Art Auctions on Regent

[Joanandjoe]

It would be very interesting to find out what the financial arrangement is. Does Park West pay Regent a set fee for selling on the ships? If so, how much? Or does Regent get a cut of the take? Either way, I can't imagine much revenue from this enterprise. In return I presume that have to house the art guy in a stateroom--that stateroom could be used for an entertainer, or even a customer!!

 

I don't know about Regent's arrangement with Park West; but I remember that there was a discussion once regarding the arrangements between Park West and Hal. Each "art work" had an agreed on price between the gallery and the cruise line, and the cruise line go a substantial portion of the markup (I believe one quarter to one third, with a minimum overall profit guaranteed). The amount going to the cruise line is substantial.

 

Maybe someone on this board has actual knowledge. I don't remember specifics; but I was amazed at how much the line made from the art auctions. They don't do auctions to please CC members; they fdo them to make money.

 

If Park West sells $250,000 of "art" with a paper profit of $150,000, Regent presumably would get something between $37,500 and $50,000 - much more than from selling a stateroom. In addition, Regent gets to have tacky "art work" on the walls, without spending the substantial sums (several million dollars per ship on HAL) that it would otherwise cost the line to have wall decorations.

 

If you want to see what Regent art work ought to look like, look at the art on the walls and in cases near the Mariner Observation Lounge. It ought to be like that all over the ship.

[Dolebludger]

Wendy:

 

The best way for Regent cruisers to get rid of the art auctions and the tacky art on the walls is to list a complaint about this on the comment cards that are filled out on a cruise. And/or you can email Mark Conroy about this. Sorry, but I have lose his email address in a computer crash. Does anybody have it?

[VIRGINIA ARTIE]

They did have gold by the inch on the Navigator once, Dan. I didn't buy any but they didn't have it on the ship the next time we cruised. When I asked, [forget who I asked] I was told that the chains were gold plated and not solid gold as stated.

[WesW]

richard, try:

 

mconroy@regentexperience.com

 

r/wes

[wripro]

Dolebludger,

 

I think the best way to get rid of the auctions is for everyone to simply stay away. A few cruises of "no shows" will catch Regent's attention.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Yes, you're right. As they say, "vote with your feet"! But then I thought I was already doing that...so who is buying this s**t?

[ERParadise]

The NYT article is a very good one. Hopefully, Regent has examined it and they are simply not ignoring the complaints.

 

I like the art auctions, but I wouldn't spend too much because I have never believed this art was "an investment" -

 

Regent should

• Force Park West to stop making excessive valuation claims.
  
• Lighten up on the "over-exposure" of too much art displaying everywhere on ship. Bring the art out for the auctions, but make it mostly disappear at other times onboard
  
• Do some independent auditing of values compared to other art auction companies to make sure Park West is pricing art at competitive levels (Regent needs to protect their customers from getting ripped off)

Beyond this "let the show go on" because for me and others we enjoy this time.

 

Happy sailing...;)

[Host Dan]

They did have gold by the inch on the Navigator once, Dan. I didn't buy any but they didn't have it on the ship the next time we cruised. When I asked, [forget who I asked] I was told that the chains were gold plated and not solid gold as stated.

Thanks Virginia... Actually my comment was made in jest! :D

 

Host Dan

[DocDesdin]

Frankly, I have found the art auctions to be a bit classier than some of the comments I have read here. If I took some of the comments on here seriously, I would probably be cutting my veins by now and feeling like a lowlife for buying this ****. You see I have actually bought some art on Regent as well as other ships. i bought it because I liked it and was willing to pay the price for it. Incidentally, I bought a piece for $1200 and later saw another one in the series in a miami gallery for $2500, so go figure. I am not recommending that anyone buy it for investment purposes as there are no guarantees of anything, but I liked it and was willing to pay the price and have thoroughly enjoyed it on my wall. There is no need to disparage anyone's taste. On my last Regent cuise in March, the art was very low key, it was displayed in the corridor, but no-one was stumbling over it and I believe there were only 1 or 2 auctions on the 11 night cruise.

[traveller333]

On my Voyager cruise there was a mishmash of art work (mostly tacky) on the walls and at times it was blocking the atrium on deck 5. They also put annoying glossy inserts in the Passages and on the cabin doors. I don't mind the auctions as I never attend but they don't need to bombard us with advertisements about viewings etc. Putting the time of the auction in Passages should suffice and take 1/2 the art work off the walls and out of the halls so it doesn't look so cluttered.

[Dolebludger]

I agree that it is not the auctions in and of themselves that is the problem. It is more the fact that Regent has reportedly become more "commercial" about promoting them onboard. As I have not cruised Regent recently, I only know that what I saw several years ago was fine. The ship had its own wall decor. The schedule for the art auction appeared in the ship's paper, and that was about it. That was fine.

 

If auction art is now being used instead of coordinated wall decor on Regent ships and if the auctions are being promoted in a tacky manner as on mass market ships, that is inconsistent with luxury cruising.

[cruiseyguy]

FYI-Auction art is not always promoted in a "tacky" manner on mass market ships. In fact, several, including Celebrity, do a better job than Regent in controlling the auctions and limiting their available display venues. And I know of no mass market ship that uses auction art to decorate the ship, as Regent does. Let's move beyond this urban myth that everything on mass market ships is tacky or hopelessly middlebrow. They obviously do many things right and sometimes even better than the luxury ships.

[ERParadise]

I think it would be good for someone to forward this complete thread of comments to Regent Mgmt and ask them to establish a policy so that there is a consistent approached followed on each Regent ship.

 

Overall, it seems like the Art should be "Very Low Key" and not in passenger's faces all over the place. And some caution should be executed with regard to valuations. As long as passengers are buying the art because they like the art and not because there is some false hope of "investment returns" then it seems like a nice activity to continue to hold open to those who want to participate.

 

Enjoy the art!

 

Steve

[Dolebludger]

That is a good idea. And cruiseguy, you make a good point. I should not be talking about what the mass market lines do, as I haven't been on one for 8 1/2 years. The last one I cruised (RCI in Jan. '00) didn't have auction art on the walls. But there were plenty of loudspeaker announcements, and plenty of print ads left in the room for the auction. But I understood, as we had an outside room for a week for $700 pp, and I was getting about as much luxury as I had paid for. But when I pay $700 PER DAY pp on Regent, my tolerance level for "commercialism" is much lower, and I think its the same for all of us.

[bev'sid]

I've been reading through this thread and I see I am definitely NOT of the popular opinion, as I do enjoy the artwork, lectures and yes, even the auctions!

 

As a credentialed art teacher and avid art lover, I always enjoy soaking up the atmosphere of works by the likes of Dali, Max, Miro, Chagall, as well as those Rembrandt etchings for which PW has acquired the original plates/rights to reprint, etc., etc. There were a few lesser artists IMO, but there were no unsigned, unnumbered prints that I saw. And yes, there were even a few original, one of a kind paintings (not prints)! Most giclees were hand embellished and signed, so I guess you could consider those one of a kind to some degree, although they were mostly part of a limited series. Most prints were serigraphs, the ones I was looking at anyway. There were no sports memorabilia compilations whatsoever.

 

Mario on the Mariner was soft spoken, low key and entertaining during lectures and the auction. There were no bidding wars or 'heat of the moment' purchases because a lot of the auction was taken up by Mario just formalizing bids that guests had already made pre-auction. That part was a bit slow & tedious, I admit!!

 

On the day of the auction several works were displayed on easels IN THE AREA of the auction. But I did also enjoy the changing artwork displays in the stairwells each day -- made it a bit easier to climb those things to deck 11!

 

I won a free print (numbered & signed) and priced shipping/framing -- very reasonable & far less money than the price at my local Michael's here in calif.!!

 

Oh well, to each his own. I am just surprised at all of the nay sayers, feeling it is all a scam when many of them have never attended, nor have any idea what goes on and what artists' works are even displayed. I suppose Dali's rendition of dante's Inferno may seem "garish" to some.... actually that baffles me a bit more than the rants.

[Gail C]

BEView,

>>> I am just surprised at all of the nay sayers, feeling it is all a scam when many of them have never attended, nor have any idea what goes on and what artists' works are even displayed.<<<

 

Amen. I had this feeling as well. Lots judging without having attended, just walking by and making a "sidewalk diagnosis". As far as this subject, I think we are lone voices in the wilderness but glad to see someone who has actually attended and agrees with me. Happy someone with art credentials posted.

[Travelcat2]

I think the last two posters may benefit from reading the article regarding Park West. Although many threads tend to wander through various related subjects -- it would be difficult to defend Park West without having further information.

 

A point I made earlier (as well as few times in between) is that recent Regent sailings have had art displayed on easels that obstruct walkways. In my opinion, this thread has little to do with the appreciation of art. There is nothing tasteful or professional about how Regent is handling this situation.

 

 

P.S. I do agree that this topic is a bit over the top. . .Regent does such a great job on many levels -- there is no doubt in my mind that they were not aware of what was going on right under their nose.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

 

Mario on the Mariner was soft spoken, low key and entertaining during lectures and the auction.

 

I suppose Dali's rendition of dante's Inferno may seem "garish" to some.... actually that baffles me a bit more than the rants.

 

I will concede that the art dealer has always been low-keyed and polite when I've been on board. I will also concede that I have enjoyed looking at some of the art. I love Dali, and don't mind looking at prints, but I seem to remember a fair amount of Mickey Mouse prints (presumably reprints of the original drawings--so what!) I think it's the idea of (almost) everything being prints--there are so many struggling artists in the world, surely the print market is largely a money-making grab.

[fPetrarca]

A quick search of the internet will show that there has been serious concern in the art community about the authenticity of some of PW's Dali works, although the same can be said for a lot of the Dali works floating around. Purchasing fine art should involve serious research and preparation, not spur-of-the moment buying.

[Gail C]

>>>I think the last two posters may benefit from reading the article regarding Park West<<<

 

Best not to assume. You know the old cliche... I read the NYT article the day it hit the streets.

 

The art auctions are entertainment for me just as the casino is entertainment for others. Though I'm never in the casino because it was/is a noisy, smokey place, I would never suggest that it be banished from the ships. We could probably start a thread on, "Is the casino cheating you?"

[ERParadise]

Hello all,

 

I feel that Regent should review this entire thread of comments because a lot of valuable feedback has been given by loyal clients of Regent.

 

It would be good for Regent to review these comments, the NYT article and issue a very clear policy statement so that from Regent ship to ship and cruise to cruise there will be consistency in how the art auctions and the displays of art are carried out on each and every cruise.

 

Most companies work hard to get this kind of direct and precise feedback and Regent should appreciate having this commentary so that they can take it and formalize a policy and let their clients know what that policy is going forward.

 

Please, someone get this in the hands of the top management at Regent!

 

Sincerely,

 

Steve

[xrvlcruiser]

Regent knows about the thread . . . .will they check it out? I haven't a clue.

[Dolebludger]

If Regent is following this thread perhaps they will check out the following link from the Fine Art Registry:

 

http://www.fineartregistry.com/articles/far_investigates/salvador-dali-parkwest.php

 

I will not comment on this link, beyond saying that all who cruise should read it and consider it when deciding whether to attend a Park West art auction -- and indeed whether to cruise on any line that allows Park West on board.