The Guggenheim Las Vegas was conceived for the presentation of special exhibitions, ranging from contemporary painting and sculpture, to architecture and design, and multi-media art.

The inaugural exhibition of the Guggenheim Las Vegas is The Art of the Motorcycle, which was first presented at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 1998. With more than 130 motorcycles on display, the exhibition chronicles the most compelling moments in motorcycle design and technology - from its humble beginnings as a steam-powered vehicle to the sophisticated state of motorcycle production today. The exhibition both explores and celebrates the motorcycle as a quintessential symbol of the Modern age. The installation, designed by architect Frank Gehry, responds both to the scale of Koolhaas's Guggenheim Las Vegas and to the materials of the motorcycles themselves. Gehry's building-within-a-building features enormous, curved polished stainless steel walls, towering chain-link curtains, glass floors and partitions, large-scale graphics, and a sophisticated interpretation of the curators' narrative.

This exhibition is made possible by BMW Motorcycles and proudly sponsored by Delta Air Lines.

Museum Architecture: The main gallery in the 63,700-square-foot building is approximately 210-feet-long, 160-feet-wide, and 70-feet-high. The largest gallery features a 70-foot by 70-foot pivoting door, as well as a functioning industrial bridge crane - hovering close to the ceiling and suspended from tracks at either side of the space - with a lifting capacity of 35 tons. The main floor of the large gallery is breached by a 210-foot by 30-foot trench, which can either be covered with 21 five-ton trench covers to create a single level, or the trench covers can be selectively removed to reveal the galleries on the lower level. The lower level is accessed either by escalators or via a 30-foot-wide lime green processional staircase. A skylight in the ceiling - 125-feet by 70-feet - features motorized trap covers, located on the roof, which can either filter out all natural light or be fully open to the sky. In a gesture to the Las Vegas aesthetic, Koolhaas has covered the underside of the skylight with a large-scale facsimile of the central scene from Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling. A media wall that is 60-feet-high and 120-feet-wide comprises the northern wall of the main gallery.

Architect: Rem Koolhaas / Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), Rotterdam, Netherlands

Museum Hours: 9:30 am - 8:30 pm, daily

Admission: $15.00 adults, $11 students, $7 children 6-12, free under 6

NV residents with ID may purchase tickets for $12
Access to both Museums may be purchased for $25.00

Tel: 702 414-2440
Fax: 702 414-2442
Toll free: (1) 866-GUGG TIX
Website: www.guggenheimlasvegas.org