Conceptual artist Bruce Nauman had his first solo show at the esteemed Nicholas Wilder Gallery on La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles in May of 1966 and went on to have three other solo shows there by 1977. Typical of Nauman's ongoing interest in wordplay, Lewidr is a neon anagram of Wilder’s last name. Not only is it a play on the name of the artist’s first dealer, but it also makes a sly sexual reference. According to Wilder, “Nauman humorously referred to the ‘virgin white’ color of the piece, which contrasts with the ‘lewd’ness suggested by the anagram’s presumed pronunciation.” That same year Nauman made a similar neon “scrambling” of renowned art dealer Leo Castelli’s last name, titled Ill Caste.
