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October 11, 2008 11:34:10 PM CDT

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Guggenheim's Vegas Gallery Craps Out

Posted Apr 11, 08 10:42 AM CDT in US,  Arts & Living 

(Newser) – The Guggenheim Museum's second venue on the Las Vegas Strip is closing its doors after 7 years. The nonprofit satellite gallery, which presented works from both the New York museum and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, was housed in the decidedly for-profit Venetian Hotel. A larger space folded only 18 months after opening in 2001 because of lack of funds and poor attendance, the Las Vegas Sun reports

Both were designed by Rem Koolhaas. Local art patrons complained that the Guggenheim treated its Vegas outpost as an afterthought. “Among cultural tourists there is an expectation of seeing exhibitions that organize new knowledge with the works of art, said a local museum director. "At Guggenheim, it was more like showcasing great paintings.” Thomas Krens, the Guggenheim Foundation director who spearheaded the museum's global expansion, stepped down in February.

Source Las Vegas Sun

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The Venetian Hotel, in Las Vegas. The Venetian housed the Guggenheim Hermitage museum, which is closing after 7 years.   ((c) slideshow bob)
The Guggenheim Hermitage in Las Vegas, designed by Rem Koolhaas. The museum is folding after 7 years.   (Courtesy Guggenheim Museum)
The Venetian Hotel, in Las Vegas. The Venetian housed the Guggenheim Hermitage museum, which is closing.   ((c) Zesmerelda)
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art  • Las Vegas  • art museum  • Las Vegas Strip  • Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum  • Thomas Krens


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