DAY 349

ARTISTIC ODDITIES

Vegas, Baby

THE CITY OF SIN—AND ART

Quick! What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “Vegas”?

I bet your word wasn’t art, was it? Though it may be known primarily for gambling, bachelor and bachelorette parties, and smoking indoors, Las Vegas, Nevada, has become more than just a blip on the art world radar.

From casino art collections to the private collections of millionaires, the amount of fine art that resides in Vegas is starting to garner attention. The city even sought to revitalize its downtown area by offering incentives to artists who moved in and set up shop.

Combine this with all the money floating around that town, and you get a healthy amount of art, new and old—even a Picasso with a hole in it (page 326).

So, while Vegas may not currently rank with Paris, New York, or London as a destination for art lovers, it is definitely up-and-coming. And for those of us who aren’t terribly fond of gambling, the growing number of galleries and studios makes a trip to Vegas a more interesting proposition than ever before. —GRG