Featured For the Bakelite lovers

A Bonhams auction back in January of a good friend Mario Rivoli who unfortunately passed away last year. Just sharing because his collection was incredible and not all was auctioned, he had thousands of pieces. I worked in his studio in the late 80’s early 90’s and the smell of the collection permeated everything. He was an amazing artist as well as collector.
https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/27539/

This is Mario in a jacket he made in the seventies.

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

Speechless. What a collection. RIP to a creative artist with an amazing Bakelite collection!

 

WOW!!!! Wondering what the heck that jacket weighed, from the look of it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

OMG ! I had a denim jacket in the early 80s that I had loaded with rhinestone brooches . It got stolen one night when I was at a bar. I was so mad ! God only knows what I had on that jacket.Thats when you could buy costume jewelry for nothing. I had some fabulous ones . He had an amazing collection. I bet he was a hoot in real life.

 

I'm betting we'd have gotten along. DANG that dude had some bakelite.

 

Johnny, you would have loved him, he was a hoot if there ever was one. Favorite memory of him was a day selling at mile high flea market, Mario showed up dressed as a babushka with headscarf, accent and all, in his wheelchair (childhood polio.) I was the only one that recognized him and when he saw that I was about to out him he gave me the “don’t do it!” look. He never drove a car in his life having grown up In Manhattan and not needing to. I loved taking him picking to the many Denver thrift stores and dumpster diving in the country club neighborhood, funniest picking partner ever.

 

This is a life size sculpture he was commissioned to do for a Chinese restaurant called the China Cowboy. It’s a mannequin covered in smashed up china plates.

 

I actually like that thing. Dunno why.

 

You are not alone!

 

Denver is one of my most favorite cities EVER ! I lived there all told about 7 years. The thrifts back then were treasure troves. I last lived there until 2000. When I left I had a moving sale and people started showing up at 6 am ! They werent met with pleasantness ! I sold so much,and still gave friends a ton of stuff. I really thought Id be back there but life has a way of throwing curves. I hear its almost unaffordable now . I think weve chatted about it before,but that was years ago. I sure wish Id have known you then. I could have met him !OMG ! I was in those antique shops on Broadway countless times !

 

Thanks for sharing! What a glorious artist and what a collection

 

I'm sorry to hear of the loss of your friend, @anundverkaufen . What an amazing person!