Superyachts, multi-million dollar vessels, sail their affluent owners to the world’s remotest, most pristine locales. Inside, they boast luxe amenities, abundant entertainment, and some of the world’s most impressive, if not the most expensive, artworks. Storing ultra-expensive artworks on ships is a tricky business. It requires more care than on land, including continuous air conditioning, managing the effects of salt water and humidity, and addressing unpredictable mishaps.
Speaking of calamities, Yusaku Maezawa, a Japanese billionaire, once chartered an incredible yacht for a memorable sailing vacation with his family, which included three kids. Along came a very exceptional Jean-Michel Basquiat painting, the 1982 “Untitled” skull painting, purchased for a record $110.5 million during an auction in 2017. Two years later, aboard the superyacht, the Jean-Michel Basquiat painting was placed near the dining table. It is not unusual for tycoons to travel with their treasured possessions to create a familiar ambiance, akin to home, on long sojourns.
The masterpiece of an African-American artist scared the billionaire’s kids, who then threw their cornflakes at it. The alert crew immediately came to the painting’s rescue but did more harm than good. Unaware of the artwork’s significance and value, they haphazardly attempted to clean off the cornflakes. Per The Guardian, Pandora Mather-Lees, an Oxford-educated art historian and conservator, was asked for help by the billionaire to restore the Jean-Michel Basquiat painting which in probability would be the only multi million dollar painting damaged by corn flakes.
“His kids had thrown their cornflakes at it over breakfast on his yacht because they thought it was scary,” Mather-Lees said. “And the crew had made the damage worse by wiping them off the painting.” The crew “just thought it was some painting, they had no idea it was worth many millions,” Mather-Lees told the Observer. “They are expected to know how to serve the owners at sea, not to know about paintings and art. But now that the rich are increasingly bringing their art collections on board their yachts, it’s vital that captains and crew know how to care for these pieces.”
The incident that happened on a charter vessel will surely never be repeated on the Japanese billionaire’s under-construction yacht, Project Cosmos.
Masterpiece-in-the-making, Project Cosmos-
Project Cosmos is a world within a world. This 374-foot Motor Yacht, showing plenty of promise, is currently being built in Germany by Lürssen and is to be delivered in 2025. The superyacht is touted to be the world’s first megayacht to be powered by emission-free hydrogen fuel cell technology, boasting exteriors by Apple designer Marc Newson. This mind-boggling, environmentally friendly creation is paving the path most yachts will take in the near future.
According to Lürssen, Project Cosmos’ green propulsion system will allow the owner more than 15 nights emission-free at anchor, or the owner will be able to slow cruise his superyacht for more than 1000 miles emission-free. Among her most distinctive features is a rounded observation pod at her bow. The boat will include a swimming pool aft and a large cut-out, which is expected to host a large tender. The oversized foredeck will likely be finished with a helipad. The billionaire entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa was photographed onboard the vessel during its technical launch.
Who is Yusaku Maezawa –
Worth $1.6 billion, Yusaku Maezawa founded Japan’s largest online fashion mall, Zozotown, in May 1998. The man who flew on a Russian Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station for a 12-day trip is an avid art collector. He has plans to build an art museum in Chiba, his hometown. A billionaire in his mid-30s, this interesting fashion tycoon started his career by selling CDs and records of his favorite bands by mail from his home and eventually became the CEO of Zozotown. The affluent Japanese owns a private jet, a fleet of cars, and a superyacht that’s under construction.
