Well there you go Kenneth. Peter Max’s existence and apparent iconic status has completely passed me by for all of these years until now. I don’t feel any poorer for not having been aware of him or his work but then, neither do I feel any the richer for now for being aware of him.
If the designs he has created for the new NCL ship is anything to judge him by I do have to wonder why he has acquired such status. I’ll have to Google him and see what else he’s done.
As for art work sold aboard cruise ships, I’m not aware of ever having sailed on a cruise ship where art work was being sold, so that may have some bearing on why his name, and the names of other so-called popular artists are unknown to me.
Peter Kohler
September 11, 2012 at 2:35 pm
My idea of “hull art” for these atrocious looking new cruise ships is really easy: duplicate one of Kenneth Shoesmith’s great postcard depictions of ATLANTIS and plaster that on the thing. At least people will be reminded what real ships looked like.
Kenneth Eden
September 12, 2012 at 4:25 am
Hank The QE2 was painted white for her war duty in the Falklands, serving with P&O’s Canberra. During the war the QE2 was nick named the “Big White Pig” when her captain refused to send food and water to the Canberra, or so it was said. Having seen the QE2 in her white livery it was not a pretty sight.
I never connected AIDA with the opera Aida, so that explains the lady with the lips and Cleopatra eyes on the hulls of their ships, thanks for the info.
Peter Kohler, I Googled Kenneth Shoesmith, his works are truly grand, capturing the halcyon days with ships of yore, thanks for the insight.
I do appreciate Peter Max’s art work, just not a jumble on a hull.
Maybe for the next NCL project, how ’bout “Garden of earthly delights” by Bosch, now, that could be fun.
Peter Kohler
September 12, 2012 at 12:09 pm
Sorry, Kenneth but QE2 was most certainly never painted “white” for her service in the Falklands. She served throughout entirely in peacetime livery. Nor have I ever heard her being called “The Big White Pig” or that she was anywhere near CANBERRA one way or another, she was 100s of miles away off South Georgia. During her post-war refit, QE2′s hull was repainted the aforementioned pebble gray and her funnel painted in the traditional Cunard red with black rings which, incredibly, were initially just stuck on and blew loose after a crossing or two and then properly painted on. The irony was that she looked more ruststreaked and woebegone than at anytime in South Atlantic.
Kenneth Eden
September 13, 2012 at 6:43 am
A few simple clarifications here, available on line, in many books about clasic liner and passenger ships, and mostly from my own friends that were indeed employed on the QE2, NOT as troops, nut as entertainers and ships officers, civilian, concerning the Falklandfs War, which we refered to as the Falklands Conflict in the states.
Firstly, the QE2 had a helipad, carried 3200 men of the 5th Infantry, I beleive from Scotland? They were transfered to the CANBERRA on May 27, the SS UGANDA serving as hosital ship, in June the – I will call it “white” hull, was painted over due to the putrage of passengers, including me.
As for the pig comment, that was certainly true as the QE2 was referred to for as brief a time as she had that pebble/white streaking rust-bled hull.
Whether the ship was in Georgia or not, the intent was for the Falklnads duty.
Kenneth Eden
September 13, 2012 at 8:44 am
Maybe hull art should be refered to as “art for the hull of it” LOL
According to a press release, this should really cause mal de mer for some, Royal Caribbean International will offer the Barbie Doll Experience on their ships. There wil be Barbie redesigned staterooms, pepto-pink probably, Tea and Tiara Parties, Barbie Dances and get this – Barbie etiquette – what does a doll offer for etiquette?
It has been said tht if Barbie, the doll, were a real female, she’d be at least 9 feet tall with a breast of unbelieavble proportions, have tiny feet, a wast way tiny for her proptions, and have plastic hair. Can’t wait foe her boyfriend, the Ken Doll, imagine his proprotions!
Guys, lets have our due, how about G.I. Joe or Billy Doll cruises
Jeff Macklin
September 21, 2012 at 2:49 pm
I like the hull art on the BREAKAWAY. Like it or not NCL has created it’s identity with hull art, freestyle dining and a ship with in a ship concept. Now with the BREAKAWAY they are re-inforcing it, plus having multiple God Mothers with the iconic Rockettes. Looks like they have a well develope plan for bringing the BREAKAWAY to market, in the New York market. More power to them.
Rather like NCL, rather than the Carnival Lines that all have the same ships only with different hull and stack colors which have rob them of their historical identity, (ie, Cunard, HAL and Costa.)
BTW, the NCL product is good also.
Jeff
Patrick Clar
September 23, 2012 at 9:56 am
YIKES! Insult to injury. That ship looks like a floating condo, then they add this to the hull. Sorry, no thanks. I wouldn’t be seen on that ship with a free ticket.
At least Disney still orders ships that have beautiful lines.
Kenneth Eden
September 24, 2012 at 8:10 am
Salagadoola Mechicka boola Bibbidi Bobbidi boo
take off a funnel, and paint it white, bibbidi bobbidi boo
Its the paint and funnels and mouse ears that make the disney ships so special, not to mention those cute head mast, err, aft head scultures that protrude from the hull LOL
All fairness to Cinderella, I do love the looks of the Disney quads, but, they are not so dirfferent from the new meggies out there ………I am waiting for the MV Tinkerbell!