One of the most ambitious land art works to be built in the US in recent years—Seven Magic Mountains by the Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone—will be unveiled tomorrow (11 May) in the desert outside Las Vegas.
The work, located in the south of the city along Interstate 15, comprises seven stacked towers built from locally-sourced limestone boulders. Each stone is painted in a different fluorescent colour.
The non-profit Art Production Fund and the Nevada Museum of Art have co-produced the piece, which will remain in situ for two years. One of the sculptures will eventually go on permanent display in a new entertainment district called The Park on the Las Vegas strip.
Doreen Remen and Yvonne Force Villareal, the co-founders of the Art Production Fund, said in a statement: “Its location on the active Interstate 15 is especially exciting. Approximately 16 million vehicles will pass the work over its two-year installation, making it one of the most visible works in the history of land art.”
The project is backed by numerous sponsors including the retailer Banana Republic, the Aria Resort and Casino and the Friends of Seven Magic Mountains, and a patrons group which includes Nathalie de Gunzburg, the chair of the board of trustees of the Dia Art Foundation.