Las Vegas, Wednesday, November 05, 2003

One of the Finest American Collections of Paintings by Claude Monet Goes on View at Bellagio in Las Vegas January 30, 2004

Las Vegas (November 5, 2003) –The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) and the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art announced plans to open one of the most ambitious exhibitions ever to come to Las Vegas since the opening of Bellagio in 1998. Claude Monet: Masterworks from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, opening January 30, 2004, will feature many of the paintings by Monet found in the MFA”s collection– one of the largest collections of works by the celebrated Impressionist master outside France. In anticipation of a significant increase in attendance, the gallery will also be extending its hours to be open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

The 21 masterworks, some of Monet”s most famous paintings, include Camille Monet and a Child in the Artist”s Garden in Argenteuil (1875) and Grainstack (1891). Also on view will be two works from Monet”s series of paintings of Rouen Cathedral - Rouen Cathedral Façade and Tour d”Albane (Morning effect) (1894) and Rouen Cathedral, Façade (1894). Two masterpieces from the artist”s famous garden at Giverny will also be included - Water Lilies (1905) and The Water Lily Pond (1900), which features Monet”s signature Japanese footbridge, one of the most recognizable images in the history of Western Art.

Claude Monet: Masterworks from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the largest loan of Monet paintings by the MFA to a single institution in more than a decade, includes works from nearly every period of the artist”s life and represents a new partnership between the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, one of America”s oldest and most revered art institutions. “Just as Monet and the Impressionists redefined the ways in which we see the world, we seek new ways to bring thought-provoking and beautiful exhibitions to a growing audience,” remarked Malcolm Rogers, Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Andrea Bundonis, President, of Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, remarked,“ This exhibition epitomizes our history of presenting exhibitions in collaboration with internationally renowned public institutions and private collections. After shows such as Fabergé: Treasures from the Kremlin (2002-2003) and Andy Warhol: The Celebrity Portraits (2003), our audience has come to expect exhibitions of a certain caliber and we are very fortunate to create this alliance with the MFA.”

“We are delighted and honored to host this landmark Monet exhibition, which will further solidify Bellagio”s reputation as a home for world-class art,” Robert Baldwin, President and CEO of Mirage Resorts said. “We know that all visitors to Las Vegas will be enchanted by the rare opportunity to view this collection of masterpieces.”

Boston has a long history of collecting nineteenth-century French paintings, particularly those by the French master Claude Monet. The door that Monet and the Impressionists opened for the development of art in the twentieth century was significant, as was the vision of those Boston collectors who admired these works and collected them so early on. Some of the paintings in the MFA collection were already in Boston before others in the exhibition were painted, well before the Impressionists had begun to enjoy widespread popularity. In fact, the artist”s first non-commercial exhibition was held in Boston in 1892, and his first Museum exhibition opened at the MFA in 1911. In time, and in exemplary Boston tradition, many of those early collectors or their heirs had the foresight to give their collections to the Museum.

Claude Monet: Masterworks from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston will be on view January 30 through September 13, 2004 and will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets for this special exhibition will be available starting December 1, 2003 and are $15 per person and $12 for students, Nevada residents, and seniors over 65. Tickets and information are available at or by calling (702) 693-7871 or (877) 957-9777 or on our website www.bgfa.biz. To further facilitate visitors to the gallery, tickets will now be available for the first time online by logging onto www.ticketweb.com. Annual membership to the gallery, The Blue Card, is also available for $45. Annual member benefits include unlimited admission for two, discounts for members” guests, and discounts in the gallery store.

The Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art has also collaborated with the MFA to produce a limited-edition exhibition catalogue and several commemorative items. These, along with the MFA”s best-selling line of Monet merchandise, will be available for purchase in the Gallery Store, also open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

For Images and Information Contact:
Dave Kirvin/Jessica Berlin, Kirvin Doak
Communications:
(702) 737-3100 or
dkirvin@kirvindoak.com / jberlin@kirvindoak.com

Matthew Hileman, Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art:
(702) 693-7851 or matthew@bgfa.biz

Kelly Gifford, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston:
(617) 369-3540 or kgifford@mfa.org