Guggenheim Las Vegas Unveiled With `The Art of the Motorcycle' Exhibition at The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino
LAS VEGAS and NEW YORK--Oct. 4, 2001--The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation today inaugurated the Guggenheim Las Vegas, a new 63,700-square-foot exhibition hall designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, winner of the 2000 Pritzker Prize.
"The Art of the Motorcycle" is the first of the large-scale exhibitions planned for this monumental museum space and demonstrates the capacity and versatility of the facility. The exhibition explores the motorcycle as both cultural icon and design achievement and features a new installation design by architect Frank Gehry. The Guggenheim Las Vegas, located at The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino, opens to the public on October 7, 2001.
This exhibition is made possible by BMW Motorcycles and proudly sponsored by Delta Air Lines.
Thomas Krens, Director, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, said, "The Guggenheim is delighted to bring this exhibition to Las Vegas on the occasion of the inauguration of the Guggenheim Las Vegas. `The Art of the Motorcycle,' with Frank Gehry's innovative exhibition design, is ideally suited to this new building, which is adventurous in both form and function. As the motorcycle embodies so many of the themes of our age -- technology, speed, rebellion, transformation -- it serves as a perfect vehicle, if you will, for an exploration of the twentieth century."
About the opening of the Guggenheim Las Vegas, Sheldon G. Adelson, Chairman of the Board, Las Vegas Sands, Inc., said, "Evolution is what a place like Las Vegas is all about. Las Vegas keeps doing things that amaze other people, and it keeps re-inventing itself. We are enormously pleased to have the Guggenheim here in Las Vegas as further evidence of this city's possibilities."
The Guggenheim Las Vegas was conceived as an exhibition hall for the presentation of special projects, ranging from contemporary painting and sculpture, to architecture and design, and multi-media art. "The exhibition spaces at the Guggenheim Las Vegas were inspired -- in part -- by the large gallery at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao," said Mr. Krens. "In 1999, we presented nine steel sculptures by Richard Serra in that space, each piece weighing approximately 150 tons. It was one of the most beautiful exhibitions I have ever experienced; the equation between objects and the Frank Gehry-designed space was sublime. The challenge for the Guggenheim Las Vegas was to expand upon the Bilbao space in every way possible, with an emphasis on difference, context, flexibility, and practicality. Rem Koolhaas brings an industrial aesthetic, an impeccable precision, and a powerful sense of space and humor to all aspects of the design. The result is not only an absolutely unique space, but also a breathtakingly beautiful one."
The main gallery in the 63,700-square-foot Guggenheim Las Vegas is approximately 210-feet-long, 160-feet-wide, and 70-feet-high. The central space includes a 74 by 74-foot pivoting door, which is painted "safety" orange and black, in a chevron pattern. A functioning industrial bridge crane, with a lifting capacity of 35 tons, hovers close to the ceiling, suspended from tracks at either side of the space. The main floor of the large gallery is breached by a 210-foot by 30-foot trench, which can be obscured with 21 five-ton covers to create a single level; alternatively, the covers can be selectively removed to reveal the galleries on the lower level. The lower level is accessed either by escalators or via a 30-foot-wide, lime-green processional staircase. A 125 by 70-foot skylight in the ceiling features motorized levered covers, located on the roof, which can either filter out all natural light or be fully opened to the sky. In a witty gesture to the Las Vegas aesthetic, Koolhaas has added a large-scale facsimile of the central scene from Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling to the underside of the levered covers. Additionally, a media wall that is 60-feet-high and 120-feet-wide comprises the west wall of the main gallery, which will feature a combination of moving and still images depending on the exhibition.
Guggenheim Las Vegas Inaugural Exhibition: "The Art of the Motorcycle"
The inaugural exhibition of the Guggenheim Las Vegas is "The Art of the Motorcycle," which was first presented at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 1998. With more than 125 motorcycles on display, the exhibition chronicles the most compelling moments in motorcycle design and technology -- from its humble beginnings as a steam-powered vehicle to the sophisticated state of motorcycle production today. The exhibition explores and celebrates the motorcycle as a quintessential symbol of the Modern age.
"The BMW Group is proud and honored to support this unique exhibition concept. It is a milestone for the motorcycle and indeed for the whole of the motorcycling world. Few people would have anticipated the excitement that this exhibition has stimulated within the past three years. We are thrilled that our partnership has made this exhibition possible. Those who have seen it in New York or Bilbao know how successful it has been in creating a picture of the motorcycle not only as a historical element but even more a factor that played a major part in shaping the past century," said Dr. Michael Ganal, member of the BMW Group Board of Management.
Delta Air Lines President and Chief Operating Officer Frederick W. Reid said, "Technology advances and artistic design have combined over the years to change the world we live in and the culture that we enjoy. Over time, these advancements have pioneered a new way of life -- one that connects peoples and cultures of all walks of life in what is now just a few short hours. With `The Art of the Motorcycle,' the Guggenheim chronicles the most compelling moments in the evolution of motorcycle technology and design. Delta is excited to help the Guggenheim bring this landmark exhibition to the public, and we appreciate the Guggenheim's ongoing efforts to foster cultural awareness."
The installation of "The Art of the Motorcycle," designed by Frank Gehry, responds both to the scale of Koolhaas's Guggenheim Las Vegas and to the materials of the motorcycles themselves. Gehry is one of the world's preeminent architects and is the designer of the highly acclaimed Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. He designed the installation of the "The Art of the Motorcycle" when it was on view at the Guggenheim museums in both New York and Bilbao. For Las Vegas, Gehry has created his most ambitious installation to date. Gehry's building-within-a-building features enormous curved polished stainless steel architectural structures, towering chain-link curtains, glass floors and partitions, large-scale graphics, and a massive glass box coated with an iridescent film. At certain angles this box appears opaque, with moving images of motorcycles projected onto the surface, and from other vantage points the box is clear, revealing the motorcycles within.
The Las Vegas installation features several motorcycles never-before seen as part of "The Art of the Motorcycle." These include: the American-made Copeland Steam (1884), an early model with a striking silhouette and steam-powered engine; the Opel Motoclub SS500 (1929), a highly stylized bike with signature red accessories, including red tires; the sleek, Italian Aermacchi Chimera (1958); and the contemporary Montesa/HRC 315RY (2001). One of the rare motorcycles added to the Guggenheim Las Vegas presentation is a Honda RC174 (1967) specialized for racing and able to reach a top speed of 150 miles per hour.
Over 250 pieces of memorabilia and ephemera provide an historical and cultural backdrop for the motorcycles. Sales brochures and owners manuals are displayed adjacent to photographs of early manufacturing plants, vintage motorcycle magazine covers, print advertisements and film stills, several of which are original prints to be seen for the first time as part of "The Art the Motorcycle." The exhibition will also feature over two-dozen vintage advertising posters dating from 1899 to 1980.
The Guggenheim Las Vegas's media wall further provides a cultural context for the motorcycles. The wall is divided in segments, each piece displaying different manifestations of the motorcycle as seen in moving images. The media wall will broadcast images of motorcycles in documentaries, video segments, news and other television programs from around the world, and will feature images from films including "Duck Soup," "The Great Escape," "The Wild One" and "Easy Rider."
Organization
"The Art of the Motorcycle" was organized by Thomas Krens, Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, in conjunction with Ultan Guilfoyle and Charles Falco. The Las Vegas presentation is organized by the staff of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Ed Youngblood.
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation will operate the Guggenheim Las Vegas and provide all curatorial and administrative expertise and programming content. The Guggenheim Foundation operates seven museum/exhibition spaces worldwide, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Guggenheim Museum SoHo in New York; the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice; the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao; the Deutsche Guggenheim Berlin; and two new venues in Las Vegas.
Publication
"The Art of the Motorcycle," a fully illustrated, 400-page catalogue published by the Guggenheim Museum and distributed to the trade by Harry N. Abrams, Inc., accompanies the exhibition. It is edited by Matthew Drutt and includes essays about: the design and social history of the motorcycle; questions of reconstruction and issues of originality; and the motorcycle's influence on popular culture, including cinema, fashion, and lifestyle. Catalogue authors include Hunter S. Thompson, Dennis Hopper, Melissa Pierson, Charles Falco, Art Simon, and others. It has been published in English, Spanish, and German. It is available for $45 softcover and $65 hardcover.
In addition, the Guggenheim Museum, in association with Universe Books, has published "Motorcycle Mania: The Biker Book." Fully illustrated and 128 pages long, it contains a foreword by Thomas Krens, an introduction by Matthew Drutt, and contributions by Jon Thompson, David Robb, Ted Polhemus, Don Emde, Bud Ekins, and David Gross.
Guggenheim Hermitage Museum
Concurrent to the opening of the Guggenheim Las Vegas is the inauguration of the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum, a 7,660-square-foot museum for the presentation of the collections from the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York, and The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Located at the front of The Venetian, adjacent to the main entrance lobby, the Guggenheim Hermitage is also designed by Rem Koolhaas and features Cor-Ten steel exterior and interior walls. The opening exhibition, "Masterpieces and Master Collectors: Impressionist and Early Modern Paintings from the Hermitage and Guggenheim Museums," presents a selection of 45 key works that highlights the distinct but highly complementary strengths of these two world-renowned collections.
To access high resolution photos of the Guggenheim Las Vegas, please refer to www.venetian.com.