Viking Star Art Collection

THE RESTAURANT | DECK 2

THE RESTAURANT | DECK 2 H.M. QUEEN SONJA OF NORWAY 1937 x NORWAY x ETCHING THE RESTAURANT In The Restaurant, Viking Cruises has been inspired by the private art collection of H.M. Queen Sonja of Norway, and has interpreted the spirit of the collection by compiling a selection of works by represented artists. Highly acclaimed, well-known Norwegian artists, who have exhibited extensively both in Norway and abroad, are represented on board. These works of art exemplify the different trends in Norwegian painting from the 1960s up to today. This is contemporary art that fascinates the viewer, and brings us into contact with each new generation of Norwegian artists. In recent years, H.M. Queen Sonja has herself experimented with different graphic techniques and produced works of art, some of which are also presented on board. The Queen’s own art as well as her art collection have been presented in books and exhibitions, and were most recently shown at The Henie Onstad Art Center outside Oslo in 2012. H.M. Queen Sonja of Norway has retained a keen interest in art all her life. She studied art history at the University of Oslo, and has collected art for many years, building an impressive collection of contemporary art. Over the last several years, the Queen has discretely received instruction from two outstanding teachers, artists’ Ørnulf Opdahl and Kjell Nupen, who have taught her different artistic techniques such as watercolor, lithography, etching and intaglio. Working in modest formats, and trying out various techniques, the Queen’s work is inspired by her own interest in nature and photography, as well as Nupen’s colors and Opdahl’s dark mountains. There is a balanced quietness in her natural forms, where the abstract meets figuration and decoration. STAUPER II | 2013 30

THE RESTAURANT | DECK 2 31