If you own a superyacht, apart from the essentials, such as a backlit marble wet bar, SeaBOBs, helipad and inflatable pickleball court, another must-have is a standout art collection. From timeless paintings by famous artists and commissioned contemporary works to installations and sculptural pieces, it’s natural for the nautically inclined elite to fold one passion into another, especially to enhance their voyage to the BVI or when entertaining guests in Porto Montenegro.
Superyachts, which begin at around 24 meters and go up to around 60 meters (after which point they become megayachts), naturally reflect the values and tastes of their owners. This might take the form of restrained timelessness from manufacturers such as Benetti or the “go big or go home” gravitas of German shipbuilders Lürssen. Indeed, the nexus of superyachts, art and design is a natural one. Witness the art fairs and activities that superyacht builders have sponsored, such as Sanlorenzo’s involvement with Art Basel or Frieze, or the Floating Art Hotel—a waterborne members’ club that houses works by Marina Abramović and Tomás Saraceno.
But the sea is a harsh mistress and there’s an art to making it all look easy; choosing and installing works on one’s vessel is a complex business. From sourcing, logistics and paperwork to installation and aftercare, every stage takes careful planning and consideration. Jan Erika is a British artist and designer who has been commissioned by various superyacht owners to not only prepare interiors but also outfit them with her particular brand of abstraction. “What surprises me is how personal each yacht becomes,” she told Observer. “They’re extraordinary feats of engineering, but once the artwork goes in, they become homes. The art completely changes the atmosphere and tells the owner’s story.” Again, this feeling of personalization and the expression of sensibilities runs deep. However, it’s one thing to visualize art in a saloon or cabin and another to deal with the practicalities of achieving this, according to Erika. “One of the biggest things people underestimate is the logistics. Unlike buying a painting for a house, every stage must be carefully considered, from shipping and customs to getting the artwork safely onboard.”
Before the practical part, there’s the sourcing, which isn’t all that different from how it’s done on land. While some owners select pieces themselves, others contact curators who work in a professional capacity to shape onboard collections with care. At a primary-market level, private art advisers will usually source pieces and works from commercial galleries, as well as the major fairs. An adviser might also keep an eye on the secondary market, with the yacht owner’s preferred artists and works already in the collection in mind. Private sales can also be a fertile source of supply, and deals are kept as discreet as possible. Much of the time, even the artists themselves aren’t aware that their works have been bought to supplement the view from the Nemo Lounge.
Commissioning bespoke works has its advantages, as it offers the flexibility and gradations of personalization required to accommodate atypical interior schemes. Take Lorenzo Malfatti’s installation on the Northrop & Johnson yacht Sarastar. Its position on the staircase, guiding guests from the lower to the upper deck, is an artistic statement that links the two levels with a bold, pear-green onyx design.
Pandora Mathers-Lee has been helping yacht owners source, install and care for their collections for the best part of 20 years through her company, Art on Superyachts. With a background in art history, she established the contemporary art department for Headleys—a logistics company for private clients that works with Christie’s and other major auction houses. She then founded her own company as an art consultancy and training service for superyacht captains and crews who were typically being schooled in serving wine rather than caring for prestigious works of art.
Mathers-Lee offers courses that teach crews more about art in general, the care and conservation needed, as well as the legal export risks of carrying such works. “The first challenge is convincing people that specialist training is necessary. Many crew members simply don’t realize how valuable some artworks are,” she told Observer. “A Lucio Fontana Concetto spaziale, for example, might only look like a canvas with a single slash through it, but they sell for millions. Until people understand that level of value, it’s difficult for them to appreciate the level of care required.”
Each artwork purchased for a superyacht must have the correct paperwork and permissions to go to sea—there’s an intricate network of insurance, conservation, international law and tax structures, and owners are often required to carry separate global fine art insurance policies. Meanwhile, moving works between different jurisdictions can require export licenses and incur VAT liabilities. Owners may even be subject to criminal sanctions if the correct procedures aren’t followed, Mathers-Lee explained. “Certain works are considered national treasures, and removing them from their country of origin without the appropriate licenses can amount to smuggling. There have been cases where yachts have been detained because artworks were being transported illegally through international waters.”
Insuring works is another tricky issue, as conventional marine policies don’t automatically cover the artworks onboard. In fact, they may only cover individual objects up to a certain value, whereas a single painting could be worth tens of millions. In this case, owners are required to take out separate global fine-art insurance policies, which follow the artworks or collection wherever they may sail in the world.
Then there’s the not entirely small matter of hanging or installing a work, which can require some creativity, not only to get it onboard but also to deal with the aesthetic demands of owners. “A client wanted me to create a painting that completely covered a pair of doors, but they wanted it to read as one continuous artwork when the doors were closed,” Erika recalled. “It sounds simple, but it was quite a technical challenge. The composition had to flow perfectly across the join, while the frame wrapped around the outside edge but stopped where the doors opened, leaving the center unframed. It took a lot of planning with my canvas maker, framer and installation team to make it work seamlessly.”
And even with top-tier planning, issues can still arise due to the fact that a yacht, however spacious, is still a vessel, said Mathers-Lee. “I know of one project where a substantial table had been approved by both the designer and owner, only for the captain to reject it because it was simply too heavy and affected the vessel’s ballast. It had to be removed before the yacht ever left harbor.”
The complexities of installing artworks on yachts, which are never truly still, are manifold. Today’s superyachts are constructed from a variety of lightweight composite materials, such as steel, aluminum and glass-reinforced plastic (GRP), and the interiors can be a mix of highly engineered plywood or balsa wood-covered panels that flex with a vessel’s movement at sea. Understanding what sits behind each wall or bulkhead and in the flooring is critical, as is fixing works in place securely enough that rough seas won’t take down a sculpture or painting.
Preservation of the work is another crucial matter, as what Mathers-Lee calls “the agents of deterioration” can be quite numerous and serious. Light is one of them, with sources ranging from direct sunlight and reflected light bouncing off the water to the artificial lighting within windowless saloons or cabins. Modern superyachts are brighter than ever, which is wonderful for owners and guests living their best lives in Portofino, but exacerbates the conditions that increase deterioration for sensitive works.
Moisture is another, and climate control is essential because mold can be a concern if humidity isn’t properly controlled. The saltwater spray that’s so refreshing on a hot day can wreak havoc on a delicate piece of art. The different materials used on superyachts can also attract pests that can harm artworks. Mathers-Lee said silverfish, in particular, are often numerous aboard yachts, as they thrive in damp conditions.
But, she added, the greatest threat to artworks aboard yachts typically isn’t the marine environment but rather people: “Human error still causes the overwhelming majority of damage. A crew can take enormous pride in maintaining immaculate spaces, but without specialist knowledge, and through excessive overcleaning to look busy, they can unintentionally damage the delicate surfaces of the artworks on board.” Whether it’s a Picasso sculpture in the main saloon or a Rothko in the owner’s stateroom, installing and maintaining artworks on a yacht must be a group effort.
