NAME: The Unknown (Explored, Explained, Exploded) // By Damien Hirst, 1999 // MATERIAL: Glass, painted steel, silicone, monofilament, shark and formaldehyde solution // LOCATION: Unknown Bar

(He)art of Palms
A Sense of Discovery

BY STACEY GUALANDI

Where else can you mix high-rollers with Hirst… wheel-spinners with Warhol…or bet makers with Basquiat? Turns out in an unlikely place: the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.

Who says Sin City lacks culture? Now, all you need to get your art game on is to spend some time exploring what’s become the (he)art of Palms.

Known since its opening in 2001 for spacious rooms, themed suites and innovative vibe, Station Casino owners and avid art collectors Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta bought Palms in 2016—and then promptly brought in renowned British contemporary artist Damien Hirst (a favorite of the brothers) as an official collaborator—with a goal of hooking Palms’ next-gen devotees on an art-infused aesthetic incomparable to anything on (or off) the Strip.

In 2018, the resort revealed a one-of-a-kind, property-wide art program as part of its massive (nearly) $700 million “From Dust to Gold” renovation…and it was Creative Director Tal Cooperman who was called on to curate the contemporary collection.

PICTURED ABOVE: NAME: Wish you were Here // By Olivia Steele & Keegan Gibbs, 2018 // MATERIAL: Neon and photograph // LOCATION: Check-In

“Wish you were Here” (Commissioned) is a visual mashup combining a larger-than-life photo mural and hot pink neon text to create a multi-dimensional and whimsical backdrop for the guests’ arrival experience. The stunning art installation is a collaborations between photographer Keegan Gibbs’ iconic skycap cloud imagery and light artist Olivia Steele’s signature neon messages. The stunning piece creates a moment at check-in for guests to interact with the art, while sharing an image with loved ones. The use of the phrase “Wish You Were Here” is the perfect greeting and invitation to create an instant postcard.

With a background in the Los Angeles graffiti art and fashion scene, Cooperman installed blue chip, street, and up-and-coming artists in the lounges, the high-end restaurants, the penthouse…you name it. Even the women’s restroom at Scotch 80 Prime—where I dined last year with priceless pieces by Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Hirst surrounding me as I ate my salmon—has something to look at. (Not to be missed: Scott Hove’s blinged-out takeover of the center stall!)

According to Cooperman, there were months-long deliberations on who would bring a unique—and Instagrammable—aesthetic to the property. “We wanted to create a true experience for guests here, and thoughtfully tried to juxtapose the blue chip works with emerging graffiti artists,” Cooperman told Observer.

From Olivia Steele’s and Keegan Gibbs’ “Wish You Were Here” pink neon and photo mural at check-in; to Timothy Curtis’ painting inside the cashier’s cage titled, “I Wear My Money on My Face”; to Hirst’s “The Unknown,” a segmented shark installation (the first of its kind!) on the casino floor, Palms surrounds you in what it calls “a world-class collection of some of the most notable and unique art pieces rarely displayed publicly in one setting.” There is so much to see, it’s a sense of seemingly endless discovery that keeps people coming back to explore…but it wasn’t until an official tour that I learned there is an original Richard Prince tucked neatly inside the Camden Lounge! (My personal favorite is Joshua Vides’ social media-friendly “wedding chapel” installation.)

PICTURED ABOVE: NAME: I Wear my Money on my Face // By Timothy Curtis, 2017 // MATERIAL: Acrylic on canvas // LOCATION: Cashier Cage

Timothy Curtis’ (Commissioned) I Wear my Money on my Face hangs in the Cashier’s Cage. This almost twenty-foot painting is a composition of faces that are made out of worldwide currency symbols.

Of course, the one piece that will never go unnoticed: the 60 foot Damien Hirst headless “The Demon with Bowl” sculpture found poolside in the middle of the new KAOS day club. And with the remodel’s most recent roll-out this past March— titled “Unstatus Quo”—visitors can now share an art selfie with either a Murakami or DabsMyla; James Jean or Jason REVOK; and a Basquiat or Banksy…the latter being Las Vegas’ first permanent work by the elusive street artist now hanging inside Greene St. Kitchen.

Cooperman recently took time out from art collecting to describe his casino resort-turned-art gallery gamble, his favorite painting so far, and which artist he hopes to get before he becomes famous.

PICTURED ABOVE: NAME: Demon with Bowl // By Damien Hirst, 2014 // MATERIAL: Bronze // LOCATION: Kaos Pool

The nearly 60-foot sculpture of a headless demon that first appeared in Hirst’s “Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable” exhibition in Venice, Italy, is showcased in the hotel’s new pool.

CHIC COMPASS: How did you get involved with Palms and its one-of-a-kind art program?

TAL COOPERMAN: I was having dinner with Patrick Lewis [in 2016], who works for the Fertitta family, and he was telling me about everything that Station Casinos was about to do with the Palms…about the team that they were assembling and some of the ideas that were floating around. I was about to sign a deal with another Las Vegas company until I got the call to become a part of one of the biggest projects in Vegas history. Originally, I was brought in specifically to work on marketing for the nightclub. A couple of months into the project, after being invited to a few meetings with Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, I was asked to help curate art for the entire property.

CHIC: Describe what makes up the collection?

TAL: I had presented a bunch of artists to the [Fertittas] who were making some noise in the street art world [REVOK, Eric Haze]. Frank and Lorenzo have tons of art that they own and I was able to go through those with them and help pick some of the pieces that are displayed throughout the property now [Hirst, Basquiat, Warhol, Dustin Yellin]. In addition to all of that, we also had some artists create art specifically for the property [Benedict Radcliffe’s wire-frame Lamborghini “Twin Turbo” Contact sculpture] and pieces that we purchased [KAWS].

PICTURED ABOVE: NAME: Tonight // By DabsMyla, 2018 // LOCATION: Vetri Cucina

DabsMyla, the Australian husband and wife duo, have debuted their newest mural in Las Vegas. For the project, the famed street artists took over a secret stairway and covered the multi-floored passageway with their colorful and whimsical pop-art paintings. Guests heading from Vetri Cucina to APEX Social Club will be surprised as they enter the seemingly nondescript stairway into an imaginative pop-art landscape.

CHIC: How does the art collection fit into the overall marketing strategy and rebranding of Palms?

TAL: In my opinion, the art is what the property is all about. Yes, we have amazing restaurants, cool bars and an incredible brand new nightclub and day club, but we have put so much thought into every angle of the property and where the art goes and how it fits in. From the moment that you pull up to valet and see the ‘Palms’ letters by Adam Parker Smith, you can’t go more than a few feet before you see another art piece. The goal was to make people want to take pictures and share it on their social media and I think we accomplished that with pieces like the “Unknown Bar” designed by Damien Hirst and the “Wish You Were Here” neon installation by Keegan Gibbs and Olivia Steele. Our rooms also have incredible art in them and even all of the in-room amenities are designed by DabsMyla. Everything was thought out to be a part of our collection.

CHIC: How did you decide where to feature the artist’s work?

TAL: Literally building out mini-models of the restaurants and rooms and seeing how it would all look. We would have ideas of certain artists and print out existing art and mount it on the models or build it out on the computer.

PICTURED ABOVE: NAME: Speaks for itself // By Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1982 // MATERIAL: Triptych: acrylic on oil stick on press board // LOCATION: Scotch 80 Prime

Speaks for itself will also be housed in the “Basquiat Room.” Each of the artists five eclectic pieces will bring free-spirit style to the fine dining experience. Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist. Basquiat first achieved fame as part of SAMO, an informal graffiti duo who wrote enigmatic epigrams in the cultural hotbed of the Lower East Side of Manhattan during the late 1970s where the hip hop, punk, and street art movements had coalesced.

CHIC: Are the pieces more or less permanent or will they be revolving?

TAL: We are always switching out pieces. We just took out some Andy Warhol pieces in Scotch 80 and replaced them with a new Basquiat.

CHIC: What is your favorite piece and why?

TAL: My favorite artist has always been Jean-Michel Basquiat. Lorenzo actually just lent a new one to the hotel and it’s probably now my favorite painting on property. It’s the “Sugar Ray Robinson” in the Basquiat private dining room at Scotch 80 Prime.

CHIC: How was the The Demon at KAOS transported and assembled? (Verrrry carefully ha!)

TAL: The installation took over a month and was carefully assembled in pieces by the Damien Hirst team.

CHIC: What is the market value of the art now at Palms?

TAL: We don’t comment on the value of the art. For an estimate you can look on public records and see what pieces similar to these go for at auction. It’s a world-class collection that includes some of the most notable and unique art pieces rarely displayed publicly in one setting.

CHIC: What plans do you have for the future?

TAL: I would love to have scheduled art tours for the property and talk about doing some kind of art show on property. If I were to come across a local artist who stood out to me, I would definitely bring that to the table.

PICTURED ABOVE: NAME: Smiley Coppers Panel I // By Banksy, 2002 // LOCATION: Greene St. Kitchen

Greene St. Kitchen is now home to Las Vegas’ first permanent work by elusive street artist, Banksy. The spray painted depiction of two heavily armed police officers with neon yellow smiley faces hangs behind the DJ booth and the art-packed restaurant.

CHIC: Is there one piece of art on your bucket list that you would love to have?

TAL: I feel like I’ve seen anything and everything that I could have asked for with this project. Art is an amazing thing, and I’ve loved it and collected it since I was a young kid. Artists pop out every week! Literally, every week there is a new artist that people are talking about. So if you’re asking me RIGHT NOW which artist I would love to have a piece from, it would be Matt McCormick. I think he has a crazy ride coming and is next in line to be the most talked about.