Seven Magic Mountains, the vibrant collection of sculptures that has become an iconic desert landmark 20 miles south of the Las Vegas Strip along Interstate 15, is expected to relocate. On Tuesday, the Washoe County Board of Commissioners voted 4 to 1 to assist the Nevada Museum of Art in funding the move north, likely to Reno, Washoe County’s largest city.
This art installation, composed of seven 30 to 35-foot tall Day-Glo colored boulders, was created by Swiss-born artist Ugo Rondinone and completed in May 2016. Initially intended as a temporary exhibit with a viewing period through 2018, its popularity led to an extension of its display until the end of 2026. This colorful roadside attraction has since drawn substantial attention, becoming a favored spot for social media photographs.
The sculptures attract approximately 325,000 visitors annually, according to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), particularly due to the interactive experience they offer, allowing visitors to pose with the brightly painted rocks.
However, extending the installation’s display beyond 2026 isn’t feasible. The Nevada Museum of Art’s lease with the BLM is set to expire, and the Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport is scheduled to be constructed on that same land by 2037.
The Washoe County board’s meeting agenda indicated that the anticipated cost of moving the installation would be around $500,000.
According to the installation’s website, Rondinone envisions Seven Magic Mountains as a “creative critique of the simulacra of destinations like Las Vegas.” He describes the current location as “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 by the highway and the constant flow of traffic between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.”
