Las Vegas' Palms Casino Resort takes a bite out of art with their own display of contemporary pieces from artists including Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst, Kaws and Takashi Murakami
The Unknown (Explored, Explained, Exploded) by Damien Hirst
For most people, nothing says Vegas more than craps, poker and black jack. But for me, I’m not much of a gambler. Heck, I don’t know a thing about craps and I somehow always manage to lose my money in 5 minutes on the slot machines. So gambling? No thank you.
When I go to Vegas, it's usually to meet up with family (who love to gamble) to do a little bit of catching up, dine on some delicious food, and of course a stop to the outlets for some retail therapy. This time though, we headed to the Palms Casino Resort to check out, of all things…ART.
Back in 2016, the new owners of Palms Casino Resort announced that they were doing a major renovation and boy, they weren’t kidding. The huge makeover will mark the largest resort renovation in Vegas history, clocking in at $620 million.
With several phases in the works, the first debuted this past May and included the unveiling of the Bar, “Unknown”, APEX Social Club, Scotch 80 Prime Steakhouse, and Pearl Concert Theater, which hosts Blink 182’s residency.
But what truly drew me to the Palms was the contemporary art currently displayed throughout the venue. The eye-catching pieces included works by Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Takashi Murakami, Kaws and Richard Prince. Here's just a few of the pieces you can catch throughout the resort - thanks to graffiti artist Tal Cooperman, the casino's art curator..
The Unknown (Explored, Explained, Exploded) by Damien Hirst
Right smack in the middle of Palms Casino is Damien Hirst’s 1999 striking sculpture “The Unknown (Explored, Explained, Exploded)” a 13 foot tiger shark divided and placed into three shark tanks. Hirst also designed the bar’s coasters, matchbooks and swizzle sticks.
Beautiful Artemis Thor Neptune Odin delusional sapphic inspirational hypnosis painting, by Damien Hirst
Also by Damien Hirst, is the 96 x 240 in. Beautiful Artemis Thor Neptune Odin delusional sapphic inspirational hypnosis painting, 2007 (Household Gloss on Canvas)
Wish You Were Here neon sign located at the front desk – collaboration between Los Angeles artist Keegan Gibbs and Berlin-based American light artist Olivia Steele
Olivia Steele
Small Lies by Kaws - located outside Scotch 80
I Wear My Money On My Face by Timothy Curtis (aka Agua)
photo credit - Kimberly Iniba
Open Your Hands Wide by Takashi Murakami
photo credit - Kimberly Iniba
James Jean piece located at Send Noodles
There were many other pieces placed throughout the casino for everyone to admire. But the ones above were just a few that were in plain sight. A pit stop to Palms Casino Resort is definitely a must if you're into art or just want to take some time off from gambling.
The renovation at the Palms Casino Resort is no way near finished. Coming in Spring 2019 is a 29,000 square foot nightclub and 73,000 square foot pool club.
Also in development will be several celebrity chef restaurants including Bobby Flay's seafood and sushi eatery, ABC's "The Chew" host Michael Symon's barbecue restaurant as well as Hong Kong Chef Tim Ho Wan's most affordable Michelin starred restaurant.
If you want to beat the rush just to enjoy the talented artists' work, I would recommend you go now, before the makeover is complete and scores of people start flocking to the resort.