Date: November 5, 2024, 08:02h.
Last updated on: November 5, 2024, 01:58h.
In 2009, Jeff Koons — renowned for his reflective sculptures portraying balloon dogs and toy trains — commenced the construction of three 6-foot-5 Popeye statues made from a literal ton of mirror-polished steel. Over a span of two years, the pop artist, along with his team, painstakingly finished the statues.
In 2014, one of the statues was sold at a Sotheby’s auction to Las Vegas mogul Steve Wynn for $28 million. (Other statues were acquired by art gallery magnate Larry Gagosian and billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen.)
Wynn placed his statue in the Wynn Las Vegas Esplanade, ensuring it was visible to all patrons entering and exiting the Wynn Theater.
Biannual cleaning sessions were arranged by Wynn, costing $15,000 per specialist each time, along with travel expenses. Moreover, the statue was constantly guarded by two security personnel, possibly to discourage vandalism rather than theft considering its hefty weight of 2,000 lbs.
Reportedly, in 2015, a rival art collector offered Wynn $60 million for the statue, but he declined the $32 million profit, as per late Las Vegas blogger Robin Leach.
Pop Eye
Popeye, a cultural icon since his creation in 1929, evolved into a Pop art symbol when Warhol started featuring him in paintings.
“I was intuitively drawn to the Popeye image,” expressed Koons in 2014. “I aimed to engage with art history, Pop Art, and technology, while also exploring the concept of acceptance.”
Critics often criticized Koons’ art as kitschy and derivative of Andy Warhol, but Wynn admired Popeye’s “playful and whimsical nature.”
Wynn displayed a strong affinity towards most of Koons’ sculptures due to their investment value.
In November 2013, Koons’ “Balloon Dog (Orange)” set a record as the most expensive work sold by a living artist, fetching $58.4 million at Christie’s. This record was surpassed in May 2019 by another Koons piece, “Rabbit,” which sold for $91 million at Christie’s.
In 2012, Wynn purchased another Koons piece, “Tulips,” for $33.7 million at auction. Initially displayed at the Wynn from 2013 to 2016, it was later relocated to Wynn Palace in Macau before being returned to Las Vegas in October 2019.
Popeye Sails Away
Popeye stood prominently in Las Vegas until June 2019, when he was relocated from the city a year after Wynn’s departure.
The statue found a new home at Encore Boston (then known as Encore Boston Harbor), where the president mentioned that Wynn always intended for it to reside permanently there.
“He adds a great touch of the waterfront,” remarked Robert DeSalvio. “Where else but by the water for a carefree sailor like him?”
However, Popeye’s tenure in Boston was brief. Around the onset of COVID, he mysteriously disappeared. Some employees hinted at temporary storage, while others suggested a private sale.
The latter theory appears more plausible, given the financial challenges faced by casino companies during the pandemic, the statue’s association with Wynn, and the seeming permanency of Popeye’s vanishing act.
“Lost Vegas” is an intermittent series by Casino.org unearthing forgotten tales from Las Vegas’ past. Click here to peruse other stories in this collection. Have a Vegas anecdote lost to history? Reach out to [email protected].