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Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art (BGFA) is celebrating spring’s flourishing beauty with its newest exhibition, In Bloom, open through September 10. Showcasing nationally and internationally recognized artists, this collection of 30 works explores themes of rejuvenation, humanity and collective change.
Curated for Bellagio, In Bloom highlights various approaches to art, from still life and landscape paintings to kinetic and large-scale sculptures. In collaboration with Tia Collection from Santa Fe, NM, this exhibition assembles art from the 20th century American Southwest with globally recognized contemporary artworks, crafted to ignite conversations around nature and change.
In harmony with the stunning floral displays of Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens, the gallery’s entrance transports guests to the visual world of In Bloom through an immersive corridor of lush floral and playful neon. Encouraging guests to “live life in full bloom,” a glowing neon sign is a choice location for a photograph within the flourishing passageway. Beyond the corridor, brightly painted walls of magenta, orange and yellow energize the intimate two-room gallery, offering a vivid canvas for the mixture of works experienced throughout the space.
In this exhibition, abstract works by long established painter Regina Bogat are paired with works by mid-career sculptor Karla Black, inviting the viewer to draw comparisons of the three pieces with shared palettes. The soft pillow of wool and delicate sculpted flowers of Black’s From Found (2017) and That Time (2020) create a contrast to the rhythmic structure of painted wood dowls and excited brush strokes that compose Bogat’s Garden of the Last Empress (1990). Throughout her extensive career, Bogat continues to represent strong women in her art, using this painting to celebrate the power of China’s Empress Dowager Cixi in the 47 years she reigned supreme.
Moving from abstraction to figurative and symbolic works, Martine Gutierrez’s three photographic self-portraits from her comprehensive work Indigenous Woman (2018) confront ideas of globalism, identity and femininity through recreations of herself as Tyra Bank’s Eve Doll and Indigenous Mesoamerican deities, Chin and Xochipilli. In her portrait Queer Rage, Imagine Life-Size, and I’m Tyra (2018), Gutierrez’s outfit is made of items from major fashion labels that borrow from Indigenous traditions and aesthetics, a commentary on appropriation.
Just as visually layered with symbolism, Yinka Shonibare CBE’s large-scale Bling Painting (2013) is comprised of 27 round discs on a golden backdrop. Miniature representations of decadence, such as stilettos, luxury cars, handbags and fighter planes, flower from African batik fabric centers as an exploration of the global economy.
Painting with multiple layers of glaze washes, James Lavadour builds transparent tonal striations of mountainsides in Sunflower (1999) to mimic that of the geological forms he studies. Growing up in the Blue Mountains on the Umatilla Reservation of Northwest Oregon, Lavadour’s work is deeply rooted in the landscapes of Oregon, reflecting his connection to the area.
One of the earliest works in the exhibition, Ralph Meyers’ Early Spring, N.M. (1922), depicts a spring landscape, deftly capturing the contrasting colors of a desert awakening through a reverence of the dramatic New Mexican vista he grew to love. Together, these works challenge conventional understandings of seasonal change, giving space for new narratives to bloom.
“In Bloom connects our shared experience of seasonal change and rebirth to artworks that either address ideas of transformation directly, subversively or abstractly,” Demecina Beehn, Director Art & Culture for MGM Resorts, said. “As guests enter the gallery through a floral corridor, In Bloom pays homage to Bellagio’s seasonal tradition, offering a celebration of beauty, captivating landscapes and an experience of a vibrant array of works and artists that are uniquely showcased together in BGFA. With this exhibition, we ask our audience to consider their perspective around the new growth that comes after a cold winter.”
In Bloom showcases a diverse range of artworks that reflect MGM Resorts’ commitment to presenting works by underrepresented artists. The full list of artists featured in this exhibition include Earl Biss, Karla Black, Regina Bogat, Nick Cave, Dan Colen, Salvador Dalí, Lois Dodd, Jiří Georg Dokoupil, Nicolai Fechin, Martine Gutierrez, Shawn Huckins, Alex Katz, Rachel Kneebone, Tamara Kvesitadze, James Lavadour, Robert Mapplethorpe, Ralph Meyers, B.J.O. Nordfeldt, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Miron Schmückle, Yinka Shonibare CBE, David Simpson, Judy Tuwaletstiwa, Ai Weiwei and Terry Winters.
In Bloom is on display daily at Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art through September 10 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Last admissions are sold 30 minutes prior to closing time.
Tickets are $20 for adults; $17 for Nevada residents, seniors 65 and older, students, teachers and military with a valid ID. Children 5 and younger are free. Complimentary audio guides are available online or on a hand-held device in English, Spanish and Mandarin.
For additional information, call (702) 693-7871 or (877) 957-9777 or visit the BGFA website.
About Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art
Located at the heart of Bellagio Resort & Casino, Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art is Las Vegas’ premier exhibition space. Since opening in 1998, the gallery has presented exhibitions of artworks and objects drawn from internationally acclaimed museums and private collections, including Ase: Afro Frequencies; Yayoi Kusama; Primal Water: An Exhibition of Contemporary Japanese Art; Samurai: Armor from the Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection; Town and Country: From Degas to Picasso; Yousuf Karsh: Icons of the 20th Century; Picasso: Creatures and Creativity; Fabergé Revealed; and Warhol Out West.
About Tia Collection
Founded in 2007, Tia Collection is a global art collection based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with a mission to support artists and museum institutions by acquiring and loaning works of art. Tia aims to foster dialogue, stewardship, and scholarship of art through its lending program, partner exhibitions, and publications.
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