Now Performing in the Red Skelton Tribute Theater 167 East Wears Valley Road Suite #17 (Shops of Pigeon Forge) Pigeon Forge, TN 37863
Red Skelton the Artist
Many people didn't know that all the while Red Skelton was performing comedy for the public he was secretly working on his skills as an artist.
Red Skelton began his artwork in 1943, as a way to relax, but kept his works private for many years. It has been reported that he said he was inspired to try his hand at painting after visiting a large Chicago department store that had various paintings on display.
Inquiring as to the price of one which Skelton described as "a bunch of blotches", he was told, "Ten thousand wouldn't buy that one." Red said he told the clerk he was one of the ten thousand who would not buy that one, instead he started buying his own art materials.
When asked if he was a good artist it is reported that he would say I'm no Michaelangelo or Leonardo da Vinci,....but then again what have they painted lately! :)
His wife, (at that time) Georgia, a former art student, persuaded Red Skelton to have his first public showing of his art work in 1964 at the Las Vegas hotel where he was entertaining at the time. Today many of Red Skelton originals are priced at $80,000 and more.
Even though many of the galleries have stopped showing Red Skelton art, you can still find many of them online. All of Red Skelton's lithographs are numbered and many of them are signed by Red Skelton himself.
When looking for his artwork check to make sure it is numbered and it should come with a certificate of authenticity, many of them had Red Skelton's thumb print on them.
