The art collection explores musical instruments as objects to be examined, deconstructed and suggested as raw materials; live performances and recorded music are given their due in artists’ photographic tributes; and even sound waves themselves are represented in the collection, inviting guests to experience the colors of sound and reflect on the essence of music.

“My sculptures start as totally 2-dimensional,” says Peter Gentenaar, the Dutch paper sculptor and creator of the two-deck high sculpture, Wings of the Pharoah, describing the process in which his forms come to life. As the wet pulp created from Belgian linen dries around the bamboo framework it begins to shrink and curl, “just as a leaf when it dries.”

Sandra Spannan’s exceptional etchings and gold leaf on glass and wood panels for the Pinnacle Grill on both Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam drew inspiration from their very material.

The biggest artwork onboard both ships, ‘Harps’, was inspired by the harmonic forms of musical instruments. Produced and designed by ArtLink, and based on a concept by Tihany Design, identical harp-like stainless steel sculptures were installed for the central atrium staircase in both the Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam. Weighing 7.5 tons and suspending three-decks in the air with a circumference of 30 feet, the atrium sculptures are an aesthetic and collaborative triumph and are iconic features of both ships.

ArtLink worked with the Rijksmuseum to commission a high-quality photographic mural of the Tin Glazed Earthenware Violin especially for the Nieuw Statendam reception area. A symbol of national pride for the Dutch, the images of the violin emphasize the intricate level of craftsmanship and distinctive pottery style honed by the Dutch, and pays homage to the geographical and historical voyages of Dutch travelers on the Holland America Line.