Hull Art On Board Norwegian Cruise Line

Renowned Chinese artist in partnership with the world’s largest cruise line

The world’s leading large ship cruise line, Norwegian Cruise Line, commissions renowned Chinese artist Tan Ping, to paint the hull of its new breakaway-plus class vessel, Norwegian Joy. Scheduled for release in summer 2017, Norwegian Joy will be the brand’s first cruise ship that is purposebuilt for the Chinese market to deliver unparalleled services at sea, starting with her luxurious accommodations.

Tan Ping is a painter, printmarker and educator who straddle the worlds of art and design. His abstract paintings and copper plate etchings are part of the collections in renowned museums such as The National Art Museum of China; Portland Art Museum, USA; Ludwig Museum, Germany and The Shanghai Art Museum. His accomplishments also include leading a team of designers from Central Academy of Fine Arts to complete the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Image and Landscape Design Project.

For Norwegian Joy, Tan Ping will be designing a phoenix, an iconic mythical bird believed to reign supreme over all the birds of the world. It is a ubiquitous motif in Chinese art and can be found in numerous centuries of paintings, silk brocades, architectural flourishes and more. "The Phoenix symbolizes beauty and good luck in Chinese culture and, Norwegian Joy will bridge across the West and the East and bring Chinese people’s best wish to the world and everyone in her path," said Tan Ping.

“We are incredibly honored to be partnering with Professor Tan Ping," says David Herrera, President of Norwegian Cruise Line China. "Tan Ping’s ability to design concepts that easily blend traditional Chinese culture with moving and changing aspects of life is inspiring. He has perfectly captured the feel of Norwegian Joy as a luxurious, technologically advanced ship while honouring traditional Chinese values. The hull art embodies the essence of the best of The East meshing perfectly with the best of The West.”

Norwegian Joy will see the vision of the Phoenix artwork transferred to a medium of enormous scale on the hull of this unique ship. "This design is by far my largest artwork," says Tan. "Travelling worldwide on Norwegian Joy, I also expect that it will reach a far greater number of viewers than any of my previous works."