Dec
21
Yachts International
More from Bonita Springs
Fine Art Afloat
Expoships 228′ Grand Luxe
By: Grace Trofa
ENTREPRENURS ARE VISIONARIES. WHERE THE MORE FAINT OF HEART AMONG US SEE RISK, VISIONARIES SEE OPPORTUNITY. IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT DAVID LESTER, ONE OF EXPOSHIPS’ PRINCIPALS HAS THE MIDAS TOUCH, THAT EVERYTHINGHE TOUCHES TURNS TO GOLD. WITH HIS LATEST VENTURE HE HAS PUT HIMSELF ON THE LINE WITH A VERY INNOVATIVE IDEA; A LUXURY FLOATING ART GALLERY. THE 228′ GRAND LUXE WILL BE TRAVELING TO MANY OF THE MOST AFFLUENT COMMUNITIES IN THE COUNTRY, EFFECTIVELY BRINGING THE ART TO THE COLLECTOR.
At first glance, the luxe factor is evident; champagne and caviar bar, elegantly appointed restaurant, the glam of polished wood and carefully chosen marble. The interior gallery space on each of the three levels reflects a sense of calm, of gentility. Guests are inclined to linger, sip a glass of wine or an espresso , surrounded by some of the world’s most coveted items: a painting by Gilbert Stuart with a $3 million value, a Jackson Pollack, a Paul Klee or a sculpture by Fernando Botero. Its all yours for the choosing dependent only on the size of your bankroll and your level of self-indulgence at the moment. It begs the question , why hasn’t someone thought of this sooner?
The couple an partners in business, David and Lee Ann Lester have been married for thirty - three years, so in tuned that they can easily finish each others sentence and frequently do . “We both are visionary people, this is true. A little vision and a lot of hard work will get you anywhere . But I will say it does require a certain amount of enthusiasm and self-confidence to be able to engage in a project of this magnitude. The hardest part of for us was getting the project this far. Now when people board the boat the acceptance is universal. The caliber of the work speaks for itself.”
No strangers to the art world, David, an attorney, and Lee Ann a psychologist, became art dealers in Los Angeles in the 1970s. By 1990 they had moved on to organizing exhibitions (most notably the Palm Beach Fine Art & Antique Fair) and international shows in New York , Chicago, Miami , Dallas and Hong Kong . The Lesters sold the business in 2001 to the London -based Daily mail Group (DMI) for the tidy sum of $ 18 million.
Their next plan was to retire and cruise aboard their ninth yacht , a 94′ Ferretti Custom Line. They did in fact travel 15,000 miles in 18 months from Nova Scotia to the Caribbean -a nice life- except that along the way they kept running into previous clients. Before long their plans for retirement faded, replaced with the excitement of a new inspiration, a floating fine art gallery.
They came up with the basic design for the vessel with naval; architects DeJong and Lebet. It was a very practical design with several strong points. For one, the vessel has only a 6.5′ draft. Captain Craig Matthews fills in the details. “The vessel’s beam is 46′, which makes it very stable. The two engines are 3412 Caterpillars and we usually cruise at 8 to 10 knots. Aboard are four generators, three of them c18s-you can run the whole ship on just one of them -and two AC units, each with two , 20 ton compressors. each gallery has its own thermostat for climate control.”
The vessel is 2700 GT ITC and was designed to be the largest sized vessel able to navigate the Intercoastal waterway. The 61′ tall Grand Luxe clears the 65′ bridges, and its 46′ beam is well under the typical 80′ width of bridge openings. A 22-cabin houseboat accommodating a 45-person support staff shadows the vessel, as only the captain, his mate and six crew-members are allowed to travel aboard Grand Luxe. Operating costs are estimated at $ 15 to $ 20 million per year. The vessel took one year to design an two years to build. One has to wonder about security, traveling with such valuable artwork. Lloyd’s of London has been aboard and assured gallery owners that it was the most secure environment they could possibly desire. When asked if the worries about privacy at sea, Lester scoffs, “No, no there are no pirates on Long Island Sound!” From port to port only the most delicate items need to be packed and secured; for longer passages artwork is stored off-site. There is 24-hour security, and the vessel was designed with two fire zones . The 11,000 sq.-foot art space can be locked down, and is completely fire-proof and watertight.
The vessel’s unusual design comes from a prerequisite for climate control: the vessel has no portholes. The Lesters admit that the first attempt looked like a ferry boat, and Lee Ann wasn’t happy. She persuaded her husband to hold off for a year while they worked with the design . This is where yacht designer Luiz de Basto entered the equation. At first David Lester questioned whether de Basto could do something this radical , but by the time the Lesters left de Basto’s studio in Miami and arrived at home in Naples, Fla., de Basto had faxed his design , and it has not changed one iota since that day , “He has a great eye,” David Lester says. So what made de Basto, famous for his beautifully designed yachts, decide to do a more commercial vessel ? “I was intrigued by the concept. David had the idea that it had to appear more like a yacht to appeal to an upscale market , and it was a challenge to make it work. For an art gallery application, it was a radical design. I told him you don’t need windows, you need walls for the art; you don’t want people be distracted by the girl in the bikini going by on a boat! It needed alot of volume , space you could rent and it also had to be designed with three separate traffic flows . Workers and crew go about their business , sight unseen so as not to intrude on guests visiting the galleries.”If the vessel needs to be converted in the future , the large oval that displays the logo can be removed and replaced with glass. De Basto is working on the design of the next vessel in the fleet, the fashion ship which will feature lots of glass and a retractable cover, but he’ s not divulging to many secrets just yet.
Grand Luxe, the first in the Seafair fleet, can accommodate 600 guests comfortably. Admission is by invitation only. The first night in port is typically a fundraiser or charity event . The Lesters are working with New York’s James Beard Foundation for a series of Celebrity Chefs. White House Chef Walter Shire has already reigned over the gallery. It is not uncommon for investment banks to invite their clients aboard, with or without their art consultants, to view the collection in the 28 galleries. “This is a very social business, it is relationship building,”explains Lester. “Collectors can come aboard , dine with the gallery owner and discuss the desired pieces. The relationship between the gallery and the client is absolutely critical. You need to trust that this person is an expert in his field. When you are spending thousands of dollars on art you need to feel confident he is giving you sound advice.” Items priced within the gallery range from $550 to $5 million.
During the recent trip through Connecticut and New York, one New York gallery totaled sales of $ 7 million. Jim Hill of New York’s Berry-Hill Gallery was one of the first to sign up and feels this venue has immense potential. He advises that the stature of the dealer is of paramount importance and that, today, art is a bonafide holding in a balanced portfolio. Micheal James from the Silver Fund in London perhaps states it best , “I think this venue is less intimidating. Even I, as a gallery owner , find it intimidating to go into a gallery where you have to ring the buzzer to enter. The idea of taking the art into the community where people need only to travel to the boat is very appealing.”
The Lesters also have a concept for the pharmaceutical industry called Pharmasea, providing continuing medical education to physicians on board, then there will be the italian design ship showcasing design from motorcycles to home interiors…..David and Lee Ann want you to share in their excitement and their enthusiasm is contagious.