Steve Wynn's $ 28 Million Dollar Sailor Man blends lovely in his perfect world of dreams casino\ hotel lobby
Location: Wynn Resort Las Vegas
Artist: Jeff Koons
Type: Sculpture
Dimensions: It is 6 feet, 5 inches tall
The sculpture weighs 2,000 lbs
Steve Wynn acquired "Popeye" by Jeff Koons in a Sotheby's auction for $28,165,000 in 2014.
When I first saw Jeff Koons' Popeye at Wynn Las Vegas, I understood why Steve Wynn wanted it there.
Title: Popeye Artist: Jeff Koons Location: Wynn Resort Las Vegas photo by: Nadia Bouzid
It isn't simply an expensive sculpture placed in a luxury hotel. It feels like it belongs. The polished stainless steel reflects everything around it, becoming part of the space rather than sitting apart from it. It's playful, almost childlike, yet at the same time it has an undeniable presence.
It also gives me a sense of ease. There's something optimistic about it. The kind of feeling that fits naturally inside a resort built around fantasy, entertainment, and escape.
In 2014, Steve Wynn purchased Popeye at Sotheby's for $28,165,000. The sculpture, completed between 2009 and 2011, is one of only three editions, plus one artist's proof. Standing approximately six and a half feet tall and weighing nearly 2,000 pounds, it has become one of the most recognizable works inside Wynn Las Vegas.
Jeff Koons chose Popeye for reasons that go beyond nostalgia. The sailor has long represented resilience, confidence, and the ability to overcome adversity. Long before Koons, artists like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein had already embraced Popeye as a symbol of American popular culture. Koons continued that conversation, transforming the familiar cartoon character into a monumental stainless steel sculpture that blurs the line between pop culture and fine art.
This Popeye is number 3 of 3 + an artist's proof. One belongs to Steve Wynn. Another has been owned by hedge fund manager Steve Cohen. The third was owned by art dealer Larry Gagosian and later became part of a well publicized legal dispute involving billionaire Ronald Perelman.
What I find interesting is not only the sculpture itself, but where it lives.
Luxury hotels have increasingly become places where guests encounter museum quality art outside traditional galleries. At Wynn, the sculpture feels less like decoration and more like part of the experience. Before guests reach the restaurants, casinos, or boutiques, they are already surrounded by carefully chosen works that reinforce the atmosphere Steve Wynn set out to create.
Whether someone knows Jeff Koons or simply recognizes Popeye from childhood almost doesn't matter. The sculpture works on both levels. It invites curiosity while also creating a memorable first impression.
For me, that's what makes it successful. Not because it sold for $28 million. Because I still remember exactly how it made me feel.
POPEYE, by Jeff Koons B.1955
THE OTHER KOONS POPEYE OWNERS
Steve Cohen | Larry Gagosian | Steve Wynn
Larry Gagosian's "Popeye" was stuck in the middle of a law suit with billionaire Ronald Perelman. No records show who kept the Sailor Man.
“Perelman sued Gagosian and his gallery in September 2012, accusing them of concealing material information and manipulating art prices. Gagosian sued Perelman the same day, accusing him of reneging on an agreement to buy two pieces of art for more than $23 million and offering less money and other works in exchange.”
STEVE COHEN | Photo Courtesy of Forbes.com
LARY GAGOSIAN | Photo Courtesy of Gagosian.com
STEVE WYNN | Photo Courtesy of Forbes.com
Popeye by Jeff Koons
Popeye by Jeff Koons
Popeye by Jeff Koons
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