Ed RuschaEvil 1973
1973
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.
- Suck CutsBy Bruce NaumanLocated in New York, NYPrinter: Gemini G.E.L. Publisher: Gemini G.E.L., Los Angeles Signed, dated, and numbered in pencil, lower marginCategory
Late 20th Century More Prints
MaterialsLithograph
Price Upon Request - I Learned Helplessness from RatsBy Bruce NaumanLocated in New York, NYFrame size: 23 x 25 3/8 inches Catalogue Raisonne: Cordes 61 Edition size: 35, plus proofs Signed, dated, and numbered in pencil, lower marginCategory
1980s More Prints
MaterialsDrypoint, Etching
- Ailanthus Leaves II (Vernis du Japon II)By Ellsworth KellyLocated in New York, NYFrame size: 49 1/2 x 37 inches Printer: Imprimerie Arte, Paris Publisher: Maeght Éditeur, Paris Signed and numbered in pencil, lower margin Catalogue Raisonne: Axsom 59Category
1960s More Prints
MaterialsLithograph
Price Upon Request - Ellsworth Kelly (Red, Green, Blue)By Ellsworth KellyLocated in New York, NYPublisher: Walker Art Center, MinneapolisCategory
1970s Prints and Multiples
MaterialsScreen
- UntitledBy Jackson PollockLocated in New York, NYFrame size: 30 3/8 x 25 1/2 inches Printer: The Artist and his brother, Sanford McCoy, Deep River Connecticut Catalogue Raisonné: O’C. and T. 1095 Signed, dated, and numbered in bla...Category
1950s Prints and Multiples
MaterialsScreen
Price Upon Request - UntitledBy Brice MardenLocated in New York, NYEdition size: 15; Signed, dated, and numbered in pencil, lower marginCategory
1980s Minimalist Abstract Prints
MaterialsScreen
$25,000
- "Aquella tarde al verse en el espejo" by Antonio Saura, Black and Grey AbstractBy Antonio SauraLocated in Köln, DEScreenprint by Antonio Saura "Aquella tarde al verse en el espejo.." from "Diversaurio", 1962 77,5 x 55,2 cm Copy 52 Edition of 85 Antonio Saura (Hue...Category
1960s Abstract Abstract Prints
MaterialsScreen
- Coca-Cola Girl 2 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Alex Katz, Swim Suit, Woman, RedBy Alex KatzLocated in Köln, DE"Coca-Cola Girl 2" is one out of Alex Katz's Coca-Cola Girl series. These figures bare witness of his deep engagement with the ideas of advertisment, figurative art and how to come t...Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Prints
MaterialsScreen
- "Moi je veux vivre monotone" by Patrick Caulfield, Screenprint, Pop Art, PurpleBy Patrick CaulfieldLocated in Köln, DE"Moi je veux vivre monotone" is from the series "Some poems by Jules Laforgue". Patrick Caulfied was deeply inspired by these poems and found to his very own depiction of these poems...Category
1970s Pop Art Abstract Prints
MaterialsScreen
- "Couleur Additive Perseus" by Carlos Cruz-Diez, 21st Century, Optical ArtBy Carlos Cruz-DiezLocated in Köln, DE"Couleur Additive Perseus" has a stunning appearance and an optical effect, which catches the beholder's attention from the very first time. Carlos Cruz-Diez from Venezuela was one o...Category
2010s Op Art Abstract Prints
MaterialsScreen
- Four Seasons of Hope (Silver) - HOPE, Four Seasons, vivid colors, silverBy Robert IndianaLocated in Köln, DEThis portfolio by Robert Indiana is a late icon of Pop Art. Since the mid-1960's, he has been working with the word LOVE. Numerous artworks featuring these four letters are well-know...Category
2010s Pop Art More Prints
MaterialsScreen
- Coca-Cola Girl 8 - 21st Century, Contemporary, Alex Katz, Swim Suit, Woman, RedBy Alex KatzLocated in Köln, DE"Coca-Cola Girl 8" is a very special one out of Alex Katz's Coca-Cola Girl series. These figures bear witness of his deep engagement with the ideas of advertisment, figurative art an...Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Prints
MaterialsScreen