Guggenheim debut delayed

Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2001 | 11:20 a.m.

Art lovers will have to wait three additional weeks for a pair of world class museums to open at the Venetian resort.

The museums by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation of New York and Russia's State Hermitage Museum will open to the public on Oct. 7, rather than on Sept. 16 as previously reported. The preview and opening events for the two museums will be held on Oct. 4, the museum officials announced today.

"There is no single reason for the date change," Thomas Krens, Guggenheim Foundation director, said in a prepared statement. "Rather, after arduous and careful analysis of the construction and installation paths, and after consultation with all of the construction managers and museum professionals working on this project, we had come to the conclusion that there was a real possibility that we might not be ready if we maintained the Sept. 16 opening date.

"The unique complexity of the Rem Koolhaas building designs, the extraordinary Frank Gehry installation, and the unusual and demanding construction materials, not to mention the logistics of orchestrating two major exhibitions simultaneously, has left little margin for error, and we felt a short delay was the most prudent path."

The 63,700-square-foot Guggenheim Las Vegas and 7,660-square-foot Hermitage Guggenheim Museum are costing about $30 million to build. The larger museum will open with "The Art of the Motorcycle," an exhibit featuring more than 130 motorcycles.

The Hermitage will open with $2 billion in artwork that will be presented as "Masterpieces and Master Collectors: Impressionist and Early Modern Paintings." That exhibit, originally scheduled to run through March 17, 2002, will feature 45 masterpieces from artists such as Picasso, Renior, van Gogh, Cezanne, Chagall, Monet, Matisse and Kandinsky.

"This is an historic initiative for both the Hermitage and the Guggenheim," Hermitage director Michael Piotrovski said. "On many levels it is a much more ambitious project than most people expect. We want everything to be perfect for the opening, and shifting the opening date gives us the assurances we need to reach our objectives."

Adults will be charged $15 apiece for each museum. Student tickets will cost $11 and tickets for children 6 to 12 will be $7. Children under 6 and Guggenheim members will get free admission.

The museums are expected to benefit the Strip resort through increased foot traffic. The Venetian, owned by Sheldon Adelson, is planning to add 1,000 hotel rooms above its parking garage by late 2002, giving the resort slightly more than 4,000 rooms.