Floating galleries: superyachts with paintings and sculptures on board
Sailing past a cubist or impressionist masterpiece, or surrounded by contemporary canvases . In addition to the aesthetic value, UV and salt protection and an excellent insurance policy count.
5' min read
5' min read
The most unusual canvas decorates the interior of the yacht Asani, from Benetti's B.Now 50M series, the new frontier of customisation, available for private hire. It is a painting by artist Sougwen Chung, a pioneer in human-machine collaboration, and has the distinction of being the first, on a boat, created by a robot. Also Le Commandant Charcot by Ponant, with a polar hull for sailing on the ice, available for cruises and, on request, for charters, hosts a digital creation, Oscillations, on a 9-metre Led wall, modelled by sound waves and conceived by Miguel Chevalier, a specialist in virtual art.
But if the process of human creativity developed with AI and robotics is still rare, there are many masterpieces by masters such as Picasso, Matisse, Chagall, Bacon, Fontana, Basquiat, Murakami and others, whose value often exceeds that of the vessels that house them. It is not surprising that many ship-owners who are also collectors plan the layout of the works already at the design stage with architects and art advisors, and like to moor their floating dwellings during the most famous kermesses, such as at Biscayne Bay for Art Basel Miami or at the Giardini during the Venice Biennale. After all, superyachts themselves are true expressions of art and design: just think of The Guilty Yacht, 35 metres and worth $40 million, which Jeff Koons designed and painted as a pop icon for Cypriot Dakis Joannou. Geometrical exteriors modelled on British ships of the First World War, minimalist interiors and three decks full of masterpieces. The desire to display art on board, then, is a growing trend. "Yachts are to all intents and purposes works of art, because they are the result of a creative process that combines high nautical engineering and sartorial attention with languages from other design worlds, such as residential architecture. Then, they are unique and always new to the eye, because the shades of light and the sea change them constantly," says Alberto Galassi, owner, collector and CEO of the Ferretti Group. Their Custom Line brand has launched the made-to-measure Navetta 38 yachts for sale, with interior design by Acpv Architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel and great attention to customisation. It is up to the buyers to decide whether to make them available for charter. "Each owner tends to bring his or her own works on board to share with guests or appreciate in moments of relaxation, adding a personal touch to the space as happens at home," Galassi continues. "On my Custom Line Navetta 38 Telli, I love to admire Botero, Salvo and Paladino."
"We too, for our Satori, chose a carefully curated art project: a series of photographs from 1930 to 1960 that came from the Benaki Museum in Athens and that we had discovered in an exhibition in Skiathos in 2016. We placed them in the living area, in the hallway and in all the rooms,' say Danes Jeanette and Claus Thottrup. Their 41.5-metre sailing yacht, with two 600-horsepower engines to navigate even at high speeds, was designed and furnished by the founding couple of Borgo Santo Pietro, a luxury hotel in Tuscany, and recalls the understated and sophisticated nautical elegance of the 1920s, with echoes of art as a form of escapism and identity.
Birgit Galli Zugaro, art curator and wife of Aqua Expeditions founder Francesco Galli Zugaro, also agrees. In addition to announcing an expansion in 2026 with a new charterable yacht like the others, which will sail between the Seychelles and Zanzibar, she confirmed that Ponant Explorations Group, backed by the Pinault family's Artémis Group, has acquired a majority stake in her company. "My relationship with art is personal, shaped by the places I visit. Collecting is not just about acquiring, it is about caring. Each piece on our yachts tells a story. The result is a layered and soulful collection of works," says Galli Zugaro.
"For me too, art on board is a narrative element, capable of telling the story of a place and conveying emotions. It is never aseptic: nowadays it is often bought to furnish or for investment, but I choose it for the pleasure of experiencing it, even at sea," explains Ginevra Moretti, a Florentine entrepreneur with a family that collects works from Symbolism to Empire to Art Deco. Their new Superyacht Cruises, the design of which she herself took care of, are available for private charter, are part of the House of Nine hospitality project and sail around the Tuscan archipelago: the Curiosity houses a déco canvas by the French painter Johan, depicting a family of cheetahs painted on Galuchat, a fine leather used mainly in the 1920s. The positioning of the works is never random. While master bedrooms or lounges are often favoured, areas next to the kitchen are inadvisable, due to the presence of oils and steam, and, of course, next to fire sprinklers. "Especially in such an intimate, lived-in space, art should be accessible, part of the everyday. The best place is where people can enjoy it, for me in the dining room: an environment of conviviality, where the energy of the paintings enriches the atmosphere,' Moretti concludes. But the installation cannot only take into account the aesthetic and emotional impact: in addition to safe fixing - screwing to the walls for the paintings and anchoring for the sculptures -, protection from UV light, salty air, wind, heat and humidity must be considered, which risk accelerating deterioration, altering the pigments and degrading the materials.
