When sailors typically hit the seas, they are usually concerned about managing potential high tides and safely reaching their destination.
With super-yachts, an additional point of concern is also to make sure that the passengers are treated in the best possible manner, which is why trained professionals accompany the crew to serve the people on-board with unparalleled hospitality.
However, now a new point of concern has arisen, and it concerns the protection of the artwork which is installed within these luxury yachts.
When billionaires around the world thought about placing some of the priciest paintings in their possession within their yachts, they clearly did not think about the implications of this not-so-smart move.
While these paintings remain safe from any harm when hung on their mansion walls due to the ginormous size of the rooms they beautify, they are unable to find the same kind of room on luxury yachts, no matter the size of the yacht.
– Luxury yachts are often adorned with expensive artwork which sometimes cumulatively exceeds the value of the yacht itself
This move places these paintings at risk of being damaged, and considering the fact that many of these paintings are worth millions of dollars in value, there is a need to provide greater protection for them. This is why training is now being provided to the crew by professionals as to how they need to provide care to these paintings and protect them from any possible harm.
Giving Lessons
Art historian as well as conservator Pandora Mather-Lees, who received his education in the field from the coveted Oxford University, came up with the idea of teaching proper art care and conservation to yacht crews after he was approached by a billionaire, who had requested his help in the restoration of a painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Apparently, the billionaire’s children had thrown cereal on the painting simply because it looked scary to them.
Now, such a case of children damaging a painting could probably not have been avoided. However, the fact that the crew, in an attempt to salvage the painting, rubbed off the cereal and hence further damaged the painting, this could definitely have been avoided had the crew received proper training in art care.
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We are not sure specifically which artwork was destroyed, but a Basquiat painting usually sells for millions of dollars. In the defense of the crew, Mather-Lees is of the opinion that the crew may have misperceived the value of the painting and hence taken matters into their own hands.
However, this also brings to the forefront the need to provide adequate training to the crew so that they are better equipped to handle such a situation.
The Art in Super Yachts
The artwork which can be found inside superyachts is sometimes even more impressive than that found in some of the biggest museums around the world. In fact, Mather-Lees reports having once come across a yacht which housed over 800 artworks with a cumulative value of twice the worth of the yacht itself.
It makes perfect sense why the owners are so fond of artwork: not only does it adequately portray the extent of their wealth to guests, but art also makes for a great conversation-starter.
A Gap In the Market
According to Mather-Lees, although a lot of attention is being paid to delivering knowledge about certain aspects of a yacht such as flower arrangements or wine handling, to name a few, little to no attention is being paid to actually training people about the way art needs to be handled.
This lack of knowledge is putting the owners of these yachts and the artworks within them at risk of losing millions of dollars in asset value.
– A luxury yacht is more than a mode of transportation, it is the manifestation of its owner’s riches
In order to fill up this dearth of art lessons in the market, Mather-Lees is offering classes and is charging 295 euros per day for her time.
The content of the lessons includes, but is not limited to, delivering information about the value these artworks and also where the crew needs to take the art if special care is required or an emergency care case arises.
Knowing the value of these artworks is important because that way the crew can be extra cautious when around these expensive pieces.