Liberace Museum Collection facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Liberace Museum

Shuttle and museum exterior (2009)
Established	April 15, 1979 (1979-04-15)
Dissolved	October 17, 2010 (2010-10-17)
Location	1775 E Tropicana Ave Paradise, Nevada
Founder	Liberace
Owner	Liberace Foundation for the Creative and Performing Arts

The Liberace Museum Collection holds many amazing items that belonged to the famous American entertainer and pianist, Wladziu Valentino Liberace. He was better known simply as Liberace. This special collection includes his dazzling stage costumes, fancy cars, sparkling jewelry, and beautifully decorated pianos. It also features awards he received for his generous acts of giving back to the community.

This collection was first shown at the original Liberace Museum in Paradise, Nevada. After the museum closed, the Liberace Foundation for the Creative and Performing Arts moved the main collection of his outfits to Thriller Villa. This was once the Las Vegas home of pop superstar Michael Jackson. Liberace's cars and other cool items are now displayed at the Liberace Garage in Las Vegas. In 2020, the Liberace Garage grew much larger. It now stores the entire Liberace Museum Collection and has more space for exhibits.

The Story of Liberace's Collection

A sign for the Liberace Plaza and Museum (2003)

The Liberace Foundation for Creative and Performing Arts started in 1976. Liberace gave his entire collection and $4 million to this foundation. He hoped the foundation would help young musicians start their careers, just as he had been helped. The foundation bought a whole shopping area, which was later called the Liberace Plaza. This plaza included both the museum and a restaurant called Tivoli Gardens, which Liberace himself designed.

Liberace opened the Liberace Museum on April 15, 1979, in Paradise, Nevada. At first, it cost $3.50 to get in. His brother, George, became the director, and later George's wife, Dora, took over. The museum had several buildings. They showed off Liberace's unique costumes, pianos, cars, jewelry, and other treasures. At its most popular, the museum welcomed 450,000 visitors each year. It was the third most-visited place in Nevada, after the Las Vegas Strip and Hoover Dam.

The museum got bigger in 1988, tripling its size. It expanded into office, library, and apartment spaces in the plaza. The collection was spread across three buildings. The main building held most of the pianos and cars. The annex showed Liberace's recreated bedroom, jewelry, and his famous capes and costumes. Many of these were designed by Michael Travis. The library contained his music, personal records, and a tribute to his family.

In 1993, the foundation started the Liberace "Play-A-Like" Competition. This event celebrated Liberace's birthday. Competitors had to show his fun spirit and entertainment skills through their music and costumes. The competition was held at the museum. In 2006, it became the Liberace Piano Competition. Young musicians could play either a traditional piano or Liberace's rhinestone-covered Baldwin grand piano. By 2008, the competition grew too big for the museum. The final rounds were held at a local church.

By 1995, 18 pianos were on display. These included very old and important instruments. Some were played by famous composers like Frédéric Chopin, Robert Schumann, and George Gershwin. Liberace's own rhinestone-decorated Baldwin grand piano was also there. He first played this piano at his sold-out concerts in Radio City Music Hall in 1986. Admission fees had gone up a little to $6.50 for adults.

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  Liberace Museum, Las Vegas (2003)

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  Neon signs for the Liberace Museum and Tivoli Gardens restaurant.

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  The "Wall of Music" outside the museum (around 2000s)

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  Inside the museum annex with a mirrored Baldwin piano (2007)

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  Liberace's amazing costumes (2007)

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  The rhinestone Baldwin piano and a candelabra, by Carol Highsmith

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  A mirrored upright piano (2009)

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  A sign from the museum at the Neon Museum boneyard (2019)

All the money from the museum helped the Liberace Foundation. It gave out over $6 million in scholarships to more than 2,700 college students. In 2000, the Foundation borrowed money to update the plaza and museum. This renovation added 6,000 square feet to the museum. It made space for traveling exhibits, bringing the total size to 21,000 square feet. A new glass entrance, neon signs, a cafe, and a Walk of Honors were also added. Famous entertainers Siegfried and Roy hosted the grand re-opening in 2002.

Over time, fewer people visited the museum. By 2002, attendance had dropped to 100,000 visitors a year. By October 2010, only 36,000 people had visited that year. Because of this, it became harder for the Foundation to keep the museum running. In January 2010, the museum announced it would move. However, the Liberace Foundation later decided to close the museum. On October 17, 2010, the Liberace Museum closed its doors. The Foundation said it was "indefinitely, but not forever." They planned to show parts of the collection as a traveling exhibit.

Where to See the Collection Today

The Liberace Foundation still operates in Las Vegas. It continues to manage the amazing collection. In November 2013, the Foundation showed some of Liberace's items at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. This exhibit was called "Too Much of a Good Thing is Wonderful: Liberace and the Art of Costume." It featured 15 performance costumes, the rhinestone Baldwin piano, and a rhinestone-covered Excalibur car. This special exhibit ended in October 2014.

The original sign for the Liberace Museum was fixed up and lit again in 2014. You can now see it at the Neon Museum boneyard, which is a place for old Las Vegas signs.

Thriller Villa: A Pop Star's Former Home

In 2015, the Liberace Foundation announced that the Museum Collection was being kept at one of Michael Jackson's former homes in Las Vegas. This place now has a 5,000-square-foot exhibition area. You can arrange private tours by appointment through the Liberace Foundation's website. This building is now known as Thriller Villa. Michael Jackson rented the house from 2007 until he passed away in 2009.

Liberace Garage: Where the Cars Live

As of April 7, 2016, a new public place called "The Liberace Garage" opened. It features all 8 vehicles from the Liberace Museum. This garage is located inside the Hollywood Cars Museum. You can also see the rhinestone-covered Radio City Baldwin piano and some of Liberace's stage costumes there.

For the 2019 Grammy Awards, musician Chloe Flower played the rhinestone Baldwin piano. It was flown to Los Angeles for the award show. She played it while backing up Cardi B during a performance.

Liberace vehicle collection

Year	Make	Model	Image	Notes
1901	Oldsmobile	Curved Dash		A smaller, 3/4-scale copy of the original car.
1931	Ford	Model A		A copy used on stage during his shows in the 1970s. It was painted red.
1954	Rolls-Royce	Silver Dawn convertible	Liberace's "Bicentennial" Rolls-Royce	Painted red, white, and blue. Known as the "Bicentennial" or "Stars and Stripes" car.
1957	Austin	FX3		Liberace used this special London Taxi to pick up friends from the airport.
1962	Rolls-Royce	Phantom V	Liberace's Phantom V Rolls-Royce	This car had a special roof and mirrored tiles. It even had a full bar and an old mobile phone!
196x	Excalibur	Roadster	Liberace's rhinestone-covered Excalibur	A car covered in rhinestones, sometimes called the "Rhinestone Roadster."
1971	Volkswagen	Beetle	Liberace's "VolksRolls" Beetle	This Beetle was customized to look like a Rolls-Royce by George Barris.
1972	Bradley	GT	Liberace's gold Bradley GT	This car was shiny gold with silver candelabra designs on the sides.

See also

In Spanish: Museo Liberace para niños