New exhibition (ne)on at Grundy

Blackpool is legendary for its bright lights and illuminations so it feels only fitting that an art exhibition celebrating neon lights should come to the town on Thursday, September 1,
Grundy Art GalleryGrundy Art Gallery
Grundy Art Gallery

Neon: The Charged Line is a major new exhibition at the Grundy Art Gallery, exploring how artists have used the gas and the light it emits since the 1960s.

Visitors will be able to see how neon has been used as a form of line drawing in text, signs, sculptures and installations.

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The evocative lighting source was discovered in 1898 when an electrical current was passed through the gas and the process was patented by Georges Claude, before being widely used in Paris, Los Angeles and New York.

Blackpool was one of the first places to use neon in the UK, with the ‘Claudgen’ company designing a series of neons as part of its annual ‘Illuminations’ held in the town. These early designs will be shown in a parallel display in the gallery’s upstairs rotunda gallery.

The exhibition is free to visitors of Grundy Art Gallery and will run from Thursday, September 1 to early next year on Saturday, January 7 2017.

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