LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Neon Museum announced record-breaking visitation during "Lost Vegas: Tim Burton @ The Neon Museum."
The art exhibition was created by artist, director, author and producer Tim Burton and welcomed 191,000 visitors during its six-month run, which began on Oct. 15, 2019 and officially ended on April 12.
The same six-month period the year prior saw 100,000 guests visit the museum.
“What an honor when Mr. Burton approached us expressing his desire to create a site-specific exhibition for The Neon Museum,” said Rob McCoy. “Las Vegas’ rich history inspired much of his artwork for this show, which earned admiration from visitors from around the world. His imagination simply knows no equal.”
Four of Burton’s works will remain on view when the museum reopens to the public once authorities lift the COVID-19 stay-at-home restrictions. The Neon Museum will also retain all sketches made for the artwork in the exhibition in its archives.
Artworks remaining on view are:
Guns “N” Booze
This installation is a recollection of the “lost” Vegas freewheeling shops that once touted firearms and liquor with neon enticements.
Neon Wall Grid
The neon seahorses with the boy in the center represent Tim Burton’s childhood memories of the pool at the Dunes Hotel, which featured a fountain with three seahorse sculptures. Both the Spiral-Eyed Girl “Area 51 Motel” neon (at left) and the alien showgirl (at right) reference Southern Nevada’s association with extraterrestrials in popular culture.
Lost Vegas Sign Tower
An homage to the Dunes Hotel pylon sign, this tower was aged and weathered purposefully to resemble a fading edifice beyond its prime. It symbolizes the city’s lost past that is both endearingly highlighted by this exhibition and carefully preserved by the Museum’s mission.
Betelgeuse sign
In Tim Burton’s 1988 film “Beetlejuice,” the main characters meet at a flashing Betelgeuse sign. This installation was created exclusively for this exhibition and designed to be a 30-year-old relic found amongst the other disused signs in the Neon Boneyard.
In the meantime, The Neon Museum offers virtual visits via its free web-based app, which enables users to learn about select signs housed in the Boneyard outdoor exhibition space.
Anyone with a computer or smartphone data plan can access the app via the website at neonmuseum.app and use the password NEON to access it.
It also hosts video content on its Facebook page and YouTube channel.
For more information about The Neon Museum, visit neonmuseum.org and follow its Twitter and Instagram pages.
