Afterglow Vegas Collection

Vernacular Masters

Commercial signs as American poetry

In 1968, architects Denise Scott Brown and Robert Venturi brought Yale students to Las Vegas. While the art world dismissed the Strip as vulgar, they saw something revolutionary: commercial vernacular as legitimate cultural expression.

Their book Learning from Las Vegas (MIT Press, 1972) transformed architectural theory. The "decorated shed" — where the sign IS the architecture — became a foundational concept taught in every architecture school worldwide.

These photographs continue that legacy.

The Stardust became their textbook example — 7,100 feet of neon visible from 60 miles away. The Minimart exemplified "symbol in space before form in space." Binion's Horseshoe proved vernacular humor deserved serious study. Any institution collecting this work inherits 50+ years of architectural theory.

3 artworks — Limited editions of 25-30 each

Museum-quality Diasec mounting by Authentic Lab (Belgium)

10-15% supports The Neon Museum Las Vegas Sign Conservation Fund