The Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art showcases magnificent works of art within a AAA Five Diamond Award resort setting. Inside you can expect to view the finest examples of painting, sculpture and other impressive work by some of the world’s most influential and renowned artists.

Figuratively Speaking: A Survey of the Human Form
May 1, 2010 - January 9, 2011

Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art (BGFA) is pleased to announce the opening of “Figuratively Speaking: A Survey of the Human Form” May 1. Organized in partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) and the Museum of Fine Arts, Bosto (MFA), “Figuratively Speaking” will present figurative works by such artists as Pierre-August Renoir, Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, Joseph Cornell, Roy Lichtenstein, David Hockney, Judith Shea, Bill Viola, Yoshitomo Nara, Vanessa Beecroft and many others.

This engaging survey will feature more than 30 paintings, photographs and sculpture along with video installations by 26 artists whose traditional and contemporary perspectives on figurative art helped to define the genre in the late 19th, 20th and early 21st centuries.

“For this exhibition we are pleased to share some of the best figurative artworks from the permanent collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, two widely respected institutions with whom we have successfully collaborated in the past," said BGFA Director Tarissa Tiberti. "These pieces will be displayed alongside works from the MGM MIRAGE Fine Art Collection, some of which have never before been displayed in full public view including art by Renoir, Picasso, Edgar Degas and Fernand Leger.”

Different schools of modern and contemporary art fall under the heading of figurative art, from Renoir’s romantic Impressionistic portraits (“The Sweeper”) and Picasso’s distorted Cubist figures (“Woman with Beret”) to Keith Haring’s Pop Art drawings and Chuck Close’s contemporary grid-like paintings. Figurative works of art not only depict a real subject, but also reflect the religious, social, political and mythical beliefs of the times in which it was made.

Hugh M. Davies, The David C. Copley Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego said, “Many of these important works on loan from MCASD will be shown together for the first time, and all demonstrate the breadth and depth of the museum’s collection." Davies continued, "Spanning more than three decades of figurative expression, these selected works - by such notable artists as Roy Lichtenstein, Bill Viola, Keith Haring, Cindy Sherman, Tony Oursler and Barbara Kruger - use the figure in innovative ways, provoking the most varied of interpretations. Cultural values, generational ideals, personal experience, even the most literal and direct of references are conveyed in these figurative works.”

MFA Deputy Director Katie Getchell said, “The human figure is one of the most frequently depicted subjects in art, and through the expressive images highlighted in this survey, we see how modern and contemporary artists celebrate the vitality and individuality of their subjects. We are delighted to collaborate once again with BGFA and share paintings, drawings and photographs from our encyclopedic collection with new audiences.”

Gallery Hours:
Sunday - Thursday: 10:00am - 6:00pm
Friday-Saturday: 10:00am - 7:00pm
Last admission into the Gallery is 30min prior to closing.
Children 12 and under are free and must be accompanied by an adult.