VEGAS GOES HIGHBROW FINE ART ESTABLISHES A BEACHHEAD IN THE CAPITAL OF KITSCH.Byline: Eric Noland Travel Editor LAS VEGAS Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. - Ten years ago - maybe even five years ago - the concept of art in Las Vegas probably ran no deeper than paintings on black velvet. You know - a tiger, a matador matador In bullfighting, the principal performer, who works the capes and attempts to dispatch the bull with a sword thrust between the shoulder blades. Most of the techniques used by modern matadors were established in the 1910s by Juan Belmonte (b. 1894–d. , a sultry Polynesian maiden with the requisite bared breasts. Then came the reinvention of the Strip: lavish resorts, celebrity-chef restaurants, boutique retail, cutting-edge entertainment. Why not fine art as the next logical step? In accordance with Las Vegas' approach to all things, when the foray was undertaken there was nothing half-hearted about it. The Bellagio began attracting the curious (and the confounded) to its gallery when the hotel opened in 1998. The rival Venetian then upped the ante by collaborating with the prestigious Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation is a nonprofit corporation founded in 1937 by philanthropist Solomon R. Guggenheim and artist Hilla von Rebay. Its primary accomplishment has been the construction of a number of international museums:
The works on display at both resorts are nothing short of astonishing a·ston·ish tr.v. as·ton·ished, as·ton·ish·ing, as·ton·ish·es To fill with sudden wonder or amazement. See Synonyms at surprise. , from still lifes by Cezanne and Matisse at the Venetian's Guggenheim Hermitage Museum The Guggenheim Hermitage Museum is a museum in The Venetian, one of the world's largest hotels, in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was designed by Rem Koolhaas in 1980 [1] and opened in October 2001, and has added three more collections and exhibits since then. to the mobiles and wire sculptures of Alexander Calder Noun 1. Alexander Calder - United States sculptor who first created mobiles and stabiles (1898-1976) Calder at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art. Even in the face of Las Vegas' makeover, these developments are mind- boggling. One of the most important repositories of important artwork is ... here? In this crass enclave of replica European facades and pinging slot machines? It's particularly jarring, for example, to walk through the opulent hall between the casino and the hotel check-in desk at the Venetian - passing beneath a ceiling painted with cartoonish re-creations of Renaissance bombast - then step through a doorway and immediately behold Pissarro's impressionist mastery in the Parisian street scene ``Place du Theatre Francais.'' ``My colleagues were very skeptical,'' Dr. Barbara Bloemink said with a chuckle, as she reflected on her decision to move here from the New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of art world to be managing director of both Guggenheim museums at the Venetian. But, she added, ``We kind of feel that our mission is to reach the most people with the best art. We're also trying to reach the not-already-art- converted. Museums in New York, Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. and Chicago have people who were brought up with art and are used to looking at significant works of art. For a good portion of the people who come to Las Vegas, that's not the case. Fifteen percent of the people who come in have not been in any art museum of any kind. That's what museums should be trying to do.'' The two Guggenheims opened last October and, after a slow start that mirrored Las Vegas' post-Sept. 11 slump, ``have seen a steady build (in attendance) every month,'' according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. spokeswoman Sasha D. Jackowich. Los Angeles residents who are accustomed to the bargain that is the Getty Center Getty Center, art museum complex in Brentwood, Calif. operated by the J. Paul Getty Trust. It consists of six buildings on 124 acres (50 hectares) located on a spectacular promontory overlooking Los Angeles. might balk balk the action of a horse when it refuses to obey a command to which it usually responds. See also jibbing. at the tariff here - $15 adult admission for each of the Guggenheims (audio program additional), $12 for the Bellagio Gallery - but it can be argued that the exquisite art on display (at least at the Guggenheim Hermitage and the Bellagio Gallery) more than justifies the expense. The Venetian's second museum, the Guggenheim Las Vegas, is displaying ``The Art of the Motorcycle.'' The Guggenheim Hermitage, operating in partnership with the Guggenheim Foundation Guggenheim Foundation can refer to:
It was thoughtfully curated, in that the works show the progression of style and the possible influence of one painter on another. Two Renoir works, positioned side by side, reveal his evolution from conventional portraiture - evident in ``Woman With Parrot'' - to the softer, indistinct in·dis·tinct adj. 1. Not clearly or sharply delineated: an indistinct pattern; indistinct shapes in the gloom. 2. Faint; dim: indistinct stars. 3. brush strokes Brush Strokes was an Esmonde and Larbey sitcom set in South London and depicting the (mostly) amorous adventures of a good-looking, wisecracking house painter, Jacko (Karl Howman). of impressionism impressionism, in painting impressionism, in painting, late-19th-century French school that was generally characterized by the attempt to depict transitory visual impressions, often painted directly from nature, and by the use of pure, broken color to - ``Woman in Black.'' This transition occurred in a relatively short period; the first was painted in 1871, the second in 1876. Two highlights from the St. Petersburg collection are Cezanne's ``Still Life with Drapery'' and Matisse's ``Still Life With 'Dance.' '' You might notice a provocative tilt to the table in each scene, painted 15 years apart. An influence of one artist upon the other? The exhibit also features works by Picasso that show he was not limited to the abstract style so commonly associated with him. On display, for example, is his softly sketched portrait, ``Fernande With a Black Mantilla.'' Most visitors pop for an extra $2 for an audio guide, a cell-phone-size device. Actor Jeremy Irons murmurs into your ear about the characteristics of most of the works on display, often accompanied by tinkling tin·kle v. tin·kled, tin·kling, tin·kles v.intr. 1. To make light metallic sounds, as those of a small bell. 2. Informal To urinate. v.tr. 1. piano music or subtle sound effects sound effects Noun, pl sounds artificially produced to make a play, esp. a radio play, more realistic sound effects npl → efectos mpl sonoros that suit the scene. We noticed that many patrons seemed so riveted to the audio program that they all but ignored works for which there was no commentary. Also, it was intriguing to observe a mob pressed in on one painting, and as Irons implored, ``Now, move closer and look at the brush strokes,'' to see and feel the crowd surge forward. The paintings are exhibited in a space designed by architect Rem Koolhaas Remment Koolhaas (born November 17 1944 in Rotterdam) is a Dutch architect, architectural theorist, urbanist and "Professor in Practice of Architecture and Urban Design" at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, USA. , who used panels of rust-colored Cor-Ten steel to evoke the velvet walls of the State Hermitage Museum. Special, low-glare glass protects the works; it's so effective that at first glance you might surmise that the paintings are uncovered. It might not be a good idea to get your heart set on seeing any particular painting in the exhibit, which will run through mid-August. Monet's ``Lady in the Garden,'' which is featured prominently in the museum brochure, was removed and returned to St. Petersburg to fill another exhibition commitment. Jackowich, however, said no other changes are anticipated during the remainder of the run. Come September, according to Bloemink, the museum plans an exhibit that will span from Old Masters, including Rembrandt and Rubens, to contemporary. The Calder exhibit at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art is equally impressive - and represents a significant departure from the gallery's past offerings. When the hotel opened in late 1998, then-owner Steve Wynn Steve Wynn is the name of a:
At the beginning of this year, the gallery opened under new management, and some changes are dramatic. In the exhibition space, gone are ``the casino carpet and fabric on the wall,'' noted spokesman Matthew D. Hileman. In their place are hardwood floors, white-plasterboard walls ... and the edgy display of Calder's sculptures. The exhibit was developed exclusively for the gallery. Hileman said that will be the case for all shows; no traveling exhibits here. A small, dark room off the gallery still features a number of paintings for sale. Most of the work is impressionist - by Pissarro, Cassatt, Matisse, priced in the $2.5 million to $3.5 million range (for lottery dreamers, presumably pre·sum·a·ble adj. That can be presumed or taken for granted; reasonable as a supposition: presumable causes of the disaster. ) - but none of it is in the class of the museum pieces adorning the walls across the Strip at the Guggenheim Hermitage. Calder, who died in 1976 at age 78, was part of the Paris art scene of the 1920s but was frustrated by the one-dimensional limitations of abstract painting. In the 1930s, he gravitated to sculpture, using simple components: wire, sheet metal, wood, pieces of glass. The result is a collection of intricate mobiles that change composition with the puff of a draft in the room. Also on display here are ``stabiles'' - mobiles anchored to a base on the floor rather than dangling by a thread from the ceiling. Other works include wire sculptures of faces. They're intriguing in part because of the shadows they cast on the stark wall behind them. Calder fashioned one of them after his wife, known for her disheveled hair, and called it ``Medusa'' (1930) - it was said to be an endearing tribute. The explanatory segments on the audio commentary (included with the admission price) are short and pithy pith·y adj. pith·i·er, pith·i·est 1. Precisely meaningful; forceful and brief: a pithy comment. 2. Consisting of or resembling pith. , a refreshing departure from the long- winded explanations that marked both the Wynn and Martin exhibitions. The Calder sculptures will be featured until July 24, with the next show (undetermined) beginning around Labor Day. Hileman said an Andy Warhol exhibit of celebrity portraits - during which the gallery will be reconfigured to resemble Warhol's Factory in New York - is scheduled to open at the end of January. IF YOU GO GUGGENHEIM HERMITAGE MUSEUM: Located at the Venetian, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. S. Open from 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily. Adults $15, students $11, children (ages 6-12) $7. Audio guide $2. Hotel guests get $5 off. Information: (702) 414-2440. Tickets: (866) 484-4849. Web: www.guggenheimlasvegas.org. Note: A ticket to both Venetian Guggenheims may be purchased for $25. BELLAGIO GALLERY OF FINE ART: Located at the Bellagio, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. S. Open Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Adults $12, students $10, children (12 and under) $6. Audio program included. Information and reservations: (702) 693-7871 and (877) 957-9777. Web: www.bellagioresort.com. CAPTION(S): 9 photos, box Photo: (1 -- 6 -- color) Evidence of the raised stakes of the Las Vegas art scene can be found in, left to right at top, Franz Marc's ``Yellow Cow,'' Pablo Picasso's ``Three Women'' and Henri Matisse's ``Still Life With `Dance.' '' All are exhibited at the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum at the Venetian, below. The Ballagio Galley of Fine Art, meanwhile, is exhibiting the sculptures of Alexander Calder, including ``Blue Feather,'' above, and ``Roxbury Fish,'' above right. (7) Alexander Calder's ``Rat'' sculpture, fashioned in 1948 from sheet metal, is among the unusual pieces exhibited at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art. (8) A banner at the Venetian points to the priceless paintings exhibited in the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum. (9) Calder's sculptures are displayed in an appropriately stark exhibition space at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art. Eric Noland/Travel Editor Box: IF YOU GO (see text) |
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