CityCenter Fine Art Collection

CityCenter Fine Art Collection has intriguing art pieces displayed at Aria and in The Shops at Crystals.An art installation by James Turrell is fabulous! Turrell is an acclaimed light and space artist who works with visual perception and the effect of light within a created space. According to Turrell, he believes human perception to be his true medium and in his words, "My art is about your seeing."His work "Shards of Color, 2013" features lighted spaces and shifting colors. You'll find the lovely installation near the Aria Express Tram Station in The Shops at Crystals.Other art works display include Maya Lin's "Silver River, 2009," an 84-foot-long silver sculpture of the Colorado River, which is seen dangling above the registration check-in desk at Aria.The "Reclining Connected Forms" is a large-scale sculpture made of Roman travertine marble and is created by the artist Henry Moore. The image portrays a baby wrapped in its mother's embrace. The outer shell resembles a pregnant figure protecting the baby while growing from within, so beautiful! You'll find this amazing sculpture in the courtyard between Aria and The Shops at Crystals."Halo" by Wet Design is a fascinating water art installation located on the first floor of The Shops at Crystals. The clear cylinders is an interesting maze and there's a vortex of spinning water thrusting up through the floor. Another creative design is the glowing Grand Staircase which is inspired by the Spanish steps in Rome, very pretty. This is a lovely experience learning about various artists while exploring incredible displays, and it's free to enjoy!

Steve Wynn built the Bellagio so that from the outside people would enjoy the outside with the hope they come in... He built the Wynn the opposite way - built the inside beautifully with the points of interest for guests.The artwork at Aria has the same thing going on that Steve Wynn was doing with the design of the Wynn. Put the interesting stuff on the inside so people will come in - not that you would have to hope they come in.City Center and all the buildings included in it seem so sterile - so icy cold - I really appreciate the extra something that this art work provides. I like best the Vegas of the 90s.... pirates and themes and a little bit of kitch. All that is gone but at least we get something unusual to look at inside.

Was a guest of Aria last summer...which then got me interested in the first public space fine art collection offered. Exists around Mandarin Oriental, at Aria, Veer Towers, and Vdara. All the more appealing now that Guggenheim has shut its doors.This time, we left the Encore and went to Westin in order to be closer to the heart of Strip. After Le Reve, we went off to enjoy Mirage's LOVE. also closer.Breathtaking. Though it was 117 degrees, our scorching scavenger-hunt like tour with assistance of spray and water bottle was wonderful! Henry Moore, Maya Lin, sculptures, paintings, prints (Christopher Walken), etc.Great treat for those who prefer not to gamble. And great way to walk off great, overindulgent food too!PS download the app as we did. Sure made finding the marvelous pieces waay easier. Be prepared to walk!!

Outstanding artworks on display throughout the Aria casino complex. Each art piece is jaw-dropping amazing and complex. Skip the Aria app from Apple (hasn't been updated since IOS8) and instead pick up a brochure from the Aria Concierge Desk near the Louis Vuitton store.It's a bit of an Easter egg hunt to find/see all the artworks, but it's well-worth your time if you have 4 hours or so and want to see every piece. I only saw but appreciated every single one. The special James Turrell installation inside Louis Vuitton requires a month-in-advance appt...minimum, but would be well-worth it. Phone is: (702) 730-3150.Mt favorites were the James Turrell "Shards of Color" by the elevator, Jenny Holzer's LED display outside by valet parking and the wall of water, also outside by valet parking.

(Woohoo, it's my 100th review worthy!)The idea is to take priceless works and integrate them within the framework of a modern resort. A somewhat risky endeavor on the part of the corporate collection to place each irreplaceable piece to the decency of the public. All of the artwork have taken root safely and I must say to the attentive and discerning eye that they are a visually engaging aspect to the innovative exploits of the City Center. The idea is simply marvelous and it is an onerous act of altruism on the part of the MGM Properties to bring such fine art culture to our public art depraved city.That said, We started our fine art Easter egg hunt at the top level of the ARIA rooftop parking from the southeast garage. Here I took a pic of the ARIA north valet installment, JENNY HOLZERS, VEGAS constructed into the hotels LED lit valet awning. Enlightening. Upon exiting the elevator from parking you are greeted by British sculptor TONY CRAGG's BOLT, BENT OF MIND and an untitled tall column. A grouping of winding chromatic warping steel. Aesthetic and eye pulling.Walking towards the concierge to receive a brochure map of the collections current installments (they have changed the collection slightly since the online brochure) you will immediately encounter next to the restroom facilities, DENNIS HOPPER's towering and imposing BILL COSBY photographed in 1963. Apparently appropriate setting for the recent scandals emerging. (uhm hehehehe) After this on the wall directly across the High Roller section is a familiar face. Yet filtered and artfully touched by photographer JULIAN SCHNABEL titled NEW WALKEN. I personally admire this type of photographic art. Making your way to the concierge desk above the ARIA resort lobby is a stunning piece of silversmithing by public artist MAYA LIN. This large form you see is an "Art-chitectural" rendition of the Colorado river titled SILVER RIVER. Made entirely of reclaimed silver.From there I will leave you to search for your selves as the concierge desk in front of you will provide your own map to the multi-resort wide gallery. I will say that I completed roughly 80% of the tour with my wife, and toddlers in about 4 hours, that's with two (elevators) strollers and a few diaper & coffee stops along the way. I chose to go at dawn to capture a darker setting. You will be rewarded with architecture, paintings, photography, sculptures, lighting, stone works and some breathtaking galleries like Chihuly or Rodney Lough Jr. It amazes me to witness the masses of crowds that surf past these treasured designs and give just a slight glance away from their smart phones as they gabble on about v.i.p. table reservations or how long the line at the buffet is. Even my 2 boys immediately recognized as soon as we approached the art. Well it seems that art is not for everyone, yet this amazing collection is still placed here for you whether you recognize or not. Thank you MGM Properties!

Beautiful Chihuily art collections. You can see some of his art as you're walking in City Center, between Aria and Mandarin Oriental. Places like these is what makes City Center so appealing (at least to me). I know there's brand name clothes stores and shops, but the art is what gets me here. If you're ever in the area, stop in and enjoy the art, it's beautiful hand blown glass that everyone should appreciate.

This has to be Vegas' best kept secret! I have enjoyed taking so many friends to see many of the different artwork. Day and Night, Night and Day is by far my favorite and amazes me that someone had such vision to create such a masterpiece, in my opinion! One time I did the entire collection with a friend for her birthday surprise and ended with high tea at the Mandarin. She still talks about that till this day! It's free and a cultural experience that you can enjoy! I took my friend who's a local also and yet another person I introduced to this who never heard of it. I'm leaving Las Vegas now so until I return perhaps this may encourage others to take part in the experience!

Part Deux to our Sunday Rendez-Vous:We took the monorail between casinos to the The Shops at Crystals outside the ARIA Resort & Casino. No, not to shop, rather uncover a secret above the consumerist chaos. Traveling as though through the twilight zone, we time-warped out of the Louis Vuitton @ City Center, beyond all earthly placations into a hypnotic calm of sensory relaxation.James Turrell Exhibit At Louis Vuitton is home to Akhob, a unique installation that creates a distinction between the overabundance of modern corporate consumerism & the distilled sophistication of prismatic light. The world & its walls appear to melt away as the primary colors move through gradiation from one intense extreme of the spectrum to soft, radiant rays. Egyptian for "pure water", Akhob is a sound chamber that produces the illusion of ganzfeld effect, an altered state of body, mind, and consciousness produced by gazing into an immersive color field. James Turrell's exhibition creates a sensation of detachment as though floating free of time, space, and material, as though absorbed within a transcendent meditative nature. Life and art stripped down to its core beauty, scientific principles, and quintessential character -- color.

Two dozen artworks are on display throughout City Center with most works at Aria. All pieces are free and accessible to the general public.Despite not being a fan of Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, it seems appropriate for Vegas. An oversized typewriter eraser fits right in with the overdone everything about Las Vegas.I am a fan of the James Turrell installation at the Shops at Crystals. Although visible from the shopping area, go to the monorail station platform to fully experience the work. At first glance, it might appear to be a room lit in purple light, but look at the blue edges which are not at right angles and not painted a different color.I also like the Henry Moore sculpture behind Aria's registration desk and before entering the Shops at Crystals. Although it looks like a starship in dry dock from "Star Trek", it's the use of travertine marble that gives it more character than a typical bronze.Even though the "Glacia" ice sculpture created by big freezer coils at Shops at Crystals was popular with shoppers, its eco-unfriendliness bothered me too much to enjoy along with hearing my parents' voices running through my head to shut the refrigerator door.Some of the photos and Elite reviews posted in this listing are not part of the City Center collection, but items for sale at the Chihuly art gallery at City Center (see http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-gallery-las-vegas).A list of works and map showing locations can be downloaded from http://www2.citycenter.com/luxury_las_vegas_condos/files/CityCenterFineArtsBrochure.pdf and a newer version at http://www2.citycenter.com/luxury_las_vegas_condos/files/79678%20Fine%20Art%20Collection%20Map%20Brochure%20w%20Paths%20v04.pdf. As seen in the brochure, the art is spread-out. It's cool to have expensive art pop-up while wandering around, but it's a lot of work to find them all and the main reason for the average rating.