7 Magic Mountains Photos

While driving from California to Idaho, we saw this fascinating, colorful art installation called "7 Magic Mountains" in the desert.

It consists of 7 stacks of large boulders painted in a variety of bright colors, sitting in the middle of the Nevada desert, about 10 miles from Las Vegas.

The background was perfect for this particular image, (above) as the dark clouds on the desert horizon contrasted violently with the bright, sunny colors of the art piece.

While some people would argue that this is simply 7 stacks of rocks, I saw more here.

Sure, you could look at it quite boorishly as just some painted rocks in the desert, but I was fascinated to see these boulders from a variety of different vantage points all around the installment.

It was interesting to see how that same "stack of rocks" could look so different, depending on the angle and trajectory you were viewing them from.

In some images, you see a brighter set of clouds while in others, you see the boulders at different angles.

In all cases, you are struck by how large these stacks are, especially when you see them contrasted with the tourists who thought it worthwhile to stop and see.

As someone who enjoys colorful artwork, this installation was awe-inspiring to see in person.

I enjoyed seeing the stark contrast of the "artificially colored" boulders against the "naturally colored", drab desert landscape and then against the dark, brooding thunderclouds off in the distance.

There was something very cool about it all.

As we left, we noticed a video crew doing a story on the 7 Magic Mountains.

Much more than just 7 stacks of rocks, to be sure...

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In this video, the artist, Ugo Rondinone explains the background for his art:

This is another great story about the art:

Here's some "official" info about the 7 Magic Mountains:

Renowned Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone’s colorful large-scale, public artwork Seven Magic Mountains is a two-year exhibition located in the desert outside of Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring seven thirty to thirty-five-foot high dayglow totems comprised of painted, locally-sourced boulders.

Visible across the desert landscape along Interstate 15, Seven Magic Mountains offers a creative critique of the simulacra of destinations like Las Vegas. According to Rondinone, the location is physically and symbolically mid-way between the natural and the artificial: the natural is expressed by the mountain ranges, desert, and Jean Dry Lake backdrop, and the artificial is expressed by the highway and the constant flow of traffic between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.