Hidden treasures

Contemporary Las Vegas is awash with world-class art — and not just in the city’s many galleries. Installations, paintings, murals and sculptures by A-list artists are hidden in plain sight in Sin City’s hotels, restaurants, nightclubs and boutiques — even in a parking garage and a pawn shop.

CITYCENTER

CityCenter’s Fine Art Collection, the first gathering of contemporary art in a Las Vegas public space, includes “Silver River” by Maya Lin (the designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.) behind the front desk of Aria Resort and Casino, as well as works by similarly renowned artists including Jenny Holzer, Henry Moore and Coosje van Bruggen.

Two arresting installations by James Turrell, whose explorations of light and space are currently the subject of a retrospective exhibition at LACMA, grace CityCenter’s glitzy Crystals shopping center: a very public untitled creation above the monorail station (and visible from the shopping area) and the immersive, appointment-only “Akhob” on the private top floor of the Louis Vuitton store (call 702.730.3150 to schedule a viewing).

BELLAGIO

An extraordinary blown-glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly hangs above Bellagio’s lobby, while the property’s high-end Picasso restaurant lives up to its name with original Pablo Picasso masterpieces and a collection of his lesser-known ceramic creations amidst its elegantly rustic décor.

Across the hall from Picasso, Bellagio’s Prime Steakhouse features a prominent tapestry by celebrated pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, as well as carpet and furniture designed by Claude Picasso (son of Pablo).

ELSEWHERE ON THE STRIP

A series of murals collectively dubbed “Wallworks” enlivens the parking garage of the chic Cosmopolitan Las Vegas. Graffiti-inspired pieces by renowned contemporary artists Shepard Fairey, Curtis Kulig, Retna, Kenny Scharf and Shinique Smith can be found throughout the structure.

1 OAK Nightclub at the Mirage features 13 photo-realistic oil paintings by New York-based Roy Nachum. And just off the Strip, on Fashion Show Drive, the lobby of the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas boasts a bronze bust by modern sculptor Jon Krawczyk.

DOWNTOWN

The Keep Memory Alive Events Center at the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health includes the stunning “Triumph of Light and Hope” by lauded landscape photographer Jeff Mitchum.

There’s even world-class art to be found at downtown’s Gold & Silver Pawn Shop (“star” of History TV channel’s popular “Pawn Stars” reality series) which has recently had legendary Andy Warhol and his onetime assistant Steve Kaufman on its walls, as well as pieces by early modernist Marc Chagall contemporary and sculptor Bill Mack. You never know who you might be able to see (and buy) there.

GO-TO GALLERIES

Las Vegas has literally dozens of art galleries, from the quaint and quirky to the grand and glossy. Here are five fine examples:

THE ARTS FACTORY in Downtown Arts District
107 E. Charleston Blvd.
www.theartsfactory.com
Two floors of emerging and established painters, graphic designers, photographers and architects.

BELLAGIO GALLERY OF FINE ART at Bellagio
3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South
www.bellagio.com
Its comprehensive “Warhol Out West” exhibit has been extended until Jan. 2.

P3 STUDIO at The Cosmopolitan
3708 Las Vegas Blvd. South
www.cosmopolitanlasvegas.com
An artist-in-residence program where visitors can watch them at work.

THE ART OF RICHARD MACDONALD at Bellagio and Crystals at CityCenter
3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South
www.theartofrichardmacdonald.com
Sculptures based on Cirque du Soleil dancers and acrobats.

MARTIN LAWRENCE GALLERY at The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace
3500 Las Vegas Blvd. South
www.martinlawrence.com
Art dealer specializing in big-name original paintings, sculpture and limited-edition graphics.

—Paul Rogers, Brand Publishing Writer