MSC CRUISES TO LAUNCH WORLD’S FIRST FINE ART EXPERIENCE AT SEA

Housed in a purpose-built installation within the chic L’Atelier Bistro at the heart of the ship’s Mediterranean-style Promenade, the Edgar Degas exhibition is the first curation of this unique collection on board a cruise ship. The Danse Dessin series presents 26 studies of movement and dance and was previously exhibited in major international galleries and museums. Degas’ work encapsulates the soul of a romantic Paris, truly fitting within the setting of the new French Bistro on board MSC Grandiosa. It will also offer an immersive experience for guests with five videos running alongside the artwork detailing details of Degas’ work and life.

With each new ship that MSC Cruises launches, the Company aims to elevate the guest experience with new and unique elements that cannot be experienced anywhere else at sea. This new offering brings together the world of fine art and technology to create a one-of-a-kind entertainment offering exclusively for guests, bringing them closer to the world of art.

The introduction and presentation of the renowned works is part of a collaboration between MSC Cruises and THE AIMES, experts in creating multi-sensory, interactive experiences, employing innovative technology to engage people with art and culture. The exhibition has been curated by art historian, critic and member of exhibition producers THE AIMES, Marcello Smarrelli.

Marcello Smarrelli, exhibition curator commented: "Despite his apparently romantic subjects, Degas was a great experimenter, deeply interested in the use of new technologies available in those years of great scientific and industrial renewal. The focus of his artistic research was the study of the movement of the human body and the attempt to reproduce it in an artwork. For this reason, his artistic practice was fundamental for the birth of photography and cinema of which Degas was a pioneer. I'm sure he would have loved this interactive art exhibition, the first of its kind at sea and it is an exciting opportunity to connect people with Degas’ artwork in a new way and bring it to life through digital content for MSC Cruises guests.”

MSC Grandiosa will become the new flagship in the MSC Cruises fleet when she launches in November and the state-of-the-art ship will offer a richness of experiences for every guest from world-class entertainment with brand new Cirque du Soleil at Sea shows, a wide choice of international dining options, new activities for families through to an enhanced MSC Yacht Club.

MSC Grandiosa will become the second MSC Cruises ship to feature ZOE, the world’s first virtual cruise personal assistant and new updated to the innovative MSC for Me digital innovation programme, helping guests to get the most out of their cruise holiday.

For more information on MSC Grandiosa visit here.

For further media information on MSC Cruises visit www.mscpressarea.com

The Aimes consists of individual companies that make up the group, each one a leader in its field of competence, that can be brought together for a common goal and combine their skills with the same imagination, resolve and proficiency.

This allows them to create deeply engaging, emotional and artistic multi-sensorial art experiences, in which highly inventive storytelling is merged with human interactivity.

5 companies, comprising a total of 120 professionals operating in 4 different countries: Italy and Switzerland in Europe, the UAE and Saudi Arabia in the middle east.

Art Historian, Critic and Curator based in Rome. After completing a degree in Art History at the University of Rome “La Sapienza” and an MA in Contemporary Art History at the University of Siena, Smarrelli dedicated himself to the study of the relations between aesthetics and pedagogy. He has been a professor of Art and Design History at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Rome “La Sapienza”.

Since 2016 he is Artistic Director of the Pescheria Visual Arts Center in Pesaro. Since 2014 he is visiting curator at Memmo Arte Contemporanea Foundation in Rome. Since 2011 he is the Artistic Director of the Pastificio Cerere Foundation in Rome. Since 2007 he is the Artistic Director of the Ermanno Casoli Foundation in Fabriano (An).

He is also the founder and curator of the 6ARTISTA program for young artists. From 2009 to 2014 he was a member of “Nuovi Mecenati,” the French-Italian Foundation for the support of contemporary art in Italy. He is a contemporary art consultant for several institutions such as the French Embassy, the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, the French Accademy in Rome – Villa Medici, the Italian Cultural Institute in Paris, Sistema Museo. He corresponds for several magazines of contemporary art, among which “Flash Art”, “Exibart” and “Artribune”, he also collaborates as an art critic with RAI Radio 3. He has curated many artistic projects and created numerous training seminars for employees of prestigious interational companies (Elica, Whirpool, Alliance, Angelini, Accor Hotel, etc.).