The huge impact of neon art on Los Angeles history
"Every neon sign you've ever seen is made by hand," said Eric Lynxwiler, the board president of the Museum of Neon Art.
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Neon signs and art pieces have decorated Los Angeles since the 1920s, according to officials from the Museum of Neon Art.
The museum, located in Glendale with a warehouse in Pomona, works to collect and maintain neon art. The glass art traveled from Paris to New York before making an appearance in Los Angeles.
"Neon and Los Angeles are completely intertwined," said Eric Lynxwiler, a Los Angeles historian and the board president of the Museum of Neon Art. "As the American roadside was expanding, Los Angeles was filling the darkness with all sorts of beautiful light ... everybody had to have a neon sign to appear modern," he continued.
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Lynxwiler says neon art has made an appearance in movies for decades, including "Blade Runner" and "The Tender Bar."
"Every neon sign you've ever seen is made by hand. It's not a machine. No computer can bend this stuff," said Lynxwiler.
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The Museum of Neon Art houses the dragon that once adorned Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
"When we received this sign it was completely destroyed ... we had to sandblast it, re-pattern all the neon glass, re-bend it, re-paint it," said Corrie Siegel, executive director of the Museum of Neon Art.
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