Lili Lakich

Liliana Diane Lakich (b. June 4, 1944) is an American artist best known for her work in neon sculpture. Lakich is recognized as one of the most important artists in the world working in illuminated sculpture.Fact|date=August 2007 Her sculptures have been included in major publications on contemporary sculpture, neon sculpture and feminist art including "Signs", [cite journal
date =
year = 1999
month = Autumn
title = Front Matter
journal = Signs
volume = 25
issue = 1
pages = 1–2
url = http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0097-9740%28199923%2925%3A1%3C%3AFM%3E2.0.CO%3B2-N
accessdate = 2007-08-28 ] and in many private and corporate collections.cite press release
title =Lili Lakich's Sirens & Other Neon Seductions Lights Up CSUN's New Art Galleries
publisher =California State University Northridge
date =2001-02-01
url =http://www.csun.edu/~hfoao102/press_releases/spring01/lakich.html
accessdate =2007-08-28 ] She has had solo shows in Tokyo, Paris and Los Angeles.

Life and work

Growing up as a military brat, Lakich moved around a lot — she attended fifth grade at six different schools — and was frequently taken on road trips where she was exposed to roadside neon signs.Citation
last =Einhart
first =Nancy
title =Neon artist Lili Lakich works magic with a familiar medium.
journal =Curve
volume =12
issue =2
year =2002
url =http://www.curvemag.com/Detailed/203.html ] epigraph
quote =My family was into road trips… [o] ur idea of recreation was to get in the car and drive on a weekend. So we would pick the motel by which one had the best neon sign.
cite =Lakich in interview with "Curve", 2002. She attended the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn in New York, and then went on to attend the London School of Film Technique in England. She returned to Pratt and earned a Bachelor Fine Arts degree in 1967. While at Pratt she created her first light sculpture. After convincing a local sign company to teach her, she went on to incorporate neon into her work.

Lakich settled in Los Angeles in 1968 and began exhibiting neon sculpture in 1973 at Gallery 707 on La Cienega Blvd. Her first solo exhibition, at Womanspace in the Woman's Building in 1974, garnered a review in "Artforum" magazine by Peter Plagens where he commented "…the whole show is solid, however, I doubt whether Lakich will confine her development to static, confined neon, if for no other reason than the recent liberation of electric lights through process, video, and performance art." In 1982, Lakich founded and served as first director for the Museum of Neon Art in Los Angeles. [cite journal
last = Crowe
first = Michael F.
year = 1991
title = Neon Signs: Their Origin, Use, and Maintenance
journal = APT Bulletin
volume = 23
issue = 2
pages = 30–37
url = http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0848-8525%281991%2923%3A2%3C30%3ANSTOUA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-W
accessdate = 2007-08-28
doi = 10.2307/1504382 ] [cite web
url = http://www.neonmona.org/flash/index.html
title = WELCOME TO MONA
accessdate = 2007-08-28
format = flash timeline
publisher = Museum of Neon Art]

Bibliography

*cite book | last = Lakich | first = Lili | title = Neon Lovers Glow in the Dark | publisher = Museum of Neon Art | location = Los Angeles | year = 1986 | isbn = 9780879054199
*cite book | last = Swan | first = Sheila | coauthors = Lili Lakich | title = Neon Nevada | publisher = University of Nevada Press | location = Reno | year = 1994 | isbn = 9780874172461
*cite book | last = Lakich | first = Lili | title = Lakich: for Light. for Love. for Life. | publisher = Lili Lakich Studio | location = City | year = 2007 | isbn = 9780615133515

References

External links

* [http://lakich.com/lakich%20studio.htm Lakich Studio]
* [http://www.publicartinla.com/Downtown/figueroa/bunker_hill/la_angel1.html L.A. Angel]
* [http://www.neonmona.org/flash/index.html The Museum of Neon Art]