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state library of queensland

NEON

Two visitors viewing neon signs inside slq Gallery

FREE EXHIBITION

NEON

Until 9 Feb 2025

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9am – 5pm Monday to Friday
10am – 5pm Saturday and Sunday
slq Gallery, level 2

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About the exhibition

Sydney has the Kings Cross Coca-Cola sign, New York has the lights of Times Square, and Brisbane has Stefan’s rainbow, which is one of 26 original neon signs you will see in Neon exhibition alongside photographs and original footage from State Library’s collection.

Neon explores the history of neon across Queensland from the 1940s to today, including the artists who transformed glass bending into an art form that became a symbol of urban life and popular culture across the world.

Don’t miss Neon in slq Gallery these summer holidays!

Exhibition teaser

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Collection highlights

Stefan Rainbow neon sign

Various night scenes of Brisbane, from the amateur film “Metropolis: modern Brisbane” 1940
Film maker unknown
27395 Metropolis: modern Brisbane
View in catalogue

Brisbane night scenes during Royal visit 1954
Film maker unknown
32845/2 - 32845 Nicko Productions home movies
View in catalogue

Installation of neon signs at a new B.C.C. store, Toowoomba ca.1955
Claude Fraser
33453/8 - 33453 Claude Fraser collection
View in catalogue

Brisbane night scenes including Queen Street, from the amateur film “Queen Elizabeth II visit to Brisbane, Toowoomba and Warwick” 1954
Henry William Endres
31434/1 - 31434 Henry William Endres home movies
View in catalogue

Mackay night scenes including Sydney and Victoria Streets, from the amateur film “Mackay and Whitsunday Passage” 1954-1959
Gilbert and Everil Neil (née Heideman)
32809/3 - 32809 Neil and Heideman family papers
View in catalogue

Brisbane night scenes including Queen Street, from the amateur film “Bits and pieces” 1956-1957
Gilbert and Everil Neil (nee Heideman)
32809/2 - 32809 Neil and Heideman family papers
View in catalogue

Night scenes of Brisbane city centre and Fortitude Valley, from the amateur film “City lights, Xmas party” 1960-1962
Don Finlay
31886/10 31886 Don Finlay motion picture collection
John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland
View in catalogue

Virtual tour

Neon signs in Queensland | Historypin

Shop the exhibition

Discover a curated selection of recommended reads inspired by the vibrant world of neon.

The Sea & Us by Catherine de Saint Phalle

The Sea & Us

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We'll Show The World by Jackie Ryan

We'll Show the World: Expo 88

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Prehistoric Joy by Andrew Sneddon

Prehistoric Joy

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Book cover of A Night at the Pink Poodle

A Night at the Pink Poodle

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Book cover of Flickering Light by Christoph Ribbat

Flickering Light: A History of Neon

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Atomic City book cover

Atomic City

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Shop the exhibition

From the blog

Aerial view of a Gold Coast street at nightime with neon lights, 1973
Neon Nostalgia: Illuminating Brisbane's Past and Present
A new exhibition focusing on our neon sign heritage opens at the State Library of Queensland from Friday 6 December. Historian Robert Allen’s accompanying blog examines Brisbane’s role in neon’s rise, decline and recent revival.
Read more
A black and white landscape photograph showing trucks and employees lined up in front of Castlemaine Perkins Brewery at Milton, Brisbane in 1929
A beer for Queensland tastes - the history of XXXX and Castlemaine Perkins Brewery
Few brands are more associated with Queensland than XXXX beer, brewed by Castlemaine Perkins beneath the unmistakable neon sign at Brisbane’s Milton brewery. The history of the brewery is a fascinating one, reflecting the industrial and social changes of the Sunshine State, and one that can be told through the many items held in State Library of Queensland’s collections, from newspaper articles to company records, from commemorative beer bottles to advertising jingles! Crack open a cold one and let’s dig in ...
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Now you can easily get Tritton's Furniture advertisement, Mullumbimby Star, 9 October 1930 p. 3.
What Depression? Trittons prosper during the early 1930s
Tritton’s Gold Medals were awarded in the peak years of the Depression - 1928-1929 - cementing the business name in the minds of Queenslanders. Fred Tritton’s outstanding leadership drove his business to continued success, underpinned by his strategic thinking, innovation, and the use of advertising.
Read more
More articles

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Peter Kennedy
Peter Kennedy digital story
Peter Kennedy talks about his art and the first exhibition in Australia that used neon light.
Watch story
Neon sign for the Pink Poodle Motel, Gold Coast. The poodle is pink and the word, 'Motel' in blue neon.
John Gollings Gold Coast Photographs
Photographs taken by John Gollings at Surfers Paradise in 1973.
View collection
Christmas lights and decorations on the front of McWhirters in Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley, 1962
Love, Lovf family collection
1959 Centenary Year Christmas Decorations.
View collection