Liberace Foundation

What Liberace Foundation does

The Liberace Foundation for the Performing and Creative Arts is a non-profit cultural heritage organization founded in 1976 and headquartered at Thriller Villa in Las Vegas, Nevada. The foundation stewards the world's most comprehensive archive of Liberace artifacts — costumes, pianos (including the Crystal Piano), jewels, vehicles (notably the 1961 Phantom V Rolls Royce), and personal memorabilia — curating, preserving, and licensing this collection for exhibitions, performances, brand partnerships, and educational purposes. Revenue is generated through a diversified mix of streams: brand licensing (film, television, music, fashion, and advertising clients including Blade Runner 2049, Rocket Man, Snoop Dogg, Adidas, Bergdorf Goodman, and the MET Gala), event venue hosting at Thriller Villa's 70-seat Chapel Theater and the Liberace Garage, limited private museum bookings, donations and a tiered membership program, merchandise sales through the Liberace Museum Store, and licensed venue deals such as the reopening of Liberace's Tivoli Gardens restaurant.

The foundation operates with a lean team of approximately five employees supported by an active Board of Directors and pursues an event-driven and community-led go-to-market motion. Customer segments span tourists and cultural visitors to Las Vegas (the museum collection is the highest-rated Las Vegas museum attraction on TripAdvisor), performing arts students receiving scholarships at UNLV, Chapman University, and Gallaudet University, entertainment and fashion industry licensors, and corporate/private event clients. Distribution is anchored by the Las Vegas venues and supplemented by artifact loans and co-produced exhibits at major institutions including the Nevada State Museum, the MET, Paris Museum of Modern Art, and Monte Carlo Fashion Week. The foundation also pursues content production through Liberace Studios and has entered theatrical production with the upcoming "I'll Be Seeing You" production directed by Alan Cumming.

Name

Liberace Foundation

Legal name

The Liberace Foundation for the Performing and Creative Arts

Website

https://liberace.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Liberace Foundation for the Performing and Creative Arts is a non-profit cultural heritage organization that preserves and monetizes the legacy of entertainer Liberace through museum collection curation, brand licensing, event venue operations at Thriller Villa and Liberace Garage, and performing arts scholarships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage Preservation and Museum Services

NAICS

Museums (71211), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Retailers (459420)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Museums (e.g., Maritime, Aviation, Sports, Music, Film) (THAJADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ), Museum, Zoo & Attraction Gift Shops (CRALAJAG)

Keywords

• Cultural heritage preservation
• Museum collection curation
• Brand licensing services
• Event venue hosting
• Performing arts scholarships

Headquarters

HQ city

Las Vegas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Museum Collection Tours and Private Bookings: The Liberace Museum Collection is available through limited private bookings at Thriller Villa, offering tours of authentic Liberace artifacts and legacy exhibits. The collection is a top-rated Las Vegas museum attraction on TripAdvisor.
2. Event Venue Hosting: The foundation operates event venues including Thriller Villa and the Liberace Garage, hosting corporate events, parties, cocktails, dinners, concerts, exhibitions, and weddings for private booking.
3. Brand Licensing: Liberace's image, name, and artifacts are licensed for use in film (Blade Runner 2049, Rocket Man), television (Mozart in the Jungle, The Jim Gaffigan Show), music (Snoop Dogg's From the Streets to the Suites), fashion (Adidas), and advertising (Family Guy).
4. Brand Licensing - Fashion and High Fashion: Liberace brand licensed to fashion contexts including Monte Carlo Fashion Week, Bergdorf Goodman window displays, and Harper's Bazaar editorial features as part of Liberace 100 celebrations.
5. Museum Store and Merchandise: The Liberace Museum Store at liberacemuseum.store sells merchandise related to the Liberace brand, costumes, and collection artifacts.
6. Donations and Membership: The foundation operates a membership program with tiers including Maestro Members and above, providing access to exclusive events and private viewings of the collection.
7. Artifact Loans: The foundation loans artifacts from its collection to other museums and events, including the Nevada State Museum, the MET, Paris Museum of Modern Art, and Monte Carlo Fashion Week.
8. Restaurant Licensing - Liberace's Tivoli Gardens: The foundation signed a deal to license the reopening of Liberace's Tivoli Gardens restaurant at its original Las Vegas location.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Liberace Foundation preserves and curates the world's most comprehensive Liberace Museum Collection of costumes, pianos, jewels, and vehicles, and generates revenue through private museum tours, event venue hosting at Thriller Villa and Liberace Garage, brand licensing to entertainment and fashion clients, an endowed scholarship program for performing arts students, museum store merchandise, and licensed restaurant operations. As a nonprofit, it reinvests proceeds into cultural heritage preservation, educational scholarships, and exhibition programming.

Product overview

The Liberace Foundation for the Performing and Creative Arts is a non-profit cultural organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of entertainer Liberace. Its core offerings include the Liberace Museum Collection (featuring costumes, pianos, jewels, and cars), physical museum venues (Liberace Museum, Liberace Garage), and exclusive event spaces (Thriller Villa). The foundation also operates brand licensing programs, awards Liberace Endowed Scholarships to performing arts students, produces video content through Liberace Studios, and licenses the historic Liberace's Tivoli Gardens restaurant. Recent offerings include theatrical productions like 'I'll Be Seeing You' and rotating exhibitions at partner institutions such as the Nevada State Museum.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Liberace Garage: Museum space and events venue featuring Liberace's car collection and automotive artifacts.
• Thriller Villa
• Liberace Studios
• Liberace Museum Collection

Products and services

• Liberace Museum Collection

Quantifiable outcome

• Highest-rated Las Vegas museum attraction on TripAdvisor (private tours)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nevada State MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2023Co-production of the 'Liberace: Real and Beyond' exhibit at the Nevada State Museum at the Springs Preserve in Las Vegas. This represents the largest museum loan from the Liberace Museum Collection in over a decade and the only Nevada museum exhibit loaned from the collection. Curated by Josef Diaz with a run from June 24, 2023 to December 31, 2023.
• Liberace's Tivoli Gardens RestaurantminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2023Signed a deal to license the reopening of Liberace's Tivoli Gardens restaurant at its original Las Vegas location, fully restored, as part of the foundation's brand licensing activities.
• Clark County (Liberace Avenue)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Clark County Commissioners approved renaming a major thoroughfare from Karen Avenue to Liberace Avenue, marking a permanent tribute to Liberace at the site of his longest-running Las Vegas residency. Commissioners Tick Segerblom and Ross Miller championed the measure.
• UNLVminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Liberace Scholarships are granted to UNLV students, continuing Liberace's legacy in his home city. UNLV School of Music has received foundation support.
• Paris Museum of Modern ArtcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019Liberace jewels were exhibited at the Paris Museum of Modern Art in 2017, marking a significant international recognition of the Liberace Museum Collection.
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art and MET GalacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019Liberace costumes were featured among 175 pieces exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute for the 2019 MET Gala, under the direction of Anna Wintour.
• Monte Carlo Fashion WeekcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019Liberace artifacts were featured at Monte Carlo Fashion Week 2019 as part of Liberace 100 celebrations. Maison Vitale presented 'Diamonds Are Forever: The Liberace Jewels Return to Monte Carlo' with artifacts on loan from the foundation.
• Bergdorf GoodmanminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2019Bergdorf Goodman featured Liberace in its iconic 5th Avenue window display in New York as part of the Liberace 100 celebrations, simultaneously with the MET Gala exhibit.
• Grammy Awards and OscarsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019Liberace artifacts were loaned to the 2019 Grammy Awards and the 2020 Oscars for use in performances and presentations.
• Chloe Flower / Sony MasterworksminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2019Grammy breakout pianist Chloe Flower joined the Liberace Foundation Board of Directors in September 2020. She has been a major advocate, borrowing the Crystal Piano for her Grammy performance on Cardi B's song and making history as the first major label recording artist to cover a Liberace piece.
• Thriller Villa (Hacienda Palomino)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThriller Villa, the former home of Michael Jackson, serves as the primary venue for the Liberace Museum Collection. The property owner donated the use of the Subterranean Artists Vault to store and exhibit Liberace artifacts.
• Petersen Automotive Museum (Los Angeles)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLiberace Rolls Royce and other artifacts were exhibited at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
• The Wick Theatre (Florida)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChairman Jonathan Warren spoke at the grand opening of the largest Liberace costume exhibit ever displayed in Florida at the Wick Theatre in November 2017.
• Chapman UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChapman University hosts the Liberace Endowed Scholarship, with recipients including Crystal Mo (2019) and Reuel Hon (2023).
• Gallaudet UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGallaudet University hosts the Liberace Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music. Recipients include Seattle junior scholars and Nikoyla Sereda (2019), who later became Producing Director of National Theatre for the Deaf.
• Jonathan Warren (Chairman)coreOthersJonathan Warren serves as Chairman of the Liberace Foundation and Honorary Consul of the Principality of Monaco in Las Vegas. He leads all major foundation initiatives including exhibitions, licensing, and preservation efforts.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Mob Museum (Las Vegas): A themed Las Vegas museum with rotating exhibits, private event hosting, and artifact loans from a curated cultural collection — directly comparable in scale, geography, and revenue mix to the Liberace Museum Collection.
• Elvis Presley Enterprises (Graceland): Graceland operates the most comparable celebrity estate and museum model in the U.S., monetizing an iconic entertainer's legacy through ticketed tours, licensed merchandise, branded entertainment venues, and hospitality partnerships.
• Grammy Museum: The Grammy Museum is a music-focused museum and exhibition space that preserves music heritage artifacts and hosts rotating exhibits, mirroring Liberace's collection curation, loans, and educational programming.
• Motown Museum: A single-artifact heritage museum operating from a historic property in Detroit, sustaining operations through ticket sales, memberships, and educational programming — closely mirroring the Liberace Foundation's nonprofit museum structure.
• Marilyn Monroe Museum / Estate Holdings: A celebrity estate managing likeness, memorabilia, and museum-style exhibitions for an iconic entertainer, comparable in single-subject celebrity preservation and licensing to the Liberace Foundation's model.
• Madame Tussauds Las Vegas: A celebrity-themed Las Vegas attraction monetizing entertainment-icon likenesses via paid admission and VIP experiences, directly comparable to Liberace's premium private-booking model at Thriller Villa.

Broad incumbents

• Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: A larger incumbent music-heritage institution that curates music memorabilia, hosts exhibits, and runs educational programs at greater scale, with a broader multi-artist focus versus Liberace's single-artist specialty niche.
• Hard Rock International: A global entertainment and hospitality brand built around music memorabilia, celebrity iconography, and licensed experiences — a broader incumbent comparable to Liberace's brand licensing and venue operations strategy.

Others

• Petersen Automotive Museum: A museum operator that has exhibited Liberace artifacts (e.g., the Rolls Royce Phantom V), providing a direct peer for artifact loan economics and rotating exhibit partnerships within the museum ecosystem.

Emerging players

• National Music Museum: A niche music-focused museum preserving rare instruments and memorabilia, comparable as a single-purpose music-heritage museum with educational programming and exhibit-loan activity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/liberacemuseum
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC8hLfjM5LCE-uq2yVBASEIw
• Facebookfacebook.com/theliberacefoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/liberace_found
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/liberace-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Liberace Foundation