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Seven Magic Mountains

Seven Magic Mountains is an art installation in Ivanpah Valley, along the far southern end of Las Vegas Boulevard. It was created by the Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone, but commissioned and financed by the Art Production Fund and the Nevada Museum of Art. It is one of the largest land-based installations in the United States completed in the last forty years. It receives 325,000 visitors annually.

The sculptures are between 30 and 35 ft tall and are inspired by the hoodoos in the Western United States, where the installation is located. The 33 locally sourced boulders are held together by a backbone and are covered in two layers of Day-Glo, which is activated by the sun. As of 2022, the boulders have had to be repainted twice due to weather.  Each boulder weighs between 10 and 25 short tons and is stacked in groups ranging from three to six. The artwork is located near Jean Lake and has a backdrop of the McCullough Range.

 

The project cost $3.5 million and was sponsored by Aria Resort and Casino and International Game Technology.  20% of the budget went into overcoming laws that prevented the installation from being constructed due to it being on 3 acres  of land owned by the Bureau of Land Management. It took three years for the BLM to permit the artwork, with the project ending up being granted a "site" type right-of-way permit for thirty years. Climbing the artwork is prohibited as one may fall. To reduce the artist's liability if someone does do this, NRS 41.517 was passed.

 

The Reno Gazette-Journal estimated that more than two million people have taken photographs at the sculpture for Instagram. Vogue used the installation in a photo shoot in April 2017. The site is commonly vandalized, as it is not staffed, and the frequency of cleanup commonly changes.

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Picture Number: CM1_0009

Date: September 2017

Camera: Nikon D7100

ISO: 200          Shutter Speed: 1/125 sec

F-Stop: f/11     Lens: 140 mm

Picture Number: CM1_8078

Date:    September 2024

Camera:    Nikon D7100

ISO:   110              Shutter Speed:  1/250 sec

F-Stop:  f/8            Lens:    122 mm

CM1_0009.jpeg

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Last updated on 23 November 2024

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