Dan Flavin (American, 1933-1996)
monument on the survival of Mrs. Reppin, 1966
Warm red and white fluorescent light
Norton Simon Museum, Museum Purchase, Fellows Acquisition Fund
© Stephen Flavin/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; courtesy of David Zwirner, New York
Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena presents “Plugged In: Art and Electric Light,” an exhibition exploring electric light as an artistic medium. Opening on Sept. 20, the show will feature 11 works created between 1964 and 1970, drawn from the museum’s collections.
The exhibition, running through Feb. 17, 2025, is part of the Getty-led initiative PST ART: Art & Science Collide. It showcases eight artists who incorporated electric light into their practice to shape and respond to artistic and social change.
Maggie Bell, Associate Curator at Norton Simon Museum, is organizing the exhibition, which will include works by Walter Askin, Laddie John Dill, Dan Flavin, Robert Irwin, Jess, Robert Rauschenberg, Allen Ruppersberg and Andy Warhol.
The artists featured in “Plugged In” approached electric light from various perspectives. Some collaborated with engineers and fabricators to investigate light from aesthetic and scientific viewpoints, while others used it in deeply personal ways. Some created transcendent experiences from mundane light sources, repurposing corporate fixtures to question the definition of art.
Robert Rauschenberg’s “Green Shirt” (1965-1967), a monumental 10-foot-high and 20-foot-long sculpture, will be a centerpiece of the exhibition. The work, adorned with multicolored neon tubes, exemplifies Rauschenberg’s collaborative approach, having been created with sign-manufacturing firm Artkraft Strauss.
Dan Flavin’s contribution, “‘monument’ on the survival of Mrs. Reppin” (1966), represents a different approach. Flavin used prefabricated fluorescent lights to alter viewers’ perception of architectural space, with the intention of activating fundamental emotions.
Jess, a former chemistry student at Caltech and plutonium engineer for the Manhattan Project turned artist, used incandescent light bulbs to activate salvaged objects. His “Assembly Lamp Eight” (1966) combines glass lantern slides with magazine clippings, illuminated by electric candle lights.
The exhibition will be accompanied by several related events, including a two-day symposium co-organized with Caltech. A film series exploring Hollywood’s fascination with electricity is also planned, along with an opening weekend celebration featuring tours and art-making activities.
A conservation note indicates that LEDs have replaced original incandescent light bulbs where possible, with permission from artists or their estates. Electrical components have also been updated to enhance safety and longevity.
Norton Simon Museum, known for its remarkable private art collection, houses more than 12,000 objects.It showcases European art from the Renaissance to the 20th century, South and Southeast Asian art spanning 2,000 years, and Modern and Contemporary Art from Europe and the U.S. acquired by the former Pasadena Art Museum.
Admission fees for adults are $20, $15 for seniors ages 62 and above, and free for Museum members, children ages 18 and under, and students with valid I.D.
Admission is free for all visitors the first Friday of every month from 4 to 7 p.m.
For more information, visit nortonsimon.org.
