Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art

The Bellagio hotel boasts some of Las Vegas' biggest artistic masterpieces. The hotel lobby's ceiling is adorned with a Dale Chihuly sculpture, commissioned exclusively for Bellagio. The piece, called Fiori di Como, is made of 2,000 colorful hand-blown glass flowers. The Picasso restaurant inside the Bellagio not only offers gourmet cuisine, but also surrounds diners with an extensive collection of original Picasso artwork.

But by far the largest display of art in the hotel can be found in the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art. The gallery presents world-class exhibitions of art and objects drawn from internationally known museums and private collections. Past exhibitions have included Monet masterworks, Andy Warhol's celebrity portraits, Faberge treasures from the Kremlin and Alexander Calder mobiles.

Through Jan. 6, 2013, BFGA presents "Claude Monet: Impressions of Light." Organized in partnership with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), this showcase features 20 pieces by Claude Monet, the founder of French Impressionist painting. Monet's works are accompanied by eight additional canvases by his predecessors and contemporaries. These include Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Camille Pissarro and Eugene Louis Boudin. It was from Monet’s collaboration with these painters (along with his own explorations of the French countryside), that his signature style emerged.

All of these works are drawn from the MFA, which holds one of the largest collections of paintings by Claude Monet outside of Paris. 

Monet is famous for breaking the mold by starting his own style. His work wasn't detailed and perfect like his predecessors. Rather, he sketched the beautiful imperfections of nature. 

One piece sure to catch your eye is "Morning on the Seine, near Giverny." Since Monet lived near the river, he spent a lot of time painting here. According to author Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet rose at 3:30 a.m. every day so he could set up his easel by the river bank to catch the perfect lighting. He executed it perfectly. Incorporating dark tones and lavender hues in his paintings, this piece is simply alluring. 

While Monet was often up at the crack of dawn, he also captured the beauty of the sunset as well, especially in his piece, "Grainstack (Sunset)." While the image itself doesn't look clear to the naked eye, you can't seem to take your eyes off of it. The blur and "smudge" technique he used only tempts you to stare at the picture even longer. 

“We really encourage people of all different levels to come and view the gallery, whether you are beginner, intermediate, or advanced level on your knowledge,” said Tarissa Tiberti, director of Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art.

Whether you look at art frequently or never gave it much thought, add some time in your trip to check it out. You really don’t have to be an expert.

“Sometimes they feel like they need to know about art, or they don’t understand it — they feel intimidated,” she said. “[But] in the Vegas scene, there’s so much work to be seen that’s not intimidating. I encourage people to go look at as much stuff as they can. You start to understand things."

-- Staff Report

Photo credit: Claude Monet, "Grainstack (Sunset)," 1891. Oil on canvas. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Juliana Cheney Edwards Collection.