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ent001330-144

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ent001330-144
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    University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Libraries

    2/ "Now I know that his paintings have the same sensitivity that he displays as a clown. He's greatl" The happy management at the Sands had anticipated that perhaps a couple of hundred people would stop by to see the paintings. / but/they were soon to find out over three thousand people found the exhibition one of the highlights of their trip to Las Vegas. Many of them made more than one trip to enjoy the exhibition held last June and July. One impressed local resident offered the star $8,000 for one of his paintings. Others made similar bids. And no one was more delighted with the paintings* xsKEipi receiption than Skelton himself who is touchingly humble and thrilled with the attention. This first exhibit came about when Jack Entratter, President of the Sands and a longtime Skelton friend, noticed a stack of paintings in one of the closets of Red's Palm Springs home. "Red, these shouldn't be buried away," commented Entratter, a serious art collector himself, adding with mounting enthusiasm, "let's do an exhibition at the Sands where psple can enjoy them." "Ahhh, they're not good enough," Skelton shrugged. "Who'd be interested?" Entratter finally convinced the sometimes xj: shy clown that the paintings deserved to be seen. Soon, the Sands' Emerald Room was packed not only with tourists and local residents, but also serious art collectors and fellow performers who came away wishing that they too could paint. Maurice Chevalier, who was appearing in LasVegas at the same time as Skelton performed in the Copa Room, visited the exhibition one day and promptly asked Red if he could have a painting for his own collection.