“a large scale desert artwork”
Renowned Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone’s colorful large-scale, public artwork Seven Magic Mountains is a two-year exhibition located in the desert outside of Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring seven thirty to thirty-five-foot high dayglow totems comprised of painted, locally-sourced boulders. Visible across the desert landscape along Interstate 15, Seven Magic Mountains offers a creative critique of the simulacra of destinations like Las Vegas. According to Rondinone, the location is physically and symbolically mid-way between the natural and the artificial: the natural is expressed by the mountain ranges, desert, and Jean Dry Lake backdrop, and the artificial is expressed by the highway and the constant flow of traffic between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Seven Magic Mountains is produced by the Art Production Fund, New York and Nevada Museum of Art, Reno. Approximately 10 miles south of the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and St. Rose Parkway in Henderson, the installation site is a short distance from Jean Dry Lake where Michael Heizer and Jean Tinquely created legendary land art works in the 1960s. Many of the project’s public programs will take place at ARIA Resort & Casino, and partner locations in Nevada, including the Marjorie Barrick Museum on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
From the website: At the end of 2018, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued a three-year permit extension for the artwork, allowing the installation to remain on view through the end of 2021.
Beautiful to see from afar and up close. Totally worth the stop. On display until may 2018.
Stuning at sunset or pre-sunset. Great parking and not busy at all. I think there may have been 4-6 other people at any given time during my visit.
Highly recommend! Short from to the free parking to the sculptures - perfect for stretching your legs and taking a few photos 👍🏼
This place is awesome - never disappoints. Lots of people there taking instagram pictures. Go see it while it's still up - easy access from the freeway on the way into Vegas
Yup, saw 'em.
My family has always made a special stop here every time we have visited Vegas. A magical and beautiful landmark in the desert, seemingly larger than life, and well worth the visit if you're passing through.
Normally upkept with beautiful, bright colors, our most recent visit in July 2022 left a bit to be desired. As the art installation's permit may come to an end, it would seem as though the folks maintaining it haven't been giving it the attention it truly deserves, and most the reachable parts of the boulders sadly have been defaced in writing. It would appear that all the boulders were faded from the desert sun; a shell of their original magnificence, but still a worthwhile stop, should you be passing through, before it may be gone forever.
So dang cool! Too bad people feel the need to leave their mark on these pieces of art. But it was still pretty cool to see!
As of June, 2022, it is still there. I read in a previous review it was closed so we didn’t bother taking the exit. We were able to see it from the freeway. It looked like it would have been really cool up close though.
Saw them... they are pretty neat
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Seven Magic Mountains
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- Sun - Sat: 12:00 am - 11:59 pm
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