Libby Lumpkin thinks that Las Vegas could be the future hub of contemporary art in the world. Lumpkin believes that some of the 39 million people that come to Las Vegas might also start appreciating the burgeoning contemporary art scene in Las Vegas. Lumpkin is famous in the Las Vegas art scene because she helped Steve Wynn open up the first fine art gallery at the Bellagio in 1998. At the time it was a shocking idea to bring world class art to Las Vegas. Lumpkin was an assistant professor of Art History at UNLV and her husband, David Hickey, was an art critic. Lumpkin has recently returned to Las Vegas to run the International Institute of Modern Letter's New Design Institute and to be volunteer director of the Las Vegas Art Museum, which is devoted to contemporary art.

She told the reporter for KNPR's cultural guide that there is a tremendous amount of contemporary art in Las Vegas and took the writer on a short tour of some of the Las Vegas Strip's treasurers.

She started at Mandalay Bay's The Hotel where they had breakfast. As one walks into The Hotel, behind the reception desk is a massive drip painting by Arturo Herrera. Next, in The Hotel's private entryway near the private valet, are several large Richard Serra prints. Serra is famous for his cotemporary sculptures created out of rolled steel which are on permanent display at the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain.

In the VIP check-in another famous contemporary sculptor, Donald Judd, has created a two-dimensional print. In the hallway near the Mandalay Bay sport book are several black and white photographs by Valerie Beline. In The Hotel's registration and bar area is a photo collage by Robert Rauschenberg and near the elevator is a collaboration by Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns called "Land's End." Jasper Johns is prominent in the contemporary art world for his efforts to move contemporary art from modern to post modern.

Near "Land End" is Richard Long's "60 minute Walk", which is a contemporary artist's view of a landscape painted with words and phrases. The Hotel's contemporary art is curated by the Godt-Cleary projects which is a fine art consulting firm located in downtown Las Vegas.

The next stop was the Bellagio with its fine arts museum, but it also has some outstanding contemporary art. Two more Rauschenbergs, which were commissioned by Steve Wynn in 1999, hang on either side of the registration deck in the hotel lobby. Above the registration area is the strikingly beautiful multi-colored glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly called "Fiori di Como." It is the signature piece of art in Bellagio.

The Wynn hotel displays a number of contemporary pieces such as the Miriam Shapiros hanging in the hotel lobby, a Viola Frey ceramic vase in the Terrace Garden Caf and Las Vegas-based artist Tim Bavington's neon-lit stripe painting that Lumpkin says is the "best painting you can see in the public areas." Across the street at Neiman Marcus at the Fashion Show Mall there is a display of a series of contemporary art by a number of artists. The Rio Hotel has in its hallway to the convention area a collection of modern and contemporary American works by local and internationally renowned artists. Contemporary art works well in Las Vegas because it is a modern city that is constantly reinventing itself.

Las Vegas has several museums that feature contemporary art. One is the Contemporary Showcase which is an artist-run organization. The admission is free but you need to call 382-3886. There is also the Las Vegas Art Museum, the Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery, the Community College of Southern Nevada Fine Arts Gallery and the West Sahara Library.

John Laub is the president of the CEO-CFO Group

1. "The New Hub of the Contemporary Art World?" Amy Schmidt. Nevada Public Radio's Southern Nevada Cultural Guide 2005-2006.