Las Vegas Guggenheim Heritage To Close
For a brief shining moment it looked like art was going to be the next big thing in Las Vegas casinos, soon there will be only one Las Vegas Strip museum now (the gallery in the Bellagio) that the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum in the Venetian is set to close on May 11. In 2001, the Guggenheim opened two Las Vegas museums designed by Rem Koolhaas: the Guggenheim Las Vegas and the Guggenheim Hermitage. The Guggenheim Las Vegas closed 15 months later after one showy exhibit dedicated to the Art of the Motorcycle. The Guggenheim Hermitage was a partnership between the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Guggeenheim Heritage saw shows by Lichtenstein, Johns, Oldenburg, Rauschenberg, Wesselmann, Beckmann, Degas, Picasso, Rubens, Miro, Chagall, Bonnard, Kandinsky, Modigliani and Klee but some say that the New York Guggenheim did not do all it could to help their Las Vegas outpost stay afloat. Others say that even with more exhibits the Guggenheim Hermitage struggled to create community interest. If you want to check out the museum, now is the time, they are offering free admission until the museum closes.
[Thanks, Lana]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jacqueline Apr 14th 2008 2:29AM
That's too bad, but does anyone really go to Vegas for the art? I would think that the exhibits/works would be better served in another destination, perhaps one that isn't famous for gambling and over-indulgence.
Deidre Woollard Apr 14th 2008 2:34AM
Good point, Jacqueline, I had hoped though that since more hotels are building condo/hotel towers that don't have casinos that the cultural life would start to be more of a draw but that doesn't seem to be the case yet.
KF Apr 14th 2008 4:03AM
I did some marketing for The Venetian a few years ago for a specific article, and was being given a tour of the property and its various amenities. I asked specifically about the museum -- whether it was open and if I could see it -- and was surprised to hear "Oh, were you actually interested in seeing that?" I replied "oh yes, of course" and the staff person was actually surprised, which in turn surprised me. The staff person had little if anything to say while we toured it, and I believe her most articulate response was "pretty neat, isn't it." I thought it was remarkable how "downplayed it was." So, while some may blame the NY Guggenheim for a failure to help support the LV location, there was definately a failure by the LV staff to drive interest, as well.