When the Guggenheim came to the Venetian in 2001 there was great care taken to preserve the integrity of the venerable art institution in order to protect the museum's reputation from accusations of "Going Vegas." But things have not gone as planned with the Guggenheim's fortunes here. The first sign of failure was that the huge exhibit space designed by architect Rem Koolhaas closed after one exhibit. That space is now the theatre for the vastly more middlebrow Phantom of the Opera.

 

Of course, that still left the boutique Guggenheim Hermitage (a partnership between the Guggenheim and the State Hermitage Museum in Russia) at the Venetian. Yet, there have been sporadically persistent rumors, always denied, that the Venetian was thinking of closing even the Guggenheim Hermitage. Certainly the museum has had a hard time finding a niche here; for example, a Robert Mapplethorpe exhibit was the most recent attempt to connect with Vegas tourists. I doubt it worked.

 

 

Now, Kristen Peterson reports in the Las Vegas Sun that the Guggenheim, while somehow still involved in programing the exhibits, has laid off many of its Vegas employees. Instead, The Venetian is stepping in to start running the Guggenheim Hermitage. According to Peterson's story "Both Guggenheim and Venetian officials are being tight lipped about what that will mean for the five year old museum." Still, unless you are an art lover, the one quote she gets from a Venetian spokesperson on the topic is priceless. The Venetian's Ron Reese says on the issue of the future operation of the casino's Guggenheim Hermitage: "It will be similar to how we would run our retail and food and beverage operations." Hamburgers or Picasso: it is all the same in Vegas.