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Neon embraces the 21st Century.
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Despite the proliferation of sign-illumination sources, neon still holds a place in the hearts of most signmakers -- it still graces many signs in American urban skylines.
Rudi Stern (1937-2006), one of modern neon’s biggest advocates, popularized neon as an art form and a serious signage-illumination source. He dreamed of aesthetically setting the world ablaze with glowing light.
“I have plans for neon pavements, neon highways, neon tunnels; neon on bridges, under water and outlining trees in parks,” Stern told Omni magazine in 1981.
Stern popularized neon with his NYC-based neon shop, his storefront art gallery and his book, all of which bore the same name, Let There Be Neon (LTBN). The current owner and president of LTBN, Jeff Friedman, entered the neon world in 1977 and held a spectrum of company positions. He began by cleaning the studio and proceeded to become a fabricator and production manager.
In 1980, Stern fired him because of a job conflict, which led Friedman to start Neon City with Philip Hazard, who had been in sales and art at LTBN (where they met). That company operated for nine years.
Soon after setting up Neon City, Friedman was back on talking terms with Stern, which led to a greater involvement with LTBN. In 1990, both companies discussed a merger, and, soon after, LTBN absorbed Neon City. Within a year, Friedman became LTBN’s president and sole owner; Stern pursued his interests in light projections and documentary film.
Friedman said, “LTBN was Rudi Stern’s brainchild, because he created both the company as a producer of neon work and its art gallery to showcase neon’s beauty. Rudi brought a certain artistic sensibility to the medium by introducing neon as a form of architectural lighting. Rudi also spruced up commercial neon by incorporating an ‘art look’ to it. We like to think that Rudi brought neon into the home as an interior art décor.”
Stern introduced neon as an accessible, populist, art medium, Friedman said. He created small neon sculptures, formed with bases, so people could buy them and bring them home to place on their coffeetables or shelves. Some of his more popular artworks were the neon lips, palm trees or a flamingo profile.
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