Goldwell Open Air Museum, Rhyolite Nevada

 
The Goldwell Open Air Museum, located near the Rhyolite ghost town in Nevada, exists to present artistic exploration in and of the Amarosa Desert.  The first piece, The Last Supper by Belgian artiste Albert Szukalski, appeared in 1984. Since then additional pieces have appeared, and disappeared on the landscape.  There is a small visitors center that is open from time to time on the property.  The facility operates on donations.  Visit at your leisure as it is available 24/7.



Albert Szukalski was inspired by Da Vinci’s Last Supper.  Draping live models, posed as in the painting, with fabric soaked in wet plaster.  Once the plaster set it left a rigid shroud behind.  The piece was weather proofed by covering them with fiberglass.  The piece is stunning against the desert backdrop.



Szukalski added several more pieces using the same ghost concept.

Ghost Rider

Serving Ghost

Over the years other artists have added their inspirations.

Irina and Stansislav Shminke found asylum in the United States, after fleeing political dangers in Russia.  Their piece, Diptown, found inspiration from Burning Man and is based on a Russian legend of a partially buried town taken over by children as a place to play.


 Dr. Hugo Heyeman combined classical Greek sculpture and the pixelated image of the 21st century in the work The Pink Lady.

 
















Tribute to Shorty Harris, by Fred Bervoets celebrates the legendary Rhyolite prospector.  One would expect a burro as a trusty companion, but in Goldwell you get a penguin!



 Cierra Pedro’s 1000 in 1 Cranes evokes the traditional Japanese gift of 1,000 small paper cranes that are strung together.  The size of the metal crane is roughly equal to the total size of 1,000 paper cranes.

Even the small Visitor Center stands as artwork.








 

 


 

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