AIDA congratulates the inventor of the kissing lips on his birthday
Feliks Büttner turns 75 – exhibition in the Kunsthalle Rostock
It was 20 years ago that the Rostock-based graphic designer Feliks Büttner first made an AIDA ship smile. With the distinctive lips, eyes and waves on the hull, he created a trademark which has made the cruise company internationally famous.
These days, the smiling, kissing lips are to be found on all the world's oceans, and adorn the hulls of 11 AIDA ships. The latest flagship, AIDAprima, received its characteristic paint job just a few weeks ago.
AIDA Cruises extends its sincere best wishes to the artist on his 75th birthday: "On behalf of the entire AIDA team, we wish to thank Feliks Büttner for more than two decades spent working together closely as partners, and to express our great respect for him as an artist," states Michael Ungerer, President of AIDA Cruises. "With his brilliant artwork for our ships, Feliks Büttner has helped fundamentally shape the look of the AIDA fleet."
Sunday will see the opening at the Kunsthalle Rostock of a retrospective of his work with the title of "4 mal 75" ("4 times 75") to mark his 75th birthday. Considerable space at the show will be devoted to his long-standing collaboration with AIDA Cruises. AIDA is one of the show's key sponsors. The exhibition will include the first ever showing of a triptych which the Rostock-based artist created exclusively for the new flagship, AIDAprima. The 2.30 x 2.70-meter painting, which will be hung on Deck 7, will form a "narrative wall," as the 75-year-old creator of the famous AIDA lips describes his new work of art. Büttner will also be on board for the maiden voyage from October 1, 2015, where he will thrill audiences with his popular live painting demonstrations.
Art lovers can already order selected works by Feliks Büttner at the new AIDA online store (
www.aida-onlineshop.de). You can find out more about art at AIDA and our art tours by visiting www.aida.de/kunst.
