Viking is getting behind the work of British artist Tracey Emin in the latest stage of its association with the art world and partnership with the Royal Academy of Arts.
The river and ocean cruise is sponsoring Tracey Emin/Edvard Munch: The Loneliness of the Soul, which brings together the work of the two artists for the first time, with Emin a long-term fan of the Norwegian painter’s work.
The exhibition launched last week, but the museum has had to close due to the current tier three restrictions placed on London yesterday; but once the RA reopens, the show will run until 28 February.
Emin overcame a battle with cancer this year, which makes her hard work and the timing of the exhibition even more poignant.
“This is the first time that Tracey Emin’s work has been showcased together with pieces from the Edvard Munch collection and we are delighted to be once again working with our friends at the Royal Academy of Arts to bring this exhibition to London,” said Wendy Atkin-Smith, managing director of Viking UK.
“The exhibition brings together two of Viking’s cultural partners – the Royal Academy of Arts and the Munch Museum in Oslo, and with an extensive collection of original Munch artworks on our own ocean ships, we are delighted to be part of this collaboration. Whilst we are looking forward to exploring the cultural riches of far-off destinations soon, we are excited about the opening of this fascinating exhibition a little closer to home,” she added.
Emin and Munch were born exactly 100 years apart and the exhibition focuses on themes of grief, loss and longing, with 26 works by Emin and 18 oil paintings and watercolours by Munch, selected from the Munch Museum in Oslo.
Viking is the custodian of a large collection of Munch’s artwork, which includes 44 original pieces displayed on its ocean ships, with guests onboard able to follow a self-guided audio tour of all the work. Through its direct partnership with the Munch Museum, Viking has even been granted digital rights to the entire collection.
Guests on the ocean ships can learn more about Munch’s most inspiring pieces at ‘Munch Moments’, a daily interactive event which digitally showcases a selection of his art curated by theme and set to live music.
Viking can also gain access for guests to the private collection at the Munch Museum so they can enjoy an immersive experience. Currently under construction, a new Munch museum – set to be known simply as MUNCH – is also on the way in Oslo, opening its doors in summer 2021 and set to be one of the largest museums devoted to an individual artist in the world, with more than 200 works on permanent display.
Viking’s newest ocean ship, Viking Venus, is due to launch early in 2021, and will showcase up to eight original Munch artworks, including the well-known Two Human Beings-The Lonely Ones and The Sick Child.
The new exhibition follows on from the success of the Viking-sponsored Picasso and Paper show, which was held at the Royal Academy of Arts earlier this year and featured more than 300 works from Picasso’s prolific 80-year career.
Throughout this year, Viking has been working on its new “enrichment channel”, Viking.TV, which gives access to a range of content, including a series of programmes about Edvard Munch.
Viking will also soon launch seven new river ships for the Nile, the Seine and the Rhine, Main and Danube and is now focusing on expedition voyages too, with its first vessel, Viking Octantis, launching in January 2022 and embarking on voyages to Antarctica and North America’s Great Lakes.
