LOST VEGAS
October 15, 2019 - February 15, 2020
The sculptural and digital installations presented at the Neon Museum, many of which are site-specific creations, expand Burton’s artistic exploration and simultaneously celebrate his links to Las Vegas as well as its neon heritage.
For the first time in nearly a decade, renowned American film director, producer, artist, writer and animator Tim Burton staged an exhibition of his original fine art in the United States. Installed at the Neon Museum in Las Vegas, “Tim Burton @ the Neon Museum” was staged at multiple locations: the museum’s outdoor Boneyard exhibition space, in its North Gallery and at the City of Las Vegas’ Boneyard Park across from the museum’s visitor’s center. The exhibition comprised a combination of new works as well as previously exhibited pieces and was on view from October 15, 2019, through February 15, 2020
Created to take advantage of the museum’s unique open-air exhibition spaces, the large-scale installation works were integrated with the museum’s collection. Burton intended for the exhibition to serve as a retrospective of his own creative history, as well as a celebration of his affection for the Neon Museum. Conceived as a collaboration with the museum, it was genuinely site-specific and unlike any other exhibition Burton has ever staged.
“To say we’re flattered that Mr. Burton has chosen our museum for this exhibition would be an understatement,” said Rob McCoy, president and chief executive officer, Neon Museum. “But when you think about it, Tim is one of the few artists who can match the great imagination of Las Vegas.”
Credited with bringing the first worldwide attention to the Neon Museum’s collection in his film Mars Attacks! (1996), Burton’s exhibitions have drawn millions of patrons around the world in cities such as Melbourne, Los Angeles, Paris, Prague, Tokyo, São Paulo and Mexico City. His exhibition at MoMA in New York City drew more than 800,000 visitors, making it the third most attended exhibition ever.
In my life, I've experienced Vegas in all its forms. Filming the demolition of the Landmark Hotel for Mars Attacks! was one of the most powerful moments of my life. I am forever haunted by the image of that falling building. Then the Sands, then the old Aladdin came down not longer after that, and with each time a piece of the Vegas I knew passed on...
-Tim Burton
