Ships That Pass in the Night — RMS Titanic Under Moonlight With RMS Olympic on the Horizon | Large Framed Oil on Canvas by Andrew Grant Kurtis

Details

Description

Ships That Pass in the Night” — RMS Titanic Under Moonlight with RMS Olympic on the Horizon | Large Framed … Read more Ships That Pass in the Night” — RMS Titanic Under Moonlight with RMS Olympic on the Horizon | Large Framed Oil on Canvas | Andrew Grant Kurtis

About This Piece
A dramatic, collector-grade maritime nocturne depicting RMS Titanic underway on calm Atlantic waters, her lights cutting through a deep, reflective night sea. On the distant horizon, RMS Olympic—Titanic’s near-identical sister ship—appears as a softened, atmospheric silhouette, adding narrative depth and historical romance.
Painted in a traditional realist manner with a contemporary finish, this work is composed around the key strengths of a nocturne: stillness, distance, and reflected light. The moon sits high behind broken cloud, casting a long silvery path across the water. Confident, layered brushwork builds the sea in rich blue-black tones, lifted with shimmering highlights that suggest the hypnotic movement of night water.

Details
Artist: Andrew Grant Kurtis (British, b. 1950)
Title: “Ships That Pass in the Night”
Medium: Oil on canvas
Style: Contemporary traditional / academic realism; maritime nocturne
Signature: Signed lower left, “A. Grant Kurtis”
Framing: Substantial gilt wood frame with applied rococo-style ornamentation

Dimensions (Framed)
W 120.7 cm × H 100.5 cm × D 10.5 cm

Subject Notes
RMS Titanic (built by Harland & Wolff, Belfast) is presented in her most iconic guise—monumental and purposeful under moonlight. The inclusion of RMS Olympic, the lead vessel of the Olympic-class and Titanic’s sister ship, expands the narrative beyond a single liner into the broader White Star Line legacy.

Provenance
Commissioned directly from the artist; later in a private Wiltshire collection. The reverse retains evidence of theatrical association/handling, including a handwritten label reading: “Ships That Pass in the Night (Renegades Theatre) Ilford”, together with chalk inventory/handling markings including “523” and additional chalk notations. Subsequently sold via a notable southern shire auction house and acquired by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD.

Exhibition History
Loan exhibition: Famous Lord Hill Museum, January 2026
Exhibition title: “Moonlit Giants: Titanic & the Great Ocean Liners” See less