Skip to main content

George Paisiovich has one of the world's largest private collections

Open this photo in gallery:

Kite collector and consultant George Paisiovich flies a dragon kite depicting Marilyn Monroe on the 50th anniversary of her death in August, 1962.Ashley Paisiovich

1 of 17
Open this photo in gallery:

George Paisiovich at his London,, Ont., home surrounded by some of his kite collection. In his hands, he holds five original tetra cells that were frames used in kite experiments by Alexander Graham Bell, dating, he says, from 1908. To his left on a ledge is one of his treasures, a walking stick kite dating from the 1880s.ASHLEY PAISIOVICH

2 of 17
Open this photo in gallery:

Prized possessions: A “praying mantis” kite, left, made by Chinese kite-master Chen Zhao Ji, and, right, a kite from Nantong, China, featuring 77 whistles that create a racket when fliers loosen the lines of the kite and pull it back in.

3 of 17
Open this photo in gallery:

Two more treasured kites: Left, Steiff Roloplan 150, a rare kite manufactured by German plush toy manufacturer Steiff prior to the First World War; right, a “Day of the Dead” kite from Guatemala, where an annual ceremony honouring dead relatives includes the construction and flying of enormous kites.

4 of 17
Open this photo in gallery:

Monarch butterfly kites hang from the ceiling of an exhibit organized by George Paisiovich at the tourist welcome centre in Windsor, Ont. in 2011. Mr. Paisiovich commissioned 60 of these kites to be made by a Malaysian family of kitemakers.GEORGE PAISIOVICH

5 of 17
Open this photo in gallery:

A French “L’Aigloplan” kite in the form of an eagle dates from around 1910. The kite was on exhibit when the photo was taken.

6 of 17
Open this photo in gallery:

Display at The Kite Museum on Pelee Island. Among the kites in the display are one signed by The Kite Runner author Khaled Hosseini, as well as a handpainted kite featuring eyes, and miniature kites.GEORGE PAISIOVICH

7 of 17
Open this photo in gallery:

Kite collector George Paisiovich, left, with The Kite Runner author Khaled Hosseini. Mr. Hosseini gave two signed kites, one in English and one in Farsi, to The Kite Museum that Mr. Paisiovich was the driving force for.

8 of 17
Open this photo in gallery:

Made just for a collector: George Paisiovich flies a custom kite created for his family by Quebec kite artist Jacques Letourneau. He painted this kite showing Mr. Paisiovich on the left and wife Sara on the right, watching daughter Ashley fly her kite, a mirror image of the kite Mr. Paisiovich is flying.Ashley Paisiovich

9 of 17
Open this photo in gallery:

Another piece of the collection soars: George Paisiovich flies a Second World War "Gibson Girl" box kite. Mr. Paisiovich explains that downed pilots would fly this kite with an antenna attached to it so they could send a better SOS signal on their "Gibson Girl" radio transmitter.Ashley Paisiovich

10 of 17
Open this photo in gallery:

George Paisiovich flies a kite on the grounds of the Louvre Museum in Paris.SARA ZLABIS

11 of 17
Open this photo in gallery:

Collector George Paisiovich and daughter Ashley fly an octopus kite at Myrtle Beach, S.C.SARA ZLABIS

12 of 17
Open this photo in gallery:

Kite collector George Paisiovich stands in front of a display of some of his Japanese kites. They are part of a collection of more than 100 kites from Japan that are all hand-painted.BOB WHITE

13 of 17
Open this photo in gallery:

Fighting kites from a number of countries are part of George Paisiovich’s collection.GEORGE PAISIOVICH

14 of 17
Open this photo in gallery:

Kite historians gather at a symposium organized by George Paisiovich at the Alexander Graham Bell Museum in Baddeck, N.S. in 2012. Several of the kites pictured belong to the collector.

15 of 17
Open this photo in gallery:

One of many kite exhibits organized by collector George Paisiovich shows some of his kites.

16 of 17
Open this photo in gallery:

Kite collector George Paisiovich manoeuvres one of his kites in front of the The Louvre Pyramid in the main courtyard of the Louvre Palace in Paris. Mr. Paisiovich controls the kite from outside what you can see in the picture.

17 of 17

Interact with The Globe