Label
2021 "40 Years of Light" label:
Brian Coleman
Untitled (triangular wall sculpture)
60” x 30” x 6”
Colored neon tubing, argon mercury, transformer
Gift of Brian Coleman Estate
Brian Coleman is known for his exploration of color and volume in luminous tubing. This art piece demonstrates his skills in splicing and bonding glass of different circumferences together. Coleman studied industrial design from Pratt Institute in the 1960s. Sometimes called “a neon artists' artist” he sought out rare vintage glass tubing from the USA and Germany that was no longer produced, as opposed to clear or phosphor coated tubes, which are more common in the United States. Much of the glass he used was produced in the early 1940s. Coleman’s work was exhibited at Rudy Stern’s “Let There Be Neon” gallery. He produced large commissioned work and installations in France and Japan. Brian Coleman’s artist archive and works were donated to the Museum of Neon Art.Label
2019 "ShiNE ON" label:
BRIAN COLEMAN
Early work 1970s (3 pieces on east wall)
Coleman made bubbles with uranium glass and welded multi-colored stripes from other colors of glass tubing. His work in this period was dominated by ruby red, noviol gold and cobalt blue glass tubing.
Later work, 1990s to 2018 (piece on south wall)
Coleman made sweeping slow curves by slumping the neon glass tubing inside a kiln. His bubble forms became larger, elongated and twisted into bladder forms. He spliced and welded different colors of glass tubing together with absolute control and precision.
(pieces on west wall)
He began blowing different colored phosphors inside classic colored uncoated tubes for random effects inside the glass tubing and in combination with xenon or krypton gases. Coleman was a master of right-angle “German-bends” noted in the zig-zag piece. He did perfect loops and curves in 25mm large diameter classic colored glass tubing welded onto smaller diameter clear glass.