Why Las Vegas is a great city for…art? | Aaron Berger | TEDxLasVegas

Quick Overview

Las Vegas is a great city for art because casino owners, driven by a desire for surprise, delight, and excitement, are increasingly investing millions in high-end art, like Damien Hirst's works, which are accessible to everyone and set a tone of art appreciation within the property, challenging the traditional notion of what an art museum is.

Key Points: Aaron Berger's first visit to Las Vegas in 1989 involved staying at the Tropicana, where rooms cost $9 a night, highlighting the city's evolution. The speaker points out that Las Vegas casinos now invest millions (possibly $10 million or more) in art, citing Damien Hirst's work (like the tulips and the shark pieces) as an example of this high-end investment. An art critic, Dave Hickey, is quoted saying Hirst's work is vulgar in either a museum or a casino setting because its value is purely entertainment, calling Hirst a "seven-figure decorator." The speaker contrasts the exclusivity of traditional art museums (like The Met, MoMA, Tate) with the accessibility of art in Las Vegas, where pieces like Hirst's 'Tulips' or the shark works are available for anyone to see, even in a casino lobby. The speaker argues that the intent behind placing art in casinos—to create an atmosphere of excitement and surprise—is fundamentally different from a museum's intent, making the casino a unique platform for art appreciation. The speaker concludes that the inherent nature of Las Vegas as a 'city of reinvention' allows for this integration of high art into commercial spaces, setting a different tone than traditional institutions. The speaker mentions specific Hirst works, including the 'Tulips' (made of stainless steel) and the shark pieces displayed in formaldehyde tanks, which are now common in various global cities.

Context: Aaron Berger delivers a TEDxLasVegas talk titled "Why Las Vegas is a great city for…art?" exploring the evolving role of art in the Las Vegas casino environment. He contrasts the formal settings of traditional art museums with the accessible, experience-driven display of high-value contemporary art within casinos, using examples from Damien Hirst's work to illustrate his point about how the context of display changes perception and value.