Las Vegas Rome - Bread and Circuses

The cities of Rome and Las Vegas commonly sit at opposite ends of what architecture represents: whereas the former capital of the Roman Empire is perceived as ancient, proper and eternal, Sin City is described as flashy, vulgar and fake. Yet, both find themselves historically and contemporarily at the intersection of power and play.

Released fifty years after Denise Scott Brown and Robert Venturi’s now canonical study "Learning From Las Vegas" (1972), the photographs in this book capture the atmosphere of both cities from the sky to the ground, revealing unexpected similarities that underscore Las Vegas’ extravaganza on the streets of Rome. Iwan Baan’s images contrast and subvert common perceptions of authenticity and artificiality and ultimately question such polar distinctions. In their dialogue, the photographs follow Scott Brown and Venturi’s plea to first look, understand and only then judge.