Art Knowledge News
CityCenter in Las Vegas Features An Unparalleled Fine Art Collection |
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| Written by Michele C. Quinn |
| Thursday, 03 December 2009 02:30 |
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Validating CityCenter’s status as a cultural destination of worldwide significance, the Fine Art Collection is designed to become a benchmark for enlightened corporate involvement with the arts on a global level. As if in a strolling gallery, guests happen upon works by world-renowned artists as they walk through CityCenter’s walkways, hotels and residences. From vibrant and ornate to intimate and serene, these works are strategically placed to reveal a world of fascinating experiences that unfold around every corner. “CityCenter is an international architectural achievement that integrates the talents of world-renowned artists, architects and designers in one development; it is a landmark of global taste and style,” said Jim Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM MIRAGE. “The Fine Art Collection is the first initiative of its kind to merge public and corporate interests on this grand scale, and we’re proud to deliver this prominent force in contemporary art and culture to Las Vegas.” The Fine Art Collection encompasses a multitude of styles and media – ranging from sculptures and paintings to other works of art including large-scale installations – engaging visitors on both a visual and intellectual level. Some are existing pieces, carefully chosen for their artistic value and cultural significance; others are site-specific installations for which the artist was invited to command their vision over the space. “This venture marks the only corporate collection ever to join such a multitude of media, styles and artists and make it accessible in such a highly visible and public manner,” said Michele C. Quinn, curatorial advisor for CityCenter’s Fine Art Collection. “Delivering this caliber of artwork demonstrates our desire to create a cultural centerpiece for Las Vegas.”
Frank Stella – “Damascus Gate Variation I” 1969, Fluorescent alkyd resin on canvas, 8 x 32 feet – Suspended over Vdara’s reception desk American painter Frank Stella began his “Protractor Series” in 1967, in which arcs, sometimes overlapping, within square borders, are arranged side-by-side to produce full and half circles painted in rings of concentric color. Both Stella’s “Irregular Polygon” canvases (1965-67) and “Protractor Series” (1967-71) further extended the concept of the shaped canvas. For the reception desk at Vdara, CityCenter purchased one of artist Frank Stella’s most prominent works: “Damascus Gate Variation I,” named for an ancient circular Islamic city in Asia Minor. Created in 1969, Stella’s work features a design of interlaced semicircles made of luminous colors of blue, red, orange yellow and white alkyd resin on an 8-foot-high, 32-foot-long canvas. Recognized for more than 45 years for his contributions to the forms of abstract expressionism, sculpture and the concept of the shaped canvas, Stella’s work has been the subject of several retrospectives in the United States, Europe and Japan. In 1970, The Museum of Modern Art in New York presented a retrospective of Stella’s work. An authority and critic in his own right, Stella presided over the Charles Eliot Norton lectures at Harvard University from 1983-1984, which were published by Harvard University Press in 1986. Peter Wegner – “Day for Night, Night for Day” 2009, Colored paper, die cut and suspended from steel compression frame, West wall – 34 x 10 feet, East wall – 45 x 10 feet – Vdara’s concierge lobby American artist Peter Wegner often comments on the notion of physicality through a fusion of art and architecture by creating towering sculptures from the most ordinary object: a sheet of paper. The physicality of paper is brought a step further, nestled into the facing walls of Vdara’s soaring concierge lobby. “Day for Night, Night for Day” is comprised of two wall pieces: one solar-themed and one lunar-themed, represented on the east and west walls in the lobby to correspond with the rising and setting of the sun. A hanging light sculpture designed by the Wegner is suspended between the pieces to encourage “dialogue” between them. “Day for Night” soars to approximately 45 feet while “Night for Day” reaches approximately 34 feet high. This commission is Wegner’s largest work of art to date. The artist’s rigorous thought process is expressed through stunning imagery, a sly sense of humor and a masterful manipulation of common and found materials. Wegner’s work has been displayed in exhibitions on both coasts and internationally and he has been the subject of solo exhibitions at The Bohen Foundation and Lever House, New York. His work resides in the permanent collections of The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; and The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, among others. Wegner received a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University. Click on logo below to add this article to your favorite Social Website ~ |
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