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This article was in yesterday's <u>Philadelphia Inquirer</u><br>
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<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.philly.com/inquirer/magazine/39543972.html">http://www.philly.com/inquirer/magazine/39543972.html</a><br>
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<h1>Antiques: He's gripped by the light fantastic</h1>
<h2>Philadelphia collector devotes his life to neon.</h2>
<p class="byline">By Karla Klein Albertson </p>
<p class="byline lastline">Inquirer Antiques Columnist</p>
Throughout the 20th century, sinuous neon tubing illuminated public
signs and commercial architecture. The glowing gas was a proven lure
for customers.
<p>Today, collectors have begun to preserve and display the best
vintage work, while artists explore new ways to use neon.</p>
<p>Local collector Len Davidson gave up academia to become a neon
bender.
While still teaching in Florida, he says, "I got so interested in the
neon that one day a week I went to a sign shop. I said, 'I'll
apprentice for free if you teach me about neon.' " </p>
<p>"When I moved up to Philly, I started doing neon part-time.
After about
four years, I decided I would rather spend all my time doing neon."</p>
<p>Like most people in the trade these days, Davidson makes new
signs and
preserves and restores vintage examples of local importance.</p>
<p>He also created the Neon Museum of Philadelphia at the Center
for
Architecture, 1218 Arch St., where 13 examples from his collection are
on display daily. (His book, <i>Vintage Neon</i>, published by
Schiffer, is available there.) </p>
<p>This installation mirrors what has been done on a larger scale
by the
Museum of Neon Art in Los Angeles, which displays important landmarks
such as the Brown Derby sign, offers exhibitions of new light art, and
conducts "neon cruises" of the city.</p>
<p>Its Web site, <a href="http://www.neonmona.org">www.neonmona.org</a>,
has a great interactive section that explains how neon works. For
example, to produce different-colored light, argon is used in addition
to orange-hued neon. </p>
<p>Neon signs appeared in France about 1910, and a Packard auto
dealership
in Los Angeles put up one of the first signs in this country in the
1920s. Restaurants, movie theaters, nightclubs and gambling halls
quickly appreciated the magic of outdoor neon.</p>
<p>"There used to be schools after World War II, and there were a
lot of
tube benders," Davidson says. "The apprentice process typically went on
in families. If the teacher brought someone else in, he was afraid they
would set up shop and become competitors." </p>
<p>A neon renaissance has been brought about, he says, by "people
of my
generation, who had grown up with this stuff. In every city I would go
to, there would be one or two people like me who were involved with
appreciating and saving the old neon signs."</p>
<p>Some signs were made in quantity and shipped to stores around
the
country: Buster Brown and his dog; the Howard Johnson lamplighter;
Sherwin-Williams covering the Earth with paint.</p>
<p>Beer drinkers can think of a dozen classic signs that lit up
the walls
of taverns. Working examples often appear for sale at antique shows and
flea markets, generally in the $100-to-$500 range.</p>
<p>One of Davidson's favorites is the Anheuser-Busch "flying
eagle." </p>
<p>Animated signs present particular challenges with timing the
light
display. Some have a simple one-two-three movement. The Busch sign is
more complex, based on actual footage of an American bald eagle in
flight. </p>
<p>Six of these signs were made in the early 1950s by Artkraft
Strauss
Sign Corp. One still flaps its wings at home base in St. Louis, another
soars at the brewery in Newark, N.J.</p>
<p>Davidson had a hand in bringing back a great local sign, made
for Giles & Ransome.</p>
<p>"They made an animated figural sign of a tractor with a man
sitting on
it, double-sided, porcelain. His arms change gears, and the tractor
treads go around," Davidson says. "You can see it from the Pennsylvania
Turnpike in Bensalem." </p>
<p>The sign originally topped the company's building on Hunting
Park
Avenue. Most of the glass was destroyed when it was taken down, moved
and stored. Davidson worked from a black-and-white photo, poring over
it with a magnifying glass to re-create the tube patterns. </p>
<p>Collectors treasure such one-of-a-kind creations, he says.</p>
<p>"You see the difference between something more stylized that
might be
done by a fine artist and the folk-art nature of a lot of these old
neon signs. That's what I have against new neon - it's done by
computers, typically. That figural element is typically missing." </p>
<p>Since the mid-20th century, neon has, indeed, been put to use
by
artists as well as craftsmen. American Bruce Nauman has worked in many
media, but his light sculptures stand out. </p>
<p>One of his best neon creations, <i>The True Artist Helps the
World by Revealing Mystic Truths</i> (1967), is in the collection of
the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Another, <i>Double Poke in the Eye II</i>
(1985), a play on traditional commercial animation, is on view at the
Carolina Nitsch Contemporary Art Gallery in Manhattan (<a
href="http://www.carolinanitsch.com">www.carolinanitsch.com</a>).</p>
<p>Fine art in neon brings major prices at auction. <i>Five
Words in Yellow Neon</i>, a 1965 work by Joseph Kosuth, brought
$337,000 in May at Sotheby's in New York.</p>
<p>Dan Flavin (1933-1996) was famous for his sculptures made from
fluorescent light tubes, many of which are in museum collections. His <i>"monument"
for V. Tatlin </i>(1969) sold for $1.5 million at the same sale, while
<i>Untitled (to S.A. lovingly)</i> brought $445,000.</p>
<p>Younger artists around the country produce more affordable
works that
will light up a living room. David Svenson, Candice Gawne and Brian
Coleman have been featured in exhibitions at the Museum of Neon Art in
Los Angeles.</p>
<p></p>
<hr>
<h4>Antiques: If You Go </h4>
<!--StartText-->
<p>Thirteen vintage neon signs from Len Davidson's collection are
on
display daily at the Neon Museum of Philadelphia, housed at the Center
for Architecture, 1218 Arch St., near the Convention Center and Reading
Terminal Market. Hours: Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday noon-5
p.m. Admission: free. Information: <span isdynflag="1"
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href="http://www.davidsonneon.com">www.davidsonneon.com</a>.</p>
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