Deseret News (Salt Lake City): Fine art in Vegas casino

LAS VEGAS -- The French countryside could not be farther away, in distance or sentiment, from the long stretch of neon lights that line the Las Vegas Strip.

But as the impressionists launched a revolution in the art world more than a century ago, a small art gallery inside the Bellagio resort has been quietly doing the same, albeit to a lesser degree, over the past six years.

"It was shocking particularly to the art world that there was a gallery in a Las Vegas casino," said Matthew Hileman, managing director for the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art. "Not only have people come, they've come in amazing numbers."

This month, the gallery launched its ninth exhibition, titled "The Impressionist Landscape from Corot to Van Gogh." On the heels of a wildly successful Claude Monet show, gallery officials are confident they are accomplishing their mission of bringing art to the masses -- even if it is in a casino.

First conceived to display a $400 million art collection owned by Steve Wynn and his casino company, management of the gallery was taken over in 2001 by PaperBall, a division of New York's PaceWildenstein gallery.The key to the gallery's success, according to Marc Glimcher, gallery chairman, has been never underestimating its audience.

The current show runs through Jan. 8. Tickets are $15 per person and $12 for students, Nevada residents and those age 65 and older.

The gallery is open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, and audio guides are available in English, French, Japanese and Spanish.