Celebrity Reflection, the newest ship in the Celebrity fleet, will debut in Miami before the ship sets sail on its inaugural U.S. voyage. To mark the launch of Celebrity Reflection, ICArt and Celebrity Cruises will be hosting an exclusive press and VIP event onboard the ship to showcase the innovative, original art collection onboard, which coincides with the start of Art Basel Miami Beach week.

At this exclusive event, invited guests will have the opportunity to view the unique onboard art collection, meet and mingle with contributing artists, and witness 2008 Whitney Biennale participant and conceptual artist Bert Rodriguez’s performance, “Everywhere I Look, I Only See Myself.”

Celebrity Reflection’s original art collection is part of a fleet-wide art showcase, representing almost a $60-million investment, showcasing conceptually strong, unique pieces and providing a rare opportunity to view art outside of conventional museum and gallery venues.  Since 2006, International Corporate Art (ICArt), the leading international art advisory group for the leisure industry, with offices in Miami, London, and Oslo, has curated the museum-quality art collection for Celebrity Cruises.

“Celebrity Cruises’ commitment to fine art is unparalled in the maritime industry,” says Mariangela Capuzzo, ICArt creative director and lead curator. “Their ships have become a platform for a stellar art collection with work by important established, mid-career and emerging artists. ICArt’s relationship with Celebrity has been one of mutual appreciation and positive evolution culminating with Celebrity Reflection, the fifth in Celebrity’s stunning, five-ship Solstice Class series.”

The Celebrity Reflection Art Collection is comprised of approximately 136 new acquisitions, including original paintings, sculptures, photography, video, drawings, prints and site-specific, architecturally-integrated installations. In addition, there are 115 standout artworks selected from the Celebrity Art Collection on former ships, including works by Robert Rauschenberg, John Baldessari, Julian Opie, Kiki Smith and Richard Prince.

Each ship in Celebrity Cruises’ fleet reinvents itself through its art collection, which is inspired by the vessel’s name and essence. Celebrity Reflection’s curatorial theme, “The Seductiveness of a Reflection,” investigates the effect of art via the physical properties of reflective materials, as well as the subtler act of reflection. Examples include Mirror Flower by Jeff Koons, Ann Veronica Janssen’s gilded Venetian blinds called Store Dore, and Aziz & Cucher’s light boxes, Untitled (Reflection Series). Two prominent project spaces with site-specific commissions include Bert Rodriguez’s Reflection in the ship’s upper Grand Foyer, featuring a suspended, living tree reflecting upon itself, and Carlos Betancourt’s The Celestial Garden, an all-encompassing visual and sensory experience in the Ensemble vestibule.

Celebrity Cruises’ passion for creating timeless and memorable experiences is exemplified through the quality and breadth of its art collections. Challenging the assumption that viewers can only be moved by art in familiar, established venues, Celebrity Reflection inspires both guests and artists through its greater creative possibilities.