Las Vegas art dealer and Downtown arts scene figure Jack Solomon passed away August 18 at the age of 83, leaving behind his mark in Arts District history—namely his role in the Boulder Plaza sculpture park, his tenure on the Las Vegas Arts Commission and his S2 Art business, formerly at the corner of Main Street and Charleston Boulevard.

Additionally, Solomon, who along with his wife, Carolyn, moved S2 Art Group headquarters to Las Vegas in 2001, owned parcels of property in the Arts District. During the high-rise craze that swept over the valley, Solomon had his own plans for turning some of that property into galleries, a museum and living spaces known as Vegas Moderne.

“When my dad and Carolyn moved there, they had such enormous enthusiasm,” says Alisa Solomon, daughter of Jack. “My dad couldn’t wait to take us around and show us Las Vegas, not just the Strip, but also the Arts District. He was so excited about it. He was excited about the growth and expansion of Las Vegas and he wanted to be a part of it.

“He really loved the mix of high culture, glitz and populism.”

The Solomons had longtime experience in the art world, selling limited-edition works and prints for decades. They moved to Las Vegas from Chicago where they’d been running S2 Art since 1996. Prior to that, they owned and operated Circle Fine Art Corporation. Their galleries sold works by Tom Everhart, Waldemar Swierzy, Stanley Mouse, Victor Vassarely, Todd Goldman and more. Often, artists would come to sign limited edition prints of the works.

Solomon would also come to be known for his public battles with Arts Factory owner Wes Myles over the direction of Boulder Plaza Sculpture Park and he was one of the first to speak out against First Friday when it transformed from a more intimate art crawl into a street festival.

Forthright, passionate and outspoken, Solomon had his friends and enemies and will be remembered by many in Las Vegas.

"He was a good guy. He was a tough guy. He was controversial, but he was never absolute,” says Patrick Duffy, art collector and board president of the Las Vegas Art Museum. “From my experience he was always open to hearing the other side.”

“Whether his position was about his business or his position was about community, it was still about art,” adds Duffy, who served with Solomon on the Las Vegas Arts Commission. “It was art centric. He was a businessman. But profit’s not a dirty word. Gallerists need profit. They need to know the community is behind them.

"All of us entered Solomon's life at a time that was a sunset time in his life. All the topics we wanted to share with him, he had already gone through."

Former Mayor Oscar Goodman, who played a role in drawing Solomon to Las Vegas, says Solomon was truly dedicated to art in this community. "We're going to miss his commitment, his enthusiasm and his energy," Goodman says. "He really believed that Las Vegas deserved to have an artistic core."