Behind the Scenes at Wynn – Artist Richard Orlinski

French sculptor Richard Orlinski is known for his monumental works, many of which depict animals. He started this pursuit at four when he began sculpting using clay.

“I was sculpting an elephant. I wanted to be recognized, to be loved,” he says, explaining the reasoning behind his passion from childhood. “That’s how I was giving my art to everybody.”

Orlinski’s connection to animals only grew more profound as his art developed.

“Animals are very close to human beings … [throughout every civilization] there's a connection with animals.” Now, his artwork depicts bears, panthers, gorillas, and more.

The artist says that every creation is a new life.

“When you work on a new project, it's exciting. Creation is like a revival, renewal, being reborn.”

Orlinski compares Formula One to an art form that uses racing and its associated symbolism as its foundation. His collaborative project with Bell Racing, a series of colorful helmets, can be found around Wynn Las Vegas during race week and beyond.

“For many people, helmets represent something very important … to protect. My work is to create emotion … I don't care what the emotion is. I care that something happened—it gives you something,” he says. “You can hate it, you can love it, but you have emotion. And art for artists is to make emotion.”