magazine - The Mennello Museum of American Art

MAGAZINE
DECEMBER 2009
Deck
the
halls,
indeed
By Leslie
O’Shaughnessy
photos By Phelan Ebenhack
26
DECEMBER 2009 | Winter Park Magazine
Michael Mennello’s home is
a spectacular holiday vision
T
he large gilded nativity scene settles itself around the
grand piano in a peaceful display. The Baccarat chandelier, already a bedazzling spectacle of crystal and golden
prisms, sparkles with silver balls. Adding a boost of “fabulousity,”
this holiday season the chandelier will also anchor the 26-foothigh ceiling with the glitz of a chic disco ball. As Buccellatti silver swans glide across the Lalique crystal table, there is beauty, art
and whimsy flashing from every corner, balcony and window in
Michael Mennello’s home. Some decorations are of the highest
form of art and design; others, including ice cube snowmen and
angels with fiber optics in their wings, burst with animation.
The mantel is
adorned with
skiers and cookie
jars (opposite
page); a 12-foot
tree blazes with
lights (left); ice
cube snowmen
add to the festivities (above);
a portrait of
Michael and
Marilyn Mennello
by Kevin McNamara (far right);
an angel tops the
tree (right).
“My favorite are the skiers on the mantel; we’ve had them for 30
years,” says Mennello. “They are expressive and cute, and Marilyn
loved them too.” The sophisticated 76-year-old is still comfortably
embraced by memories of his late wife, who died in 2006. In a
tender moment of reflection, he says, “We were very blessed to
have wonderful friends, and she would want all of this to carry on.”
Married for 29 years, the philanthropic couple collected renowned
works of art and extraordinary Neiman Marcus Christmas
decorations, all of which fill the home with festive abandon during
the holiday season. The scene takes three days to stage and one very
dedicated designer to construct. “We have 70 boxes in storage, and
all of them are marked,” says Mennello.
Meticulous planning and years of perfect execution have honed
the process to a science with a specific location for each piece. The
process begins right after Thanksgiving when a design team arrives
with a flurry of ribbons and lights. The team returns to dismantle
the display two days after Christmas. As the boxes empty, no less
than 12 Christopher Radko cookie jars find their stage as do dozens
of angels, hundreds of ornaments and an entire crystal snow village.
For 21 years the marble floors and expansive rooms of the
lakefront residence have served as backdrop to glorious holiday
soirees hosting the brightest rainmakers in the local political and
professional spectrum. During the Winter Park Christmas social
crush, an invitation to the annual party at the Mennello manse
is more coveted than the latest designer handbag or a pair of
Magic playoff tickets. The gracious host usually greets his guests
from the gilded Edgar Brandt-designed railing that graces the
grand ballroom.
DEcember 2009 | Winter Park Magazine
27
(Clockwise from left) 15-foot mobile
revolves above bronze horses;
a crystal-encrusted Judith Leiber
handbag; angel in a window; ‘Les
Grande Dame’ by John Wolfe.
The home is never more enchanting than during the holiday party, as
guests mingle amid Mennello’s collection of art enhanced by holiday
decorations. A tireless worker for the appreciation of the arts, Mennello
wants to privatize the Mennello Museum of American Art, which
he founded with his wife and is presently owned and operated by the
city of Orlando. As arts funding suffers in times of budget crunches
and economic challenges, no museum is immune. He believes that
transferring the museum into private ownership would secure a more
sustainable future for it.
This year’s party guests will be some of the first to view the addition of
Les Grande Foyer and rotunda that will house a new work by DeLand
artist John Wolfe. The 15-foot mobile, titled “Michael’s Dream,”
will take one hour to revolve around the rotunda, and the paint will
barely be dry on the addition that was completed by Linda Pelegrini
at Pelegrini Homes in November. The commissioned piece will create
a striking abstract canopy in primary colors exuding the essence of
“balance” desired by Mennello. Another work by Wolfe, “Les Grande
Dame,” also was commissioned by Mennello and greets guests as they
28
DECEMBER 2009 | Winter Park Magazine
arrive at the home. A contemporary and commanding piece standing
at 13½ feet, Mennello describes it as “regal and smart,” saying that it
reminds him of his late wife. Standing on pink marble are two graceful
bronze horses by artist Deborah Butterfield. The animals are powerful
yet ghostlike and look as if lacy pieces of driftwood have been joined in
a delicate arrangement of balance, form and movement. The effect is
deceiving in that the foal, titled “Willis,” weighs about 300 pounds and
measures 43-by-35 inches. The larger animal weighs 2,700 pounds and
stands 120-by-88 inches. Mennello owns a third Butterfield horse that
is on loan to the Mennello Museum. The 3,200-pound “Big Timber”
stands at the entrance to the museum in Loch Haven Park.
In addition, the works of Earl Cunningham hang throughout the
rotunda at Mennello’s home.
Lastly, no holiday home is complete without a Christmas tree. On top
of the 12-foot tree, ablaze in lights and glittering with 400 ornaments,
sits a single gilded angel. “Marilyn loved angels,” says Mennello with a
smile. And as for the new addition of a disco ball, “She’d think that was
fun too,” he chuckles.