# Picasso and Steve Wynn on the roof **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 6, 2014, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picasso-and-steve-wynn-on-the-roof/690228 "2014-06-06T21:45:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Don\_Simus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@Don\_Simus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Simus)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picasso-and-steve-wynn-on-the-roof/690228/1 "2014-06-06T21:45:51Z")
Today I watched a BBC documentary on world’s most expensive paintings. Near the top of the list was Picasso’s ‘Le Rêve’ which was owned at the time by casino magnate Steve Wynn. To introduce him to the public BBC had shown Wynn standing on the edge of the roof of his hotel in Las Vegas ( [STEVE WYNN INTRODUCES HIS NEW HOTEL,From The roof! - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKnaypXbuQg) ). That clip made a lot of noise on the internet with people discussing whether this was Steve himself and whether he used safety harness. I have a lot of similar pictures of myself (for example, on this one I am standing on the hanging rock in Yosemite [http://reverent.org/Pictures/glacier\_point\_staying.jpg](http://reverent.org/Pictures/glacier_point_staying.jpg) ). None of them caused any resonance on the internet. Perhaps people can accuse me of boasting and say that it is really nothing. This may well be. But in such case Wynn’s performance is also nothing. Can’t be otherwise. Then we conclude that the internet resonance was caused by Wynn doing nothing special. Now since the owner of Picasso’s painting got famous for nothing special the same could be true of the painting itself. Indeed in another thread we have discussed how people can’t tell masterpieces of modern art from my doodles ( [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=705883](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=705883) ). So there is nothing special of modern art masterpieces. However there still may be something special about Wynn’s stunt. The thing that it was done by someone who appreciates modern art. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picasso-and-steve-wynn-on-the-roof/690228/2 "2014-06-06T21:52:29Z")
Wynn has been going blind for years (and may have been nearly blind at the time of the stunt). That might have increased the skepticism about whether he himself was standing in the dangerous position. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Simus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@Don\_Simus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Simus)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picasso-and-steve-wynn-on-the-roof/690228/3 "2014-06-06T22:20:05Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Wynn has been going blind for years (and may have been nearly blind at the time of the stunt). That might have increased the skepticism about whether he himself was standing in the dangerous position. The articles that I have seen (this, for example, [Steve Wynn – Up On The Roof at ENCORE – Yes, Thats Really Him! – Best Gay Cities](http://bestgaycities.com/2010/04/24/steve-wynn-up-on-the-roof-at-encore-yes-thats-really-him.aspx) ) did not mention blindness. But, since you mentioned it, could you please reflect upon the possibility that Wynn’s blindness was a factor in purchasing Picasso? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picasso-and-steve-wynn-on-the-roof/690228/4 "2014-06-07T01:11:27Z")
It’s not a factor - he has huge money and likes spending it on art. He put his elbow through a $100million+ painting because he was too close to it. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picasso-and-steve-wynn-on-the-roof/690228/5 "2014-06-07T01:24:21Z")
Yes, WordMan has it right. (And even people with perfectly good eyesight are capable of liking the work of Picasso. :p) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picasso-and-steve-wynn-on-the-roof/690228/6 "2014-06-07T02:51:49Z")
Help me out here - what exactly is the **point** of the OP? Picasso is nothing special? Steve Wynn is a dick? What? ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Simus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@Don\_Simus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Simus)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picasso-and-steve-wynn-on-the-roof/690228/7 "2014-06-07T06:48:05Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Help me out here - what exactly is the **point** of the OP? Picasso is nothing special? Steve Wynn is a dick? What? Here is what your buddies say about Steve Wynn > [@](#): > > Often it’s the question on the tip of every guest’s tongue from the moment he or she checks in, asked of bellmen and bartenders, front-desk clerks and dining reservationists: “Was Steve really up there?” > > The answer—whether you’re speaking of Wynn or Encore, it should be noted—is an unequivocal yes. Steve Wynn did indeed stand, and then later sit, atop the roof of each of his resorts for the filming of their respective commercials. No stuntmen, no stand-ins, no computer-generated trickery was needed or requested; And what I am hearing from you? Should not people get equal praise for equal accomplishments? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picasso-and-steve-wynn-on-the-roof/690228/8 "2014-06-07T13:38:36Z")
**silenus** - don’t even try. It’s not worth engaging. I don’t know why I posted the first time other than to share my trivia bit about the elbow through the painting. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picasso-and-steve-wynn-on-the-roof/690228/9 "2014-06-07T16:25:44Z")
OK, sounds like a good idea. The thread caught my eye, since we had dinner with Steve last September. Nice guy. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picasso-and-steve-wynn-on-the-roof/690228/10 "2014-06-07T16:41:59Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > **silenus** - don’t even try. It’s not worth engaging. I don’t know why I posted the first time other than to share my trivia bit about the elbow through the painting. If you put an elbow through a scribble, would it be just as remarkable? ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Simus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@Don\_Simus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Simus)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picasso-and-steve-wynn-on-the-roof/690228/11 "2014-06-07T17:29:36Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > (And even people with perfectly good eyesight are capable of liking the work of Picasso. :p) Yes. However one day, while doing some boring computer programming, as a diversion, I drew a picture in Microsoft Word and sent it to a friend in Belgium. He replied that his co-workers asked whether it is Picasso or Matisse. > [@Sherrerd](#): > > Wynn has been going blind for years (and may have been nearly blind at the time of the stunt). That might have increased the skepticism about whether he himself was standing in the dangerous position. And if they have seen a picture of another modern art lover (for example, noble lord Saatchi) on the roof they would not be skeptical? The footage of Jack Nicholson’s “skydive” was definitely filmed in vertical wind tunnel. > [@WordMan](#): > > It’s not a factor How do you know? > [@WordMan](#): > > - he has huge money and likes spending it on art. The art which one can’t tell from a work of a bored scientist. And his heroic stunt on the roof was really nothing special. Perhaps, his money is also not an evidence of genius? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picasso-and-steve-wynn-on-the-roof/690228/12 "2014-06-07T17:37:04Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > OK, sounds like a good idea. The thread caught my eye, since we had dinner with Steve last September. Nice guy. That sounds interesting - love to hear about it. **Maserschmidt** - \ ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picasso-and-steve-wynn-on-the-roof/690228/13 "2014-06-07T18:51:05Z")
> [@Don\_Simus](#): > > Perhaps, his money is also not an evidence of genius? No, his money is _very much_ evidence of his genius. Steve Wynn _invented_ the megaresort when he opened the Mirage. He refined it when he opened Bellagio. He perfected it when he opened Wynn/Encore. **Wordman** - It wasn’t anything special. The wife and he are old friends. Nah, even I can’t tell that big a whopper. What really happened was the wife and I were having dinner at Sinatra at Encore, which is one of our favorite restaurants. Steve’s too, and he happened to be dining there on the patio while we were there. Only 10 feet or so away (and shielded by a large pane of glass and quite a few flunkies.) Even with the Boss in the place, the service and food were still exemplary. After he and his party left, the manager came by our table, found out we eat there every anniversary, and presented us with a CD of Sinatra songs selected by Wynn and given to “his special guests.” So the “Official Story” is we had dinner with Steve and he gave us a present for our anniversary. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ashley\_Pomeroy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c68b51/32.png) [@Ashley\_Pomeroy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashley_Pomeroy)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picasso-and-steve-wynn-on-the-roof/690228/14 "2014-06-07T19:33:48Z")
This is going to go the way of “_Juvenile delinquent taught at a university_”, isn’t it? Lots of confused fumbling from the OP until it either peters to a halt or gets locked. It’s as if the OP is trying to scientifically prove _with geometric logic_ that… what? Black and white are actually grey? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picasso-and-steve-wynn-on-the-roof/690228/15 "2014-06-07T20:02:31Z")
> [@Ashley\_Pomeroy](#): > > This is going to go the way of “_Juvenile delinquent taught at a university_”, isn’t it? Lots of confused fumbling from the OP until it either peters to a halt or gets locked. It’s as if the OP is trying to scientifically prove _with geometric logic_ that… what? Black and white are actually grey? Which is why I said “don’t engage” - totally not worth it. Contradiction is not an argument, and repeated lecturing is not a discussion. **silenus** - cool. Gotta love good Sinatra!! ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Simus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@Don\_Simus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Simus)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picasso-and-steve-wynn-on-the-roof/690228/16 "2014-06-07T20:56:59Z")
> [@Ashley\_Pomeroy](#): > > This is going to go the way of “_Juvenile delinquent taught at a university_”, isn’t it? Lots of confused fumbling from the OP until it either peters to a halt or gets locked. It’s as if the OP is trying to scientifically prove _with geometric logic_ that… what? Black and white are actually grey? If you are looking for confused fumbling read this article Wynn’s daredevil stunt an Encore encore [http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/blogs/luxe-life/2008/oct/09/wynns-daredevil-stunt-encore-encore/](http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/blogs/luxe-life/2008/oct/09/wynns-daredevil-stunt-encore-encore/) > [@](#): > > Steve was fitted out with safety straps -– unseen under his suit jacket – and balanced on the new Encore roof. If he were indeed a daredevil he would not need any safety straps. Now please explain using you immaculate logic why my doing the same thing without any safety straps is somehow blacker? Another example of fumbling was demonstrated by Wynn himself > **[Steve Wynn Lets Loose on Obama](https://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2012/10/10/steve_wynn_lets_loose_on_obama/)** > > RUSH: Steve Wynn on Tuesday appeared on a political program in Nevada called Ralston Reports. The host was Jon Ralston. Wynn is livid. You know what’s happening? A bunch of people are speaking out against Obama — his economics, his plan, his... when he accused Obama in doing only redistribution of wealth and not creating anything. Who is accusing? What is he doing in his casinos other then wealth redistribution? ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picasso-and-steve-wynn-on-the-roof/690228/17 "2014-06-07T21:07:16Z")
Not being familiar with the OP, this thread is screaming over my head. Just don’t get it… ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picasso-and-steve-wynn-on-the-roof/690228/18 "2014-06-07T21:13:16Z")
> [@White SIFL](#): > > Not being familiar with the OP, this thread is screaming over my head. Just don’t get it… Actually, it sounds like you do. If you choose to click on the SDMB thread in the OP you’ll get a sense of the favored approach. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2014, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picasso-and-steve-wynn-on-the-roof/690228/19 "2014-06-07T22:27:23Z")
> [@White SIFL](#): > > Not being familiar with the OP, this thread is screaming over my head. Just don’t get it… Rather than writing the paragraphs it would take to explain it, I recommend you do the “search on threads started by” function. That should help you get the picture. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Simus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@Don\_Simus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Simus)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2014, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picasso-and-steve-wynn-on-the-roof/690228/20 "2014-06-08T00:52:01Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > No, his money is _very much_ evidence of his genius. Steve Wynn _invented_ the megaresort when he opened the Mirage. He refined it when he opened Bellagio. He perfected it when he opened Wynn/Encore. But many people had called him a daredevil and it turned out that he hid a safety strap under his suite. A natural suspicion is that he might have hid something under his suite while playing the role of a genius as well. What did he invent? A word? There haven’t been big resorts before? > [@silenus](#): > > What really happened was the wife and I were having dinner at Sinatra at Encore, which is one of our favorite restaurants. Steve’s too, and he happened to be dining there on the patio while we were there. Only 10 feet or so away (and shielded by a large pane of glass and quite a few flunkies.) So this is how you learned that he is a nice guy: > [@silenus](#): > > we had dinner with Steve last September. Nice guy. ? I don’t see how one could make an inference of the character of the person on such occasion. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picasso-and-steve-wynn-on-the-roof/690228.md?page=2)