Columnist Kate Maddox: Wynn taking up collection

Kate Maddox

Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2001 | 8:19 a.m.

As he begins to lay out plans for Le Reve, Las Vegas visionary Steve Wynn is again making room for his love of fine art. On Nov. 13 Wynn will open "The Wynn Collection" in a special temporary gallery space at Desert Inn, according to the L.A. Times.

The mini-museum will feature Wynn's most-prized works of art, including the risque Picasso for which the hotel magnate's new property is named. Wynn purchased the painting in June for an undisclosed amount from an anonymous owner who bought it at auction in 1997 for $44 million.

Business nuisances aside, Wynn was thoughtful about his artwork, telling the Times, "Nobody owns this stuff. You just have custody.

"You can't say 'mine' like you do your house or land," he philosophized. "But I get to hold them." And that's what makes you different from us, Mr. Wynn.

In all, 11 masterworks will be displayed at the Desert Inn gallery, most of which were shown at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art during Wynn's tenure. The Bellagio Gallery closed Sept. 23 and will reopen after the first of the year. Wynn's Le Reve is slated to open in 2004.

Gordon Biersch's annual Oktoberfest festivities are usually geared toward locals as a chance to hang out with friends, drink beer and revel in the cool autumn air. Um, OK, maybe not that last one, but it was to everyone's happy surprise that rocker Sammy Hagar showed up Saturday night to help entertain the partygoers.

Hagar, whose Cabo Wabo brand of tequila was an event sponsor, took the stage with KOMP 92.3-FM's Sweet Al's American Band. To the delight of the fest-ers, Hagar jammed to "Mas Tequila," "Rock Candy" and Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll." This year more than 10,000 people turned out to celebrate Oktoberfest at the brewpub Friday and Saturday.

Las Vegans shouldn't worry too much about losing our favorite sports hero and children's charity crusader. Andre Agassi was vague at best when talking about his plans to finally make the move to Tiburon, Calif., where he purchased a $23 million mansion last year. In fact, he sounded like he hasn't even considered leaving Las Vegas.

"Well, when you talk about being second generation and having your training center, offices, foundation, friends, family, home and everything here, those are pretty deep roots, so I can't imagine those roots ever being compromised at all," Agassi said Saturday before his Grand Slam for Children benefit at MGM Grand. "But with that being said, I have no idea how life will unfold. So we'll see."

Just because she is 15 years old and already a bona fide diva, it doesn't mean Charlotte Church can't enjoy Las Vegas. Church, in town to perform at the Grand Slam for Children, sounded just like a little kid when she gushed about her love of the Strip. "It's brilliant, just brilliant," Church said. "It's my third time here and I love it. I love going to Gameworks to play all the games. And last night I even got to see 'O.' It was really, really ... brilliant!"

Perhaps the most touching personal account heard this weekend about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks came from singing legend Stevie Wonder. Wonder, also in town for the Agassi charity benefit, had this to say about his reaction to the tragedy: "For me to have been in the studio and then wake up (to it) ... I heard the sounds that you all saw and they were as vivid to me as your seeing them. And it broke my heart just as deeply as you who did see those things."

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