The mirror-polished, stainless steel’s gleam is impossible to miss in Encore Boston Harbor’s garden esplanade.
The Popeye sculpture bought by former Wynn Resorts CEO Steve Wynn in 2014 has made it to its intended home five years later. The 6-foot-5, 2,000-pound sculpture was installed earlier this week by the garden esplanade and will remain wrapped in plastic to protect it from dust ahead of Opening Day, said Roger Thomas, executive vice president of design for Wynn Design & Development.
The $28 million purchase raised some eyebrows, especially among critics who dismiss Koons’ art as gaudy or a fad. But company officials say the cartoon sailor is an invaluable part of the Encore Boston Harbor experience. Like at other Wynn Resorts properties, Thomas selected decor and furniture that elicit drama, mystery, delight and joy, among other emotions, what his team calls “evoca-tecture" — and Popeye is a central part of that at the five-star casino and resort along the Mystic River.
“Our guests find themselves in an environment that makes them feel their best selves. Hopefully, we help you feel funnier, more romantic, even more considerate" he said. "When you leave, you realize you’ve had a completely different experience that if you want again, you’ll simply have to return.”
The Popeye character dates back to the late 1920s when he appeared in Elzie Crisler Segar’s daily King Features comic strip “Thimble Theatre," but the sailor has become a larger-than-life symbol of strength and manhood. In an interview with Naomi Campbell, Koons said that’s what inspired him to create the three Popeye sculptures.
"I think I was drawn to Popeye because it makes reference to our paternal generation, like the parents of people of my generation, he said at the time.
Koons’ Popeye sculptures aren’t just a display of masculinity. They tower over most, but the transparent color coating invites people to study their own reflections, as though they were in a fun house’s room of mirrors.
“The person looking at them is actually reflected in the art. I think the person looking at the art becomes a piece of the art while they’re involved at the art,” Thomas said. “I think that’s a wonderful, very contemporary late 20th century notion.”
Wynn had the Everett casino in mind when he bought the Popeye sculpture, but he also had fond childhood memories of the cartoon.
Thomas, an award-winning designer who studied art history at Tufts University, sought decor that would fit well with the New England. The consoles and cabinets were modeled after 19th century New England-style designs. Thomas acquired 18th century mirrors. His team also pulled art from different corners of the world, from the Charles Arnoldi painting by the registration desk to the suzani embroidery from Uzbekistan.
A lot has changed since the 2014 purchase. Encore Boston Harbor cost nearly twice as much to build than originally planned. Wynn resigned amid sexual harassment allegations, the company was fined a historic $35 million fine over its handling of the allegations and CEO Matt Maddox, Wynn’s protege, faced his own set of fines and conditions to open the Everett casino.
Wynn Resorts doesn’t buy hotel art, Thomas said. He travels abroad frequently, exploring art in different parts of the world to bring back to the casino and resort.
“They’re nothing that anyone’s seen at a hotel," he said. “I hope that we’ve surrounded everyone with beauty that they find unique and surprising in a different way than what we find in hotels.”