Galaxy Travels Light

Few of us get to live with sophisticated contemporary art before committing to buy it. But if you have the cash, you might consider luxuriating for a week or two this fall on a cruise ship that doubles as a floating gallery.

Launched in late 1995 by Celebrity Cruises, the Galaxy is stocked with 450 modern and contemporary pieces by prominent and lesser-known artists from the United States, Europe and Japan. Curator Christina Chandris, wife of Celebrity chairman John Chandris, assembled it in collaboration with two directors of the blue-chip Marleborough Gallery in New York.

For obvious reasons, darkly transgressive art is not found here. Space limitations preclude the showing of the massive pieces on which some of the chosen artists made their reputations, and some of the selections are slight or trite. Yet a recent visit to the ship when it docked briefly at Los Angeles Harbor revealed a high proportion of inventive, visually charged work reflecting the kinds of issues that engage artists today.

Appropriately, the 143,000-square-foot ship has a collection that is more like the eclectic contents of a very large home than the holdings of a contemporary museum. Rather than conveying the development or breadth of specific styles or approaches, the collection ranges all over the map, with an emphasis on more palatable, viewer-friendly pieces.

Artists represented range from those who made their reputations in the ‘50s and ‘60s (John Chamberlain, Red Grooms, Joan Mitchell) to well-regarded members of a younger generation (Rachel Whiteread, Katerina Fritsch, Kara Walker).

The diverse character of the art is obvious upon entering the Grand Foyer on the Plaza Deck, which displays a Jenny Holzer piece reeling off truisms (“Abuse of power comes as no surprise”), two misty photographs of the North Pacific by Hiroshi Sugimoto and a greenish lump made from compressed garbage (“Trashtone,” by Wilhelm Mundt).

Some of the most engaging pieces are the quirkiest. The human body is a recurrent image.

There’s a Tony Oursler video projection of a giant eye (“Fire”) and a photograph by Christopher Bucklow of a man whose head and torso seem to be composed entirely of tiny circles of white light (“Guest [A.F.] 25,000 Solar Images”).

There’s a pair of gleaming, high-arched “Glass Feet” by Rob Wynne and a photogravure by Kiki Smith (“My Blue Lake”) of a woman trapped inside a face swollen to fun-house-mirror proportions and a body resembling a mutant piece of upholstered furniture.

Creative placement of several works enhances a viewer’s feel for certain styles and themes. Photographs from the 1920s and ‘30s hung within the serene pale wood enclosures of the spa on the Resort Deck emphasize sensual formal qualities and coolly abstract glamour.

The images include Tina Modotti’s romantic-revolutionary composition of a scythe and bandoleer balanced on a guitar, Imogen Cunningham’s shot of a snake in a bucket and George Hoyningen-Huene’s portrait of the Vogue fashion photographer known as Horst.

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Just outside the spa area are amethyst and rose quartz “Mineral Pillows” by Marina Abramovic--who made her reputation as a “body artist’ engaging magical powers and energies in her performances. The smooth, pillow-shaped pieces are meant to be touched--by your forehead, in an act of faith in the supposed healing properties of minerals.

On the Entertainment Deck the mood is tongue-in-cheek festive. “Pastel Lights,” Leonard Drindell’s bright, blurry photograph, evokes a state of sensory overload. It hangs in the disco, along with “That’s Life,” Jack Pierson’s found-lettering sign (recalling the song popularized by Frank Sinatra).

Bar-type seating in the Orion Foyer on the Promenade Deck lends a handy perch for reading Sean Landers’ series of letters, “Dear Arthur Miller.” In this one-sided correspondence, the artist tells of his hopeless attempts to ingratiate himself with the famous playwright, whose daughter he was dating.

It may not be surprising that the collection does a much better job of representing New Yorkers than Californians; Ed Ruscha and John Baldessari are the only well-known artists from the Southland. But a more curious omission is the lack of a comprehensive guide to the art.

A brochure provides context for a few pieces, but the passenger in search of specific information about a particular artist, movement or piece has nowhere to turn. Surely the shipboard population also would be a captive audience for art lectures that, for once, don’t require slides.

The 77,713-ton Galaxy is the second of three Celebrity Cruises ships specifically designed to show art. The Century focuses mostly on contemporary blue-chip artists. The Mercury, which makes its maiden voyage in November, will display 400 contemporary pieces, including a monumental wall drawing by Sol LeWitt.

Everything else being equal--and the Galaxy and Mercury are touted as the last word in sophisticated interior design, spaciousness and high-tech entertainment systems--spending a week or two in the intimate company of so much art seems very appealing.

* Galaxy cruises depart for the Caribbean on various dates through April; for the Panama Canal region on Oct. 1; and for Alaska on Sept. 19. For information, call your travel agent or (800) 437-3111.