We need your help!
Las Vegan Kathleen Bell has asked for our help in finding out information about this mural. It was acquired by her father, a prominent Las Vegan, Charles Bell, but she is trying to find out more info. It is about 3.5' x 6'. It looks like it was done in the early 1970s when many of the Hollywood stars featured in the mural were undergoing a career renaissance.
It is believed that this is part of a bigger mural and that it hung behind the registration desk of a Las Vegas Strip Hotel.
If you recognize it or have any information about the creator of this mural and/or why he was commissioned please let us know!
I just received an email from Kathleen Bell with some more sketchy info:Folklore has it that an Art Director or Sketch Artist, someone of that
ilk came to Las Vegas in the (50's - 60's?) gambled, couldn't pay the
large debt in full. Rather than being escorted to the desert, this
person was allowed to paint this piece and it hung in the (unknown)
Casino's coffee shop. I am unable to find a signature. There may be
another piece somewhere that has a signature, or perhaps the artist did
not want it known.
Many unanswered questions. I am trying to ascertain
the veracity of the folklore associated with the chiaroscuro with
respect to the identity of the artist, the year it was painted, the
location and exactly where it hung and for how long, (casino & location
in the casino), who commissioned said piece, as well as the particular
format and initial ownership. Another curiousity, why was he allowed
to paint this instead of being escorted to the desert, a sweetheart
deal for sure.
LasVegasLynn