On Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ newest ship, the Seven Seas Grandeur, I admired not one, but three, Picassos: Toros y Toreros, Antes de picar al toro, and Picador picando al toro, con matador al quite—each displayed on the nailhead leather walls of the cruise ship’s steakhouse.
There were other masterworks onboard, too: I marveled at Walter Goldfarb’s 40-foot woven tapestry The Enchanted Tree on elevator rides to breakfast and one of the world’s 55 Fabergé eggs, which rotates in a vitrine on the fifth deck, while wearing a bathing suit and flip-flops on my way back from the pool. En route to dinner, I mistook the custom bronze sculpture Bonsai Cherry Tree by Savoy Studios as a real tree, its hand-cast glass flowers resembling pastel pink petals. But it was when I made my way to the sauna wrapped in a bathrobe that I stumbled upon my favorite piece: Zheng Lu’s Water in Dripping—Waterfall, a stainless-steel sculpture that suspends the violent, yet fragile moment of a water drop mid-explosion.
All of the ship’s multimillion-dollar 1,600-piece art collection, curated over two years by Regent art director Sarah Hall Smith, is displayed in this incidental way—you discover it as you go about your business. Unlike in museums, where you’re forced to mechanically traipse through a series of rooms, at Regent, the art finds you, imbuing those in-between moments with a little magic.
For those who prefer to enjoy art with greater intentionality, a stroll through the Seven Seas Grandeur becomes even more immersive with the assistance of Regent’s recently debuted mobile app. Using the app, guests can scan QR codes displayed next to select works, which will then populate your screen with videos documenting the creator’s artistic process.
It was liberating to have days, not hours, to dive deep into each piece—especially when displayed in such an enchanting seaside setting. The ship’s contemporary aesthetic, curated by design firm Studio DADO, complements the collection beautifully: a diamond tennis bracelet-inspired chandelier dazzles above the vessel’s walnut-clad grand staircase. Inside the signature restaurant Compass Rose, crystal-embellished trees and an illuminated canopy tower overhead, casting a shimmering glow on tables set with glitzy under-the-sea-themed china by Versace.
There’s both a regality and sense of offbeat indulgence to fine art floating at sea, and as the quintessential museum vibes of hushed tones and strict no-snacking were replaced with the delight of sun-kissed shoulders, windswept hair, soft folk-rock tunes and a cocktail in hand, I knew Regent’s floating art gallery would be one I’d remember forever.
