T H E AC CI D EN TAL C O L L E C TO R
The Accidental Collector GELMAN’S COLLECTION FINALLY HOME By Dr. Kimberly Selber Photography by Cliff Ranson
On Dec. 1, the Gelman Stained Glass Window Museum in San Juan, Texas officially opened. Over 30 years in the making, the museum is home to the most extensive stained glass church windows collection in the U.S. The journey, however, seemed to unfold as a sacred mission – one step at a time— for collector Dr. Lawrence Gelman. Surprisingly, Gelman had not set out to be a collector. “I purchased a small window for my home more than 30 years ago,” he said. That was supposed to be the end of it. But not long after his first purchase, he received a call from
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an auction house, informing him that a rare Louis Comfort Tiffany window had come on the block. Curious, Gelman traveled from the Rio Grande Valley to Los Angeles to view the window. The magnificent piece was in a dusty warehouse. “It was all a little sketchy,” Gelman recalled with a grin. However, the brilliance of the piece was unquestionable. The color of the glass, the folding to create the drapery of robes, the figures, were all breathtaking. “This was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Gelman said, adding that when he purchased the Tiffany window, he
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