Cunard Spotlight on Museum-Quality Art Collection

Cunard’s Queen Victoria Shines a Spotlight on Museum-Quality Art Collection

Self-guided digital audio tour designed to captivate, educate and entertain

Queen Victoria was England’s first “modern” monarch — the first queen to have a telephone, ride a train, be photographed and host a World’s Fair. As Britain’s longest reigning royal, she led her country through the Industrial Revolution and into a peaceful constitutional monarchy. In celebration of the revered and influential monarch, Cunard turned to a collection of accomplished contemporary British artists to infuse its newest ocean liner, Queen Victoria, with the modern point of view that came to characterize her reign.

“Through this extraordinarily well-researched collection, we convey the ambiance that guests expect on a liner named Queen Victoria — a sense of history and grandeur coupled with a more contemporary appreciation of modern art by modern artists and artisans,” said Carol Marlow, president of Cunard Line.

Assembling an art collection worthy of Cunard’s newest ocean liner was “a career highlight” for Amy Lucena, the art consultant who is managing the acquisition of over five hundred pieces that will form the core of the ship’s nearly $2 million collection. Showcasing primarily British artists, the ship’s collection runs the gamut, ranging from several featured pieces by renowned artists and craftsmen to smaller but equally significant installations. The three etchings in the Queens Room (one by Queen Victoria, one by Prince Albert and one by the two together) are among the ship’s most treasured works. In hand-selecting every piece, Lucena was tasked with choosing diverse and expressive works that showcase the line’s rich British history.