Raw
View Similar Items
Ed RuschaRaw1971
1971
About the Item
Ed Ruscha
Indisputably one of the most iconic American artists of the 20th century, Ed Ruscha has built a formidable body of work by staking a claim on the deceptively simple intersection of text and image, superimposing elliptical phrases (or, often, single words) over West Coast landscapes to create prints and paintings that can be read instantaneously yet evade easy understanding.
Alongside artists like Robert Irwin and Billy Al Bengston, Ruscha was a pioneer of the 1960s Los Angeles art scene as part of the famed Ferus Gallery. His embrace of Hollywood vernacular and the open Western road have tied him as closely to the identity of L.A. art as Jackson Pollock is to that of New York.
Coming to California in 1956 at the age of 18, Ruscha intended to become a commercial painter but found himself drawn to fine art, over time being shaped by three galvanizing influences: Marcel Duchamp, Pop art and the movies.
Meeting Duchamp when the Pasadena Art Museum (now the Norton Simon Museum) hosted the French Conceptual artist's first U.S. show, Ruscha was especially affected by his use of "readymade" objects and imagery, rendered unfamiliar through unexpected titles or text. Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup can paintings, meanwhile, were shown for the first time at the Ferus Gallery in 1962, opening up new vistas for Ruscha. Movies, then, provided another inspiration through their use of title cards, placing graphic text over filmic shots — The End, for instance — for maximum impact.
Ruscha began his famous series of word paintings in the 1960s, depicting various views of the Hollywood sign and the logos of studios like 20th Century Fox, but also roadside views like the Standard Oil stations dotting L.A.'s freeways. Over time these became more abstracted, pinning ambiguous, free-floating phrases (Wall Rockets is a famous example) to natural vistas, scenes of highways, or monochrome backgrounds. Beginning in about 1980, the artist began using a sharp font he designed himself, called Boy Scout Utility Modern.
A master printmaker who also works across the mediums of books, drawing, photography and even film — in 2009 he starred in a movie directed by the artist Doug Aitken — Ruscha has been an influence on a staggering array of artists, including Stephen Shore, Christopher Wool and Anselm Kiefer.
Ruscha's work has been featured in dozens of exhibitions around the world, including "Ed Ruscha: 50 Years of Painting" at London's Hayward Gallery (2009), "Ed Ruscha: Made in Los Angeles" at Madrid's Reina Sofia in 2002, a 2000 retrospective at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, a survey of his works-on-paper at the J. Paul Getty Museum in 1998, and a 1982 retrospective that traveled to the Whitney Museum. In 2005 he represented the United States at the 51st Venice Biennale, and in 2009 he received a National Arts Award.
Find a collection of original Ed Ruscha lithographs and other art for sale on 1stDibs.
- The Basque Suite: UntitledBy Robert MotherwellLocated in London, GBColour screenprint on J.B. Green paper 104.1 x 71.7 cms (41 x 28 1/4 ins) Edition of 150Category
1970s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints
MaterialsColor, Screen
- Mirrors (brown)By Robyn DennyLocated in London, GB63 x 46 cms (25 x 18 ins) Edition of 40Category
1970s Abstract Geometric Abstract Prints
MaterialsColor, Screen
- ParterreBy Richard SmithLocated in London, GB52 x 52 cms (20 1/2 x 20 1/2 ins) Edition of 75Category
1970s Abstract Abstract Prints
MaterialsColor, Screen
- The Basque Suite: UntitledBy Robert MotherwellLocated in London, GB104.1 x 71.8 cms (41 x 28.25 ins) Edition of 150 Paper: J.B. Green Paper Signed "RM" in pencil lower right; signed "Motherwell" in screen lower right Inscriptions: Numbered in ...Category
1970s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints
MaterialsColor, Screen
- Tropic FruitBy Howard HodgkinLocated in London, GB80 x 94 cms (31.5 x 37 ins) Edition of 100Category
1980s Abstract Abstract Prints
MaterialsColor, Screen
- Untitled (Small orange photo on peach and blue background)By Joe GoodeLocated in London, GB46 x 74 cms (18.11 x 29.13 ins) Edition of 50Category
1970s Abstract Abstract Prints
MaterialsColor, Screen
- Untitled, from ‘The International Association of Art Portfolio’By Max BillLocated in Llanbrynmair, GBUntitled, from ‘The International Association of Art Portfolio’ By Max Bill Medium - Screen print Edition - 3/25 Signed - Yes Size - 640mm x 460mm Date...Category
Mid-20th Century Abstract Abstract Prints
MaterialsScreen
$1,681 Sale Price20% Off - Untitled, Jasper Johns. Colorful rainbow hatching on parchmentBy Jasper JohnsLocated in New York, NYThis print features Johns's exuberant hatching in orange, white, bright green, and purple atop collaged newsprint. Printing on translucent parchment makes the image particularly vibr...Category
1970s Abstract Abstract Prints
MaterialsScreen
- The Basque Suite #10By Robert MotherwellLocated in New York, NYA very good impression of this color screenprint on J. B. Green paper. Initialed and numbered 115/150 in pencil. Printed by Kelpra Studio, London, with the ink stamp verso. Published...Category
1970s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints
MaterialsColor, Screen
- Chrome GreenBy Adolph GottliebLocated in New York, NYA very good impression of this color screenprint on Arches. Signed, dated and numbered 125/150 in pencil by Gottlieb. Printed by Kelpra Studio, London, with the ink stamp verso. Publ...Category
1970s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints
MaterialsColor, Screen
- The Basque Suite #2By Robert MotherwellLocated in New York, NYA very good impression of this color screenprint on J. B. Green paper. Initialed and numbered 134/150 in pencil by Motherwell. Printed by Kelpra Studio, London. Published by Marlboro...Category
1970s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints
MaterialsColor, Screen
- UntitledBy Willem de KooningLocated in New York, NYA very good impression of this extremely scarce color screenprint on Arches. Signed and numbered 22/25 in pencil by de Kooning. Printed by Ives-Sillman, New Haven, with the blind sta...Category
1970s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints
MaterialsColor, Screen