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Las Vegas Casinos Gamble on Art10 May 2001LAS VEGAS, Nevada –– As reported by the Associated Press: “Can Picasso and Renoir compete with topless revues and video poker? Will a museum exhibit draw the same crowds that scramble to see fighting pirates, dancing water fountains and exploding volcanoes? ”Las Vegas resorts are betting on it. ”…`It's a gamble, but it's an educated gamble,’ says Rob Goldstein, president of The Venetian hotel-casino. `We like the odds.’ ”That's because developer Steve Wynn, former owner of Mirage Resorts Inc., emerged a winner when he put his private art collection on display at the luxurious Bellagio hotel-casino in 1998. He had wagered a bundle on the belief that when tourists had their fill of free booze, cheap buffets and nickel slots, they might be in the mood for a little culture. ”…Wynn says, `This is fundamental change. This is not going to go away.’ ”Not if the long lines of tourists in shorts and Hawaiian shirts filing in to catch a glimpse of works by Monet and van Gogh are any indication. ”That's what inspired Thomas Krens, chairman of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, to collaborate with Sheldon Adelson, owner of The Venetian, to bring the Guggenheim-Hermitage museums to the Strip. Two separate galleries are set to open in September at the resort. ”Of the two museums designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, the smaller is a collaboration between Guggenheim and the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. ”Referred to as the `Jewel Box,’ the Hermitage-Guggenheim, located just off the upscale Venetian's lobby, will house more intimate exhibits, such as Picasso's early works and Faberge eggs. ”…The center would be only the sixth Guggenheim branch in the world, joining branches in New York, Berlin, Venice, Italy, and Bilbao, Spain. ”…Though internationally famous, few place Las Vegas in the same cultural league as such cities as Berlin, Venice and New York. ”…David Carver, president of the Las Vegas Art Museum, says that exposing people to fine arts has to be considered a positive - even if the arts are being used to drive casino traffic. ”…Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman sees it as an artistic and cultural renaissance, skipping references to the Dark Ages that preceded the rebirth. ”…Gambling industry experts say bringing fine art to the Strip is a natural progression as the city evolves, moving from a narrow gambling focus to have broader appeal. ”…[Krens] marketing plan is simple. Rather than organizing traveling Guggenheim exhibits that move from city to city in search of audiences, Krens reasons that he can reach people far more efficiently by simply setting up shop in Las Vegas, with its ready-made audience of 36 million annual visitors. ”And that suits tourism officials just fine…” |