Local gallery owner Christel Citko has been collecting art for decades.
"My business is art, and my heart belongs to art," she said. "I still have the very first piece of art ever bought. I bought it in a gallery, on layaway, and it took me six months to pay for it! So it's been a lifelong love affair with art."
She's acquired so much over the years, there's not enough room on the walls of her business, Art Source Gallery & Custom Framing, to display it all, so some of her collections haven't been seen in years. One of those is her tribute to American icon Marilyn Monroe. That exhibit is now on display at the Red Rock Bar in Downtown Reno for one last showing.
"This is the last opportunity to pick up some of these items," Citko said. "There are photographs, posters that have been out of print for over 20, years rare collectibles, the last photo of Marilyn Monroe - the nude photo that everybody of course knows is there, so it's definitely some fun."
Everything on the wall is for sale, and the show has been a big hit with patrons here so far.
"They love it," said Red Rock Bar owner Kevin McGehee. "The Misfits was actually shot in Reno, and Marilyn Monroe had a love of Reno. One of her assistants said she felt safe in Reno because nobody judged you."
You can see this farewell to Monroe at the bar on South Sierra Street through the end of the month.
"She's unique, and everything about Marilyn is collectible," McGehee said. "So people that like Marilyn Monroe collect Marilyn Monroe memorabilia, so we're hoping to get some things into peoples' homes."
A portion of the proceeds from this exhibit, just like all purchases from Art Source Gallery, benefit Safe Haven, a Nevada wildlife sanctuary for all kinds of animals in need.
