40 Years of Light

40 Years Of Light: 

Works From The MONA Collection & Collective 

For the past 40 years, the Museum of Neon Art has been a haven for artists who valued experimental approaches toward luminous, electric, and kinetic artwork. In the late 1960s, neon signs and the use of neon as an integral part of architectural forms were in decline; however, the dawn of a new age of neon as art was approaching. Artists like Chryssa, Dale Chihuly, Stephen Antonakos and Brian Coleman, among others, began crafting the luminous tubing associated with the signage industry into sculptural forms. In the early 1970s, artist Rudi Stern opened a gallery in New York City called “Let There Be Neon” and in 1979 he published a book by the same name. Neon and light artists in the 1970s and 1980s redefined viewers’ relationships with art objects, perceptions of space, and even the very relations between commerce and fine art. 

When MONA was founded in Los Angeles in 1981, it was the only museum dedicated to preserving neon, electric, and kinetic art. In a time when the city was losing its glow and neon sign shops were losing their customers, the museum aimed to protect neon as a form of both vernacular art and fine art. Now in the museum’s 40th year, neon is seeing a new renaissance. Contemporary artists, benders, craftspeople, and enthusiasts see the light and honor the skill, craftpersonship, and historic legacy of this unique art-form. 

This exhibition showcases artworks from the 1980s through 2020 and honors the range of approaches toward light. Artwork by community members who continue to shape MONA’s vision and push toward experimentation are exhibited alongside works from the museum’s permanent collection. The exhibition illustrates neon’s dynamic and varied legacy, as well as the ways that MONA itself represents a sum of the contributions of its vibrant community. MONA continues to exist as an artist-run museum made strong by each unique individual who has shared threads of their light and vision to make a bright path forward for critical thought, experimentation, and artistic innovation.

Works by artists: 

Brian Coleman, Candice Gawne, Cork Marcheschi, Craig Kraft, David Otis Johnson, David Svenson, Eric Zimmerman, Kunio Ohashi, Linda Sue Price, Maurice Gray, Michael Flechtner, Ray Howlett, Stephen Antonakos, Tsai Ten-Chin, Wayne Strattman and William Shipman