From Frank Sinatra’s Villa Maggio - A Custom Made Folding Panel Used For Screening Films in The Dining Room, With a Mural Commissioned by Frank Sinatra - Mural #2 -- Very Unique

Frank Sinatra commissioned an artist friend to paint the mural on this folding panel that, when open, allowed films to be screened in the dining room of his mountain retreat, Villa Maggio.   

Artist “Thelma” (her origin & history unknown at this time) as signed, was a local Palm Desert artist.   Mural #2 depicts an outdoor evening winter scene in a park with snow covered trees and tall city buildings in the background. 50” wide x 43” tall, painted for Sinatra in 1971.  

Art piece is a painting on wood and has 2 panels that can be opened. Item is heavy & weighs approximately 25/30 lbs. There are 4 small holes in the top of the wood frame which cannot be seen when hung, also 4 small holes on the front of painting which can only be seen when close up to painting. Frame is solid wood and shows no signs of damage. 

The artist was commissioned by Sinatra to paint 2 murals to hang in his home located in the Pinyon Crest area of Palm Desert.  The home referred to as “Villa Maggio” was built on 7.5 acres of land off Highway 74.  This secluded mountain retreat is a rustic midcentury lodge style designed home by the builder/designer Patten & Ross.  Mentioned numerous times in Barbara Sinatra’s book Lady Blue Eyes, My Life with Frank, was Sinatra’s favorite getaway where he could just be Frank.

Sinatra commissioned the murals that would hang on the kitchen wall & dining room wall (back-to-back). The murals covered an opening that was cut through the kitchen wall to the dining room wall for Frank and his guests to watch movies while they were dining.  

The murals were custom designed with panels so that the they could be opened on both sides of the wall, a movie projector was placed in the kitchen, Frank would slide the lens into the hole and at the other end of the dining room there was a screen that could be pulled down, the projector was turned on and voila -- instant screening room!   

• Name : Melinda Ritz