Liberace
Flamboyant Vegas entertainer
Liberace was an American pianist and entertainer known for flamboyant showmanship—candelabras, sequined capes, rhinestone-encrusted pianos.
His name became shorthand for ostentatious, campy excess: The décor was pure Liberace.
Though he denied being gay throughout his life, he became a gay icon after his death from AIDS in 1987.
Multi-branched candle stand
- sequinsSmall reflective fabric ornaments
- costumesClothes for assuming roles
- showmanshipSkill at impressive presentation
- cabaretLive entertainment venue
concerts · celebrity · charisma · stage · theatricality · television · vaudeville · spectacle
Array of input keys
- virtuosoSupremely accomplished performer
- SteinwayLegendary piano manufacturer
- ChopinPolish Romantic pianist-composer
- concertoSolo-and-orchestra composition
recital · sonata · arpeggios · classical · boogie-woogie · flourishes · glissando · octaves
Ostentatiously wealthy
- lavishAbundant beyond necessity
- ostentatiousShowily excessive
- sumptuousSplendidly rich and costly
- ornateElaborately decorated
gilded · rhinestones · chandeliers · fur · velvet · glitter · sparkle · luxury
candelabra
Multi-branched candle stand
- sequinsSmall reflective fabric ornaments
- costumesClothes for assuming roles
- showmanshipSkill at impressive presentation
cabaret · concerts · celebrity · charisma · stage · theatricality · television · vaudeville · spectacle · pageantry
keyboard
Array of input keys
- virtuosoSupremely accomplished performer
- SteinwayLegendary piano manufacturer
- ChopinPolish Romantic pianist-composer
concerto · recital · sonata · arpeggios · classical · boogie-woogie · flourishes · glissando · octaves · fortissimo
opulent
Ostentatiously wealthy
- lavishAbundant beyond necessity
- ostentatiousShowily excessive
- sumptuousSplendidly rich and costly
ornate · gilded · rhinestones · chandeliers · fur · velvet · glitter · sparkle · luxury · rococo
- Las Vegascasino, slot machine, gambling, blackjack, poker
- MononymsCher, Madonna, Oprah, Beyonce, Rihanna
- Pianistspianist, concert pianist, Lang Lang, Thelonious Monk, Franz Liszt
- Stage NamesLady Gaga, Marilyn Monroe, Cary Grant, John Wayne, Cher
- LGBTQ IconsRuPaul, Ellen DeGeneres, Freddie Mercury, Elton John, Sylvester
- camphigh camp, kitsch, theatricality, flamboyance, exaggeration
Liberaceunderstated
Deliberately minimized in expression
minimalist · austere · restrained · subdued · plain
Liberacepurist
One demanding strict adherence
Thelonious Monk · concert pianist · serious · uncompromising · austere
LiberaceLeonard Cohen
Canadian singer-songwriter, poet
Johnny Cash · Bob Dylan · Tom Waits · Nick Cave · Woody Guthrie
- liberal artsNon-vocational higher education
- women's liberationMovement for female equality
- liberal thoughtIdeology valuing freedom, equality
- liberal educationTraining across diverse disciplines
- liberal eliteAffluent, educated leftist influencers
- liberal democracyRights-based elected governance