More Than Schmaltz - the private works of the Godfather of Tiki, LeRoy Schmaltz
LeRoy Schmaltz a living legend - the Godfather of TIKI movement. From the Enchanted Tiki Room and 1950s Polynesian restaurants, amusement parks and movie sets, to carved tikis, sculptures, drawings, paintings, assemblage...LeRoy Schmaltz is THE oceanic renaissance man. Seeds Fine Art Exhibits will be premiering the first ever lifetime retrospective of his work. Stay tuned for locations and dates!
Our curatorial work is comprised of primary research and spans the entire duration of his prolific career. We have been collaborating with Mr. Schmaltz and family since 2005.
Our vision is to premiere a long overdue museum retrospective to the world, with LeRoy’s splashy whimsical and unique body of work that elevates Tiki-ana from kitsch to culture and spans over 60 years in drawings, sketchbooks, paintings and carvings, as well as some more personal in nature that give us a peek into the life and soul of this amazing man and artist.
To quote the book Night of the Tiki, by Douglas Nason: “Leroy Schmaltz is the granddaddy of 1950’s tiki Americana….LeRoy Schmaltz’s carved icons have shaped the tiki-theme identity of hotels, restaurants, bars and apartment buildings across the country for decades. In 1956 he and his partner Bob Van Oosting founded Oceanic Arts, an emporium of Oceanic exotica—responsible for just about everything we know of as tiki Americana. Schmaltz has designed South seas paraphernalia for Hollywood sets, backyard parties, legendary restaurants and more…more recently Schmaltz’s work has influenced a new generation of tiki provocateurs… He has probably had a larger influence on where tikis appeared and how they were perceived in America than any other individual.”
"Even in Tahiti, they somehow rely on Schmaltz....Once people figure out that he has a place in history, his art will become "super collectible, (Greg) Escalante, who considers the carver "a national treasure." LA Times 6/10/2004 Steven Barrie-Anthony quoting
LeRoy Schmaltz resumé