The following are remembrances of Mario from many of his friends.
Use the Remembrances Submission Form if you would like to share your remembrances.
i did not know Mario was gone-as friends the passage of time separated us. As children we sold hats to boutiques in New York and filled the bars with paper flowers. I loved Mario very much, and hold so many tender memories close to my heart,
Mae Sakharov
Deeply sorry that Mario no longer walks this planet. I had no idea. Tunnel of Love remains a vivid recollection. I hired Mario to “do” our windows in an antique shop that I owned in the mid 60’s. They were consistently amazing. I bought a lot of his drawings of African animals that he focused on at that time. He was beautiful and inspiring. RIP Mario. You are missed. You are alive in my mind,
Harris Diamant
Mario, you brought such great beauty to our lives!! We will miss you until we see you again. Rest in Peace our darling friend
Michaela Walsh Reed
I love you my friend Miss you so
Karen A Goodson
Mario in his element. Thankful for our friendship and every visit I had with him
Connor Grosh
I am so sorry to hear he has passed. He was indeed an amazing person, and I’m glad I was lucky enough to meet him
Marilyn Chartrand
Photos of Mario’s dolls and figurines from Maggie Kunze’s Collection
Maggie Kunze
Wow! Am really acutely feeling the loss of our friend Mario today. Here is a little Bakelite Tribute to him. We spent many hours together admiring it and especially doing the “rub and sniff” test. Then he would look at me mischievously and day “We’ve got to stop meeting like this.” Not all of these are from Mario — just the best ones.
Nan Roloff Stine
I was so shocked to read of Mario’s death on fb. When I read Donna’s post, I just couldn’t believe it. He was an exceptional man with spectacular talent. I will treasure the art he gave to me. My favorite piece is a portrait he did of me when we were at school. He was very insightful and captured the sadness I lived everyday. For those who knew him, WE were truly blessed…..by the man and his incredible talent! RIP Mario
Valerie Harry Fisch
An original Mario Rivoli – Pot seeds, feathers, jawbones, bamboo, mushrooms, etc.
He will be missed.
Donna Kerness Walence
I am so very saddened to have just learned of Mario’s passing. I have art of his that are very rare pieces. I sold his art for many years back in the 70’s.
Helen Karsh
Thank you so much for this lovely tribute. Miss him terribly but was so happy to have him in my life❤️. Here is a picture of my Mario flowers.
Nan Roloff Stine
Mario designed this for the Paramount movie theater in Denver. He used some of the design motifs from the theater for the decorations and said he had a girl who worked at a downtown ‘gentleman’s” club as model.
Susan Reisser
Mario was one of the most alive people I’ve ever known, curious, constantly curating his life. I was in awe of his merchandising and inspired by his art. We reconnected in these last years and what a gift to spend time with him and his amazing collection. I have his Paramount Theater art maiden where I can see it every day…and the beaded flowers he put together for me, and the big leaves. I love him and his leaving has really reminded me how short and precious our time is. And Ed, whoever takes on the job of that collection, well, good luck!!!
Carolyn Fineran
Thank you Ed. Mario will be in our hearts forever….I miss him terribly!
Pamela Miller
Bless him. He knew exactly what he wanted in life.I remember the openings at Julie’s Gallery, the hilarity, the beauty and yes, the Chinese dinners (guess he added sushi later on). Mario had an uncanny laser eye and just being his friend was a vast education in decorative arts. It’s hard to imagine that he is no longer in this world. Beautiful tribute, Ed. You filled in some blanks. Spitty kisses.
Cindi Sutherland
I remember those Chinese restaurant evenings with great fondness.
Susan Lang