Velvet paintings saved this collector's life. Now, he's letting them go
You've never seen this many velvet paintings together — because Rick Smith owned them all
Rick Smith was at a very low point in his life when he spotted a velvet painting of Elvis Presley and was immediately drawn to it. He was ill, and something in his medication was causing him to see colours more vibrantly. Smith's encounter with the Presley painting began 17 years of collecting velvet works — and he ended up with the largest collection of velvet paintings in North America.
This spring, Smith decided it was time to let some of the works go, perhaps a sign of coming out of the other side of a difficult personal chapter. So Glenbow Museum in Calgary created "The Amazing Velvet Experience," a party — velour and bellbottom outfits encouraged — where each attendee would go home with a piece from Rick's treasury.
Historical sidenote: the first velvet paintings were made by Russian Orthodox priests and were originally brought to western Europe's attention by Marco Polo. The golden age of velvet painting, though, was the 1960s, when they exploded in popularity and showed up on your uncle's wall.
"The Amazing Velvet Experience" was curated by Sarah Todd at Glenbow Museum. (You won't find much velvet there now, but you should go anyway.)
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