Casinos and the arts may sound like strange bedfellows, but the pairing has a long history. When the Monte Carlo Casino unveiled its ornate opera house, the Salle Garnier, in 1878, the idea was that gambling might bring in the money, but art would give the venture cultural legitimacy. The gamble worked — Monaco became a byword for glamour, and the opera house is still staging world premieres nearly 150 years later.
Now, on Manhattan’s West Side, rival casino bidders are reviving the formula. Silverstein Properties, behind the proposed Avenir complex on 11th Avenue and W41st Street, has filled the fencing around the site with vibrant murals, including those by the duo BoogieRez. The two artists, who hope to show work in the public gallery promised as part of the project, say they know some in Hell’s Kitchen are skeptical.
