9 Restaurants With Hidden Art In Las Vegas

Studio Munge brings art to Las Vegas dining

The city, already a destination known for its lavish taste, has been an enthusiastic art collector throughout the years. There are currently nine restaurants on The Las Vegas Strip home to undiscovered fine art. These magnificent works of art will draw out the wonder and the unforgettable feeling of being in the presence of some of the world’s most accredited work.

1. WORLD’S LARGEST CHAINSAW ART

ARIA’s high-end Mexican restaurant Javier’s features a 3,000-pound masterpiece. It illustrates the mythical “Mayan Story of Creation” spanning 25 feet. It was handcrafted by artist J. Chester Armstrong who carved the entire wall with chainsaws. It is the largest carved wall of its kind in the world.

2. ORIGINAL PICASSOS

Picasso was created by “James Beard Award-winning” Chef Julian Serrano. The contemporary French restaurant inside the Bellagio features an extensive collection of original Picasso artwork. Guests in the dining room area can find two paintings that were hidden from Nazis during World War II.

3. AMERICAN EXPRESSIONISTS

Expressionist Robert De Niro Sr. (actor Robert De Niro’s father) is just one of the artists whose works of art can be seen at Carbone inside ARIA Resort & Casino. Another prominent artist that adorns the Italian-American restaurant is Julian Schnabel. He inspired the owners of Carbone to tweak one of their recipes. The chefs liked it so much they kept the recipe and renamed the dish “Spaghetti Julian.”

4. SURREALIST STREET ART

Chef Shawn McClain’s eclectic gastropub Libertine Social at Mandalay Bay celebrates the free-spirited, adventurous nature of Americans with a large graffiti mural on the restaurant’s exterior. Created by world-renowned graffiti artist Alexis Diaz, it draws inspiration from nature, animals, and surrealism.

5. MOSAIC MAP

At the entrance of Lago by Julian Serrano inside the Bellagio, a colossal 1,500-square-foot mosaic map of Milanwelcomes guests as they enter the restaurant. It is inspired by Italian Futurism, the sweeping artistic cultural movement of early 20th century Italy. The abstract map is comprised of colored back-lit glass panels that employ a color gradient for contrast separated by bright metal inserts to represent Milan’s roadways.

6. MURANO-GLASS CHANDELIER

A glass chandelier composed of 15,000 hand-blown glass spheres made in Murano, Italy serves as the focal point in the center of the dining room at Rivea inside Delano Las Vegas. The enchanting light fixtures are arranged to ignite visions of waterdrops pearling down.

7. HAND-PAINTED MURALS

Inside Sage at ARIA, the hand-painted murals by Paulin Paris offer reinterpretations of famous early modernist paintings. Manet’s “The Lunch on the Grass” graces the walls around the mirrors in the bar. Renoir’s “Luncheon of the Boating Party” overlooks the main dining room comprised of muted gold pillars and tiled walls to create a seductive and comfortable ambiance.

8. THE 3D MORIMOTO SCULPTURE

Upon entering Morimoto at MGM Grand, guests are greeted by a 3D sculpture of Morimoto himself made entirely of ropes by Brazilian sculptor Mozart Guerra. The art piece pays homage to the eccentric chef by wrapping several layers of rope creating a realistic yet whimsical figure that compliments the restaurant’s contemporary design.

9. FRENCH STATUES

Three Michelin-starred Joël Robuchon inside MGM Grand is comprised of five lavish spaces inspired by the glamour of 1930s Paris. It includes a beautifully landscaped garden presided over by the Auguste Rodin replica “The Age of Bronze.”