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, Fabergé treasures from the Kremlin and Alexander Calder mobiles.

"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, executive 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."

Currently the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art is showcasing "Warhol Out West." Organized in partnership with The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, this exhibition includes 56 of the artist's works including paintings, sculptures, photographs, screen prints and wallpaper.

"Our exhibit at Bellagio is the only comprehensive Andy Warhol collection in the United States outside of his namesake museum in Pittsburgh and we recognize what a tremendous honor this is for our city," said Tiberti. "Everywhere you look in Las Vegas, you can see the impact of Warhol's creative genius and it is remarkable how his life and art continue to transcend generations."

This unique exhibit features many iconic pieces by Warhol. Visitors will see 12 pieces from the artist's rarely seen "Cowboys and Indians" series, including prints of Geronimo, John Wayne, Gen. George Armstrong Custer, Annie Oakley, President Theodore Roosevelt and more. A towering "Double Elvis" painting is also included in the exhibit as well as iconic examples from Warhol's Campbell's Soup can series.

A series of Polaroids shot by Warhol, and used as part of his artistic process, provide a valuable behind-the-scenes look at how the artist captured the personality of his celebrity friends and clients. Some of Warhol's more unusual works on display include his wallpaper featuring a cow and the interactive "Silver Clouds" room offering a chance to experience a different side of the artist famous for his pop art paintings and celebrity portraits. Of special note are two paintings featuring renowned Santa Fe artist Georgia O'Keeffe. In them, Warhol offers a hauntingly intimate view of O'Keeffe in her '90s.

One of the most influential artists in the visual art movement known as pop art, Warhol based his creative depiction of celebrity, ads, comic books and products in popular culture.  

"We hope visitors to the gallery think about the relationship of the images in front of them with the landscape of Las Vegas, from the kitsch to the fabulous and everything in between," said Eric Shiner, director of The Andy Warhol Museum. "As Las Vegas is key to understanding America, there is no better place than Bellagio for us to share our Andy Warhol artworks. Whether Elvis, Liz, Campbell's Soup or a Brillo Box, Warhol's subjects represent America in all of its many guises."

-- Jennifer Whitehair

Photo credit: Andy Warhol, "Geronimo," 1986, Collection of The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh © 2012.