Ugo Rondinone's 'Seven Magic Mountains' & other colorful sculptures

Ugo Rondinone – Seven Magic Mountains Las Vegas, Nevada, 2016
Photo: Gianfranco Gorgoni/artproductionfund.org

‘Seven Magic Mountains’, 2016

Seven Magic Mountains by Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone sits comfortably in the desert south of Las Vegas in Nevada. The colossal work is made up of seven towering sculptures of stones weighing up to a ton each. The huge limestone boulders are stacked on top of one another. Each tower is made up of three to six stones and each stone has a specific color with each stack standing as high as 9 to 10.5 meters. Seven Magic Mountains is now one of the largest land-based art installations in the United States in the last 40 years.

Video: Ugo Rondinone on ‘Seven Magic Mountains’

5min 12sec

The meaning of the work

Ugo Rondinone is known to be a lover of nature and some of his works revolve around the sun, the moon, and the cosmos. The artwork goes further to emphasize the kind of interest the artist has in natural phenomena and how they reformulate in art and refers to the natural world, existentialism and romanticism all concurrently in a mental trinity that the artist’s works have been known for. According to the artist, Seven Magic Mountains brings out the togetherness and unity between nature and human, natural and artificial, as well as the past and the present.

Why is it relevant?

This work has become like a special art pilgrimage site as it evokes a kind of spirituality that is bound to have spectators engaged and leave them in awe. The location brings about a feeling of stability from the mammoth sizes of the boulders. Seven Magic Mountains is placed strategically such that viewers will be able to view it from different angles and perspectives, and is getting the expected reactions from the public. Whenever people stumble upon it, they smile and bring out their phones to take pictures. It is also making waves on social media as many people are talking about it.

Photos

Ugo Rondinone – Seven Magic Mountains Las Vegas, Nevada, 2016
Photo: Gianfranco Gorgoni/artproductionfund.org

Ugo Rondinone – Seven Magic Mountains Las Vegas, Nevada, 2016 (installation)
Photo: Gianfranco Gorgoni/artproductionfund.org

Location

S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89054
(775) 398-7228 (Nevada Museum of Art)

Open 24h

No admission fee

Parking

Please park in the onsite parking lot. Street parking is discouraged. No public transportation is available to the installation site.

How to get here

From Las Vegas

From I-15 S to Sloan Rd. Leave at exit 25. Turn left (east) to Las Vegas Boulevard. Drive about 7 miles south on Las Vegas Blvd. Seven Magic Mountains will appear on your left (east).

From Los Angeles

Drive north on I-15 to Jean, NV. Leave at exit 12. Turn right (east) on NV-161 toward Las Vegas Blvd. Drive about 5 miles north on Las Vegas Blvd. Seven Magic Mountains Las Vegas will appear on your right (east).