The Las Vegas Art Museum is pleased to announce the opening of the exhibition Las Vegas Collects Contemporary presented by City National Bank. This exhibition features works of contemporary art on loan from Southern Nevada’s most important privately held fine art collections. Artists featured in the show include Jean-Michel Basquiat, Uta Barth, Dan Flavin, Andreas Gursky, Michael Heizer, Damien Hirst, David Hockney, Donald Judd, Jason Martin, Takashi Murakami, Ken Price, David Reed, Gerhard Richter, Ed Ruscha, Venske & Spänle, and Andy Warhol among others.

“This exhibition provides an opportunity to peek inside the outstanding private collections in Las Vegas,” says LVAM Director Libby Lumpkin. “Contemporary art has become the focus of collecting for many of Las Vegas’s most high-profile citizens, who have been very generous to allow LVAM to borrow works of extremely high quality and importance.”

According to Lumpkin, the exhibition provides an overview that reflects the sophistication of Las Vegas collectors, with works by established masters of contemporary art along with examples of edgier pieces by emerging artists.

“The works on view represent only a tiny fraction of the works available in the collections, many of which are too precious or monumental in size to be transported to LVAM,” says Lumpkin. “This exhibition only hints at the scope of Las Vegas collections, but it is an impressive hint.”

Las Vegas Collects Contemporary is presented by City National Bank. City National is a premier private and business bank that serves Nevada through nine branch offices, including five in Las Vegas and one each in North Las Vegas, Reno, Carson City and Minden.

“City National Bank is very pleased we could help the community see this important exhibit of outstanding art assembled here in Las Vegas by some of its most important collectors,” says Russell Goldsmith, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of City National Bank.

In celebration of the exhibition Las Vegas Collects Contemporary, LVAM will host the Las Vegas Collects Contemporary Gala on Saturday, September 27, 2008 at Wynn, Las Vegas. The evening begins at 6:30 pm and continues until 10:00 pm. The Patron Sponsor opportunity is available at for $25,000, tables are available at the $10,000 and $5,000 levels, and individual tickets are priced at $500. For more information on the gala, please contact Stephanie Salamah at 702.360.8000.  

Additional support for the exhibit has been provided by LVAM’s Joyce Mack Exhibitions Fund and James and Michelle Zeiter Exhibitions Fund.