THE NEIL LEIFER GALLERY AT CAESARS PALACE REVEALS CELEBRATED OLYMPIC COLLECTION
Source: Caesars Palace
Aug 12, 2008 - 8:26:16 AM
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The Neil Leifer Gallery at Caesars Palace is spotlighting a one-of-a-kind collection with Leifer's most notable images of Olympic stars in history. Located on the casino level of the Augustus Tower, the Neil Leifer Gallery is the only permanent art gallery highlighting the renowned photographer's legendary images of sports and culture. This distinguished Olympic set is presented in time to honor this year's summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
This collection embraces Leifer's remarkable moments in Olympic history, including images for Time Magazine that chronicle his 18-month journey across the world leading up to the 1984 Olympics, photographing individual Olympic hopefuls in distinctive landmarks of their home countries. During this time, Leifer photographed the captivating shots of Japanese Olympic gymnast Koji Gushiken balancing on rings at Mount Fuji, Japan, Chinese Olympic gymnast Zhou Qiurui gracefully soaring on the Great Wall of China and African distance runners Kipkoech and Charles Cheruiyot running with giraffes in Kenya, all artfully displayed in the gallery.
Other acclaimed Olympic photos include The Black Power Salute with Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the1968 Olympics in Mexico City, depicting one of the most controversial and notable protests in the history of the Olympics. That same year, after winning the gold medal for heavyweight boxing, George Foreman walked around the ring holding the American flag. Leifer's photos also capture the U.S. hockey team's victory at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, NY, Ukrainian pole vaulter Sergei Bubka winning the gold medal at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, U.S. gold medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee throwing a javelin at the 1992 Olympics in Los Angeles, CA and the famous Dream Team photo, with U.S. basketball stars Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson in the1992 Olympics, a photo that has adorned the walls and lockers of basketball fans worldwide.
In addition to the Olympic collection, the gallery displays dozens of Leifer's most prominent sports photos, including Muhammad Ali's victory over Sonny Liston, the Secretariat winning the Kentucky Derby, famed football personalities Vince Lombardi, Joe Namath and Bear Bryant, and President John Kennedy with Vice President Lyndon Johnson after the president's first pitch at baseball's opening day in 1961.
The Neil Leifer Gallery at Caesars Palace is open seven days weekly, from 9am-9pm. Admission is free of charge.
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