HUGE MURALS ADD TO THE LOCAL COLOR

Street art has come a long way in a few short decades. Once considered mere graffiti illicitly painted on public walls, street art now adorns high-end galleries and homes, fetching awe-inspiring auction prices and spawning related merchandise.

Now it’s come home in grand fashion, with the exterior of Las Vegas’ iconic Plaza Hotel & Casino decorated with two 21-story murals by celebrated street artists Shepard Fairey and D*Face.

“Our guests love the murals. They have become instant photo ops and offer yet another reason to visit the Plaza.”

– JOHNATHAN JOSSEL CEO, Plaza Hotel & Casino

“Great cities have great art, and as a proud member of the downtown Las Vegas community, the Plaza wanted to further expand the art installations available for public viewing downtown,” said Jonathan Jossel, CEO of the Plaza Hotel & Casino. “Our guests love the murals. … They have become instant photo ops and offer yet another reason to visit the Plaza and downtown Las Vegas.”

In conjunction with the Life Is Beautiful Festival and global art curator Just kids, the Plaza Hotel & Casino unveiled the two giant works on its North Tower in February as the latest addition to downtown Vegas’ ever-expanding outdoor art gallery.

Fairey is best known for his “Obey” campaign (and spin-off apparel line), President Obama “Hope” poster, and “We the People” work. His signature style is instantly recognizable in “Cultivate Harmony,” which can be seen on the Plaza from multiple downtown vantage points.

“‘Cultivate Harmony’ is meant to have decorative appeal,” said Fairey, “as well as remind people that peace and harmony with each other and the planet itself are the only way to maintain what sustains us.”

The Plaza is the tallest building Fairey has painted in Vegas, with the city’s downtown also home to his 2016 “Corporate Welfare” mural.

D*Face is recognized for a pop-art style that he brings to his colorful “Behind Closed Doors” Plaza mural, which features graphic shapes and one of his growing family of comic book characters.

“I get to stay in many varied hotels in many cities. As such I’ve become fascinated with the comings and goings in these dwellings — the people, the stories, the lives that have been before,” D*Face said. “I wanted to play and use the architecture to present a mural to the public that is both a reference to and, I hope, a homage to hotel life.”

D*Face’s arresting work overlooks the Plaza’s renovated rooftop pool and recreation deck, which enjoys $25,000 worth of furnishings upgrades and a $300,000 transformation of five direct deck-access hotel suites for 2017.