Elvis has returned to the Las Vegas Strip — this time as the star of a new gallery exhibition packed with art, memorabilia and stage history. The tribute gives visitors a fresh way to revisit the performer’s long, glittering relationship with the city without having to wait for a time machine or a white jumpsuit.
Animazing Gallery at The Venetian has opened an Elvis Presley exhibit featuring artwork, career artifacts, memorabilia and several guitars Presley played onstage or in his films, according to FOX5 Vegas. The exhibition is scheduled to remain on view through August.
A Gallery Show Built Around Elvis Memorabilia
Animazing describes itself as a longtime gallery specializing in animation, illustration and pop-culture art, with its Las Vegas location based inside the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian. The gallery’s own website also highlights its rock ’n’ roll collection, including signed guitars and artwork connected to music legends.
The exhibit’s advance preview included a Gibson acoustic guitar used in the 1964 film “Viva Las Vegas,” a vintage 1967 Hagstrom Viking I electric guitar hand-painted by artist Nancy Elhallak, and a 1960 Gibson J-50 connected by the gallery to production of Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis,” as previously reported by FOX5 Vegas. The display also features works from artists including Mel Balatbat, David Lloyd Glover, John Douglas, Ronnie Wood and Al Hirschfeld.
Why The Exhibit Opened Now
The timing is a deliberate nod to Las Vegas history. Elvis began his landmark run at the International Hotel on July 31, 1969, and the resort later became the Las Vegas Hilton before eventually becoming Westgate Las Vegas.
The official Elvis Presley site notes that his 1969 engagement included 57 sold-out shows and marked his return to live performances after an extended absence. Westgate’s Elvis history says Presley ultimately performed 636 sold-out shows at the hotel between 1969 and 1976.
The Venetian exhibit is arriving during an especially Elvis-heavy weekend in Las Vegas. Westgate separately scheduled its “1969 LIVE! The King Returns” tribute show, along with additional Elvis-themed programming, for Friday and Saturday at the former International Hotel site, according to Westgate Las Vegas.
Resident artist Mel Balatbat, who contributed work to the exhibit, told FOX5 that Elvis’s music was “a fixture” of his childhood and still brings back memories. That personal connection is part of the show’s appeal: It is not only about collecting rare objects, but also about how Elvis keeps reappearing in the memories of generations who grew up with his voice in the background.
Animazing Gallery is located inside the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian, and the temporary exhibit gives Elvis fans a limited window to see the collection in Las Vegas. For a city that built modern residency culture partly on Presley’s rhinestone-studded shoulders, the King’s latest return feels right on schedule.
