Tucked off in an obscure corner of downtown Los Angeles is one of the city’s most apt and compelling museums — the Museum of Neon Art. I suppose there are people who will assume that’s an oxymoron, but they have probably gone through life dismissing all things neon without looking at them. In fact, they deserve long and frequwnt looks as they are often gorgeous and occasionally revelatory.
MONA is currently celebrating its 24th year in Los Angeles and its ninth year at its current location with an exhibition of kinetic and neon works by 24 artists.
It is also showing “Neon Noir,” 25 black and white photographs of Los Angeles at night lit only by neon by Tom Zimmerman. A writer as well as a photographer, Zimmerman has published articles and books, the most recent of which is Light and Illusion, about Hollywood photographer Ray Jones.
Zimmerman’s photographs appear in a number of books and are in the collections of the Library of Congress, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Los Angeles Library, California State Library and the Fortress of Peter and Paul in St. Petersburg, Russia, among others.The Museum of Neon Art is located in Suite 101, 501 West Olympic Boulevard. It is open Wednesday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and noon to 5 on Sundays. (213) 489 9918
