The Museum of Neon Art (MONA) announced it has acquired Leticia Maldonado’s The Doll (2022). The artwork was created for the artist’s solo museum debut The Storytellers at the Museum of Neon Art in 2022. In this exhibition Maldonado mined her biography to offer various perspectives on loss through sculptural installations. The acquisition was made possible in partnership with Bermudez Projects gallery, and several museum supporters who contributed towards a fund to bring work by Maldonado into the museum collection. 

“The Museum of Neon Art’s acquisition of my artwork, The Doll, is a dream come true,” said Maldonado.“I was inspired to make this work by a Raggedy Ann doll my mother made for me when I was 3.” 

For the past 13 years, Maldonado has honed a unique approach to art-making, which marries an interest in multimedia as well as her skill at bending intricate, three-dimensional forms out of neon glass. 

“Leticia Maldonado’s art is emblematic of the dynamic work being produced in neon today, as well as the vibrancy of this art form, which has been passed down for the past 100 years,” said MONA Executive Director Corrie Siegel. “Leticia is an incredibly accomplished neon bender as well as a fascinating artist invested in pushing the limits of her practice.” 

Maldonado was born in West Covina in 1980 and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. She grew up surrounded by the eye-catching signs atop famous casinos such as The Dunes, The Tropicana, The Flamingo and The Stardust. She spent time at The Art Institute of Las Vegas, pursuing an education in figurative illustration and sequential storytelling, and later studied at the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art. Moving into illuminated glass as a medium, Maldonado found her way to Lili Lakich’s neon design and fabrication classes, and later studied glass bending and processing with the artist Michael Flechtner. 

“Leticia Maldonado is an artist who is consistently challenging herself to master new techniques while pushing the boundaries of the medium of neon and multimedia approaches. Her work paves the way for new possibilities and the next generation of neon artistry. We are delighted to have her work represented in our collection,” said Siegel.

Maldonado has achieved critical acclaim for her groundbreaking sculptures and installations. Her work has been included in group shows throughout the U.S. and internationally. Her works are included in the permanent collections of The Neon Museum, Las Vegas and, now, the Museum of Neon Art.