Hungarian Heritage Review, 1987 (16. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1987-07-01 / 7. szám
^eíns ^Nuggets ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY -“Some Like It Hot”. At the Sands Hotel, Casino & Country Club here at “The Vegas of the East”, it was definitely so last month. For the temperature rose to the tip of the barometer when Tony Curtis brought his Premiere International Art Exhibition to the Sands. It was a private showing for invited guests that featured dozens of paintings and sculptures by the American-Hungarian artist, who once was a famous motion picture “star”, now lives in Hawaii, and gets a real kick out of calling himself “Gauguin Schwartz”. But all kidding aside. He is not only a great artist, but is also recognized as such by the experts! Tony Curtis began sketching, painting, printing, and constructing beautiful assemblages many years ago while busy making films. Each film locale and co-star, for example, provided him with inspiration for his art work. Consequently, his eye-stunning. Premiere International Art Exhibition at the Sands Hotel, Casino & Country Club last month included works assembled over the last twenty-five-year period that was highlighted by 40 of his original paintings. “Tony Curtis is the perfect guy for a casino event. He’s got the personality, charm, and Hollywood charisma, with an added dimension — a world class art exhibit,” said Thomas L. Cantone, Vice President of Entertainment, Promotions, and Advertising of the Sands. Cantone saw Tony Curtis with Bryant Gumble on the “Today Show” displaying his art, and thought of pursuing Curtis that very day to bring him in as a major event. “We did talk that afternoon and he loved the idea instantly. From there, we worked together on making his Atlantic City debut a special event for our players. Combining timing, premiere personalities, and the best of special events and promotions is a tremendous drawing card for the Sands,” Cantone added. The man behind the mask of over one hundred and fifty television and motion picture roles has now revealed himself as Tony Curtis, the fine artist, an artist who has the ability to create fabulous works of art which add pleasure to people’s lives, which, to be sure, is an artist’s ultimate goal. The glamour of the film world has left an indelible mark on Tony Curtis’ visual images. His show featured the unveiling of several fine editions of lithographs, including a fascinating, beautiful work entitled “The Legend” — a portrait of Marilyn Monroe, his co-star in Billy Wilder’s classic film “Some Like It Hot”. Because of Tony Curtis, the Sands can now add “artist” to its entertainment family. Bringing his Premiere International Art Exhibition to Atlantic City for a private event is right on track with Sands’ policy of signing high profile, contemporary artists, who have never performed in Atlantic City before. Kicking off this promotional idea with “Gauguin Schwartz”, the colorful American-Hungarian, who cut quite a swath in Budapest when he visited Hungary for the first time, was a real stroke of genius! JULY 1987 HUNGARIAN HERITAGE REVIEW 5
