Viking Sponsors National Geographic's Genius: Picasso

LOS ANGELES, April 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Viking® (www.vikingcruises.com) today announced it has renewed its sponsorship of National Geographic's fully scripted anthology series, "Genius," which in season two explores the life and work of influential Spanish artist and pioneer of the Cubist movement, Pablo Picasso. The premier partnership extension with National Geographic builds on Viking's continued commitment to supporting enriching cultural programming, with current and past partnerships including PBS' MASTERPIECE, the Los Angeles Philharmonic at The Hollywood Bowl, The Metropolitan Opera, Oslo's Munch Museum, St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre, Ballet Sun Valley and more. The Emmy-, Golden Globe- and Screen Actors Guild Award-nominated series will return for a second 10-part global event tonight, April 24, at 9 p.m. ET/PT, with a special two-hour premiere on National Geographic.

"We are pleased to continue our partnership with National Geographic's Genius. Together we are engaging audiences who strongly believe in the value of learning and exploration," said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking.

"National Geographic and Viking are two brands innately driven to enrich lives – through history, culture, art and exploration," said Brendan Ripp, EVP, National Geographic. "We are delighted that, once again, Viking is lending their brand synergy to support Genius and our commitment to premium content."

Dramatizing the stories of some of the world's most brilliant icons, Genius: Picasso will explore the artist's contribution to modern art and his turbulent personal life, which included tumultuous marriages, numerous affairs and ever-shifting political and personal alliances. The star-studded cast includes Antonio Banderas ("The Skin I'm In," "The Mask of Zorro") as the world-renowned artist, Pablo Picasso, and joining him as the younger Pablo is Alex Rich ("Glow," "True Detective"), who rejects academic study and joins the circle of young bohemian artists and writers struggling to make it in early 20^th century Spain and France. Clémence Poésy ("The Tunnel," "Final Portrait") portrays Françoise Gilot, the French painter and author who had a decade long affair with Picasso yielding two children, and Sebastian Roché ("Young Pope," "The Man in the High Castle") plays Emile Gilot, Françoise's tyrannical father.    

The series takes the audience to iconic locations from Picasso's life in Europe, including Paris, Budapest, Barcelona and Málaga, Spain, birthplace to both Picasso and Antonio Banderas. All of these featured locations are also destinations on Viking's river and ocean cruise itineraries. In several destinations, Viking also offers guests real experiences to learn more about the life of Picasso. In Málaga, guests can choose a dedicated shore excursion that visits Museo Picasso and provides history about the city of his birth. Also, on other popular Viking itineraries in Europe, guests may opt to visit the museums that house the three largest collections of Picasso's work – Musée Picasso in Paris; Museu Picasso in Barcelona; and Museum Ludwig in Cologne.

The Viking Difference

Designed for discerning travelers with interests in history, art, music and cuisine, Chairman Torstein Hagen often says Viking offers guests "the thinking person's cruise" as an alternative to mainstream cruises. Ships are small to get guests closer to their destination, with more time in port and more overnights. On board, guests find serene Scandinavian spaces, where every room is both beautiful and functional, quiet and filled with light. With the most al fresco dining opportunities at sea, featuring regional cuisines and always-available American classics, Viking's guests can truly dine in their destination. A focus on cultural enrichment brings immersive experiences ashore and on board. And only The Viking Way of Exploration provides guests with itineraries that feature Local Life, Working World and Privileged Access experiences.

This announcement comes on the heels of an impressive list of recent accolades and growth for Viking. In March, the company's fourth ocean ship, Viking Sun®, was named in Shanghai during its first-ever sold out World Cruise. Viking also made several fleet development announcements recently, including the addition of 24 new river vessels and the options for more ocean ships, which will expand the ocean fleet to 16 vessels by 2027.  Additionally, in February Viking swept Cruise Critic's 8^th Annual Cruisers' Choice Awards with 10 First Place honors. In 2017, the company was named the #1 ocean cruise line in Travel + Leisure's 2017 World's Best Awards – and was voted the Best River Cruise Line by Condé Nast Traveler in the publication's 2017 Readers' Choice Awards.

Booking Details

From now through April 30, 2018, Viking is offering U.S. residents 2-for-1 cruise fares on select 2018 ocean and river cruise itineraries, with additional savings on international air. Call Viking toll free at 1-855-8-VIKING (1-855-884-5464) or contact a travel agent.

Media Assets

For more information, images and b-roll for Viking Cruises, contact [email protected].

About Viking Cruises
Viking was founded in 1997 with the purchase of four ships in Russia and is now the leader in river and small ship ocean cruising. Designed for discerning travelers with interests in science, history, culture and cuisine, Chairman Torstein Hagen often says Viking offers guests "the thinking person's cruise" as an alternative to mainstream cruises. In its first two years of operation, Viking has been rated the #1 ocean cruise line in Travel + Leisure's 2016 and 2017 "World's Best" Awards. Viking currently operates a fleet of 65 vessels, offering scenic cruising on rivers and oceans around the world. By 2027 the company will operate 16 930-guest ocean cruise ships. In addition to the Travel + Leisure honors, Viking has also been honored multiple times on Condé Nast Traveler's "Gold List" as well as recognized by Cruise Critic as "Best Overall" Small-Mid size ship in the 2018 Cruisers' Choice Awards, "Best River Cruise Line" and "Best River Itineraries," with the entire Viking Longships^® fleet being named "Best New River Ships" in the website's Editors' Picks Awards. For additional information, contact Viking at 1-855-8-VIKING (1-855-884-5464) or visit www.vikingcruises.com.

About National Geographic Partners LLC
National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between National Geographic and 21st Century Fox, is committed to bringing the world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) with National Geographic's media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children's media; and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 130 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers…and reaching millions of people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education. For more information visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

SOURCE Viking

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