Michal Godard Art Show
Living in Las Vegas for a few years, I was introduced to the art of Michael Godard. He's a very unique artist and I love his work as it embraces much of the stereotypical view of Vegas life. He now has a gallery at the Planet Hollywood Miracle Mile Shops and he happened to be doing a public show while we were in town. We had passed the gallery the day before while they were setting up for a private party that night and got an invite to the public show the next day. I am kicking myself for never buying an original piece years ago when I got turned on to his work because now, originals (if you can manage to get one) do not go for less than $75,000. He does a lot of giclees now which start around $1000 for the smaller ones and go up from there.
We checked out the gallery while they set up for the private show and got quite a history on his current pieces. He has a series of pieces that involve card and pool sharks and the pool shark keg tap handle instantly caught my eye. I have a large game room at home, complete with pool table and kegerator. Needless to say, alongside all my Disney collecting, I've started with tap handles - can't serve beer without the corresponding tap handle! :-) Anyways, this pool shark tap handle has an olive base (fitting with Godard's theme) and you unscrew it to actually use on a tap. I decided I had to have this and since he was going to be signing the next day, we decided to come back and so I could buy it then.
Since we had been hanging out with Will (w_clemmons) earlier in the day, I invited him to the show too. Unfortunately, it turns out Will does not share the same passion for his art that I do. He cannot seem to see what I find so fascinating about a bunch of olives and grapes on a canvas! I say, "to each his own!". In Will's defense, he did hang for the entire show and even was kind enough to carry my bags while I was roaming the store protecting my tap handle from the wall to wall fans.
Godard started off the show by doing a custom drawing to be auctioned to raise money for the Sharon Osborne Cancer Foundation. The money was not for Sharon directly but for the foundation she started for other cancer survivors.
After standing in line for a couple hours (hard to complain since they had catered food and free alcohol while you wait), we finally got up to meet Godard.
Although it may sound strange, I highly recommend checking out the gallery and his art if you are in Vegas. He's very talented (despite what Will may think) and he's a very popular artist right now. You can also see some of his work in a bar called Ollie's in the SW, off Decatur and Blue Diamond. I am including a review of the gallery - definitely worth a look if you like art!!!
His imagination is incredible and his work truly embodies the stereotypical Sin City lifestyle. He's edgy and he defies the common perception of what fine art should be. His pieces have depth, a story, and often hidden elements and/or meanings in them.
I fell in love with his work several years ago when I saw one of his martini olive pieces and I've been a fan ever since. If you are interested in learning more about him, the gallery also sells a book entitled, "Don't Drink and Draw" which showcases Godard's works and provides a detailed biography of his life. You can find a lot of his works (including the book) online from various galleries as well.
Several interesting facts about Godard:
-Although almost all his works feature alcohol, he does not drink
-He used to be a caricature artist at a theme park (believe it was Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, CA)
If you wander into the gallery, make sure to have a salesperson show you the pieces and explain the history behind them as you will learn so much. And if you decide to buy something, they offer excellent shipping rates, which saves on sales tax! The sales tax on one of the more expensive pieces could obviously amount to quite a bit!
I know some people are hesitant to walk in galleries because they can be high pressure, I never encountered that here. It definitely draws from the tourist crowd walking through Planet Hollywood - all the sales people were very friendly and super knowledgeable as they know Godard personally.
