Seven Magic Mountains to be Moved from the Las Vegas Desert

Seven Magic Mountains – the colorful art installation towering over Ivanpah Valley – is leaving Las Vegas. The Washoe County Board of Commissioners voted overwhelmingly (4 to 1) to help the Nevada Museum of Art move the neon-painted limestone totems north. The artwork could be moved to a location in Washoe County, possibly Reno, but it has yet to be set in stone.

When it launched in 2016, Seven Magic Mountains was initially intended to decorate the desert south of Las Vegas for two years. However, its popularity led to a much longer residence that expires at the end of 2026.

An Expected Move

The colorful stacked boulders, designed by Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone, cannot extend its run beyond 2026. According to the Bureau of Land Management, the sculpture must move and make way for the Southern Nevada Supplement Airport, which is scheduled to open in 2037.

Conflicting Responses to the Move

The Washoe County Board of Commissioners voted to support the relocation and installation of Seven Magic Mountains with $500,000 from $3.2 million allocated to the American Rescue Plan Act funds. Vice Chair Jeanne Herman was the only dissenting vote.

While he voted to favor the fund allocation, Commissioner Mike Clark took issue with several items on the agenda. He argued that $500,000 was a lot of money to spend on art, even though he supports the arts.

Claire Munoz, deputy director of the Nevada Museum of Art and vice president of museum advancement, explained that the funds would only partly support the transportation and installation of the sculpture. “It’s become a visual icon of Nevada,” she stated, adding that the artist wanted to explore opportunities to keep the artwork in Nevada due to the popularity and attention it draws to the state.

A Tourist Magnet

According to the Bureau of Land Management, which manages the land where Seven Magic Mountains resides, the art installation attracts close to 325,000 visitors annually. This is mainly because the bureau encourages them to interact with the sculptures for catchy social media posts. The art piece was featured in a Vogue Magazine photoshoot, and celebrities like Beyonce and BTS have taken photos at the site.

On the downside, vandalism and trash have become issues at the site. The rocks at the bottom of each stack are often plastered with stickers and graffiti. In 2022, nearby residents took it upon themselves to clean up the area before the Nevada Museum of Art started funding maintenance at the site.