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AmaWaterways donates art collection to Community

AmaWaterways donates art collection to Community

Award-winning river cruise line AmaWaterways is to donate the entire art collection from one of its ships, AmaLegro, to a home for retired senior citizens in Normandy. The artwork, consisting of 53 reproductions of Impressionist paintings, will be delivered to the Residence Saint Jean retirement home in Bosc-le-Hard this month.

AmaWaterways has operated in northwestern France since 2013 and the 150-passenger AmaLegro cruises exclusively in the Seine River Valley. The company recently replaced the ship’s existing collection.

“We love to showcase beautiful artwork aboard all our ships,” said Wade Korzan, managing director of AmaWaterways’ European Operations. “Our Basel-based team wanted to find a good home for the AmaLegro’s former art collection and these paintings will make a lovely addition to the décor of the Residence Saint Jean. It’s a wonderful opportunity to contribute to the local community.”

Several paintings will also be donated to the local city hall, located in a majestic manor known as the Petit Chateau.

Bosc-le-Hard is a small village located 15km north of Rouen with about 1,500 residents. According to local legend, Joan of Arc stayed in the village for one night in 1430 during her transfer to a prison cell in Rouen. She was later canonised a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.

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Normandy may be best known for its role in the D-Day invasion of WWII, an event that commemorates its 70th anniversary in 2014. The region also has a rich artistic heritage, with Monet’s world-renowned home and gardens in Giverny and Rouen’s Gothic cathedral, which played a key role in inspiring the Impressionist movement. 

This art donation is just one community initiative from AmaWaterways; the cruise line also sponsors an English school in Siem Reap, Cambodia, which guests can visit as part of the popular Mekong river cruise itineraries.

AmaLegro serves AmaWaterways’ Paris & Normandy cruise, which features excursions to the region’s infamous D-Day beaches, Rouen, Monet’s gardens and Van Gogh’s former home in Auvers-sur-Oise. A seven-night round trip from Paris, cruise-only, costs £1,849pp, including all meals; free-flowing wine with lunch and dinner; and shore excursions.