Ed RuschaUntitled (Hell 1/2 Way Heaven promo)1988
1988
About the Item
- Creator:Ed Ruscha (1937, American)
- Creation Year:1988
- Dimensions:Height: 7.8 in (19.82 cm)Width: 29.5 in (74.93 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Washington , DC, DC
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU171329785812
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.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Washington , DC, DC
- Return PolicyThis item cannot be returned.
- Miss Spring poster (very rare, was not available to public)By Yoshitomo NaraLocated in Washington , DC, DCExtremely rare Yoshitomo Nara poster produced by Japanese publisher Mitsumura Book Publishing Co. as a sales promotional poster for teachers. Was not available to the public and we have never seen any others anywhere. Much more rare than the Yoshitomo Nara Cosmic...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary More Art
MaterialsPaper
- RUN DOG RUNBy Christopher WoolLocated in Washington , DC, DCPart of a special insert of a well respected art publication. They are a superb example of his use of stenciled letters in paintings. Wool’s paintings also resemble the Concrete poetry...Category
1980s Contemporary More Art
MaterialsPaper, Lithograph
- Tan Tan Bo poster printBy Takashi MurakamiLocated in Washington , DC, DCDescribed by curator Michael Darling as the artist’s “magnum opus”, Tan Tan Bo (2001) is an icon of Takashi Murakami’s oeuvre, demonstrating the new levels ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary More Art
MaterialsLithograph, Paper
- Untitled (from an edition of 200)By Tschabalala SelfLocated in Washington , DC, DCUntitled (from an edition of 200)Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary More Art
MaterialsPaper, Silk, Lithograph
- SIGNED Protest Paintings catalog with UNIQUE hand stickered cover by the artistBy Richard PrinceLocated in Washington , DC, DCFeaturing a unique cover by Richard Prince that contaings CD label stickers by Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, and Credence Clearwater Revival, and hand signed and number on the inside. Only ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary More Art
MaterialsPaper
- Large Shelf Still Life poster (SIGNED)By Jonas WoodLocated in Washington , DC, DCVery rare, sold by the Museum Voorlinden, only about 10 posters were available signed from the museum.Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary More Art
MaterialsPaper, Color, Lithograph, Offset
- Blossom : No Sugar AddedLocated in Nashville, TNThis contemporary piece from Danielle Krysa asks the viewer if beauty can be born from the wreckage of whatever each of our personal setbacks may be. The piece was created for Krysa'...Category
2010s Contemporary Mixed Media
MaterialsBrass
- The Ancestors, Elisia Nghidishange, cardboard print on paperBy Elisia NghidishangeLocated in Windhoek, NAThe Ancestors, 2020. Cardboard block print on fabriano paper, 2/4 Elisia Nghidishange was born in Eenhana in northern Namibia. This printmaker, sculptor and mixed media artist gradu...Category
2010s Contemporary Abstract Prints
MaterialsPaper, Ink
- Super Woman, Elisia Nghidishange, cardboard print on paperBy Elisia NghidishangeLocated in Windhoek, NASuper Woman, 2020. Cardboard block print on fabriano paper, 1/4 Elisia Nghidishange was born in Eenhana in northern Namibia. This printmaker, sculptor and...Category
2010s Contemporary Abstract Prints
MaterialsPaper, Ink
- Chroessi Schnell - "Stillife with Plastic Bottle 3" - abstract coal drawingLocated in Winterswijk, NLContemporary Art, coal drawing, abstract still life. Signed. A beautiful artwork that looks good in every room and especially in the living room or bedr...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paint...
MaterialsPaper
- Wolfgang Zelmer - "From left to right and upside down" - colour lithographBy Wolfgang ZelmerLocated in Winterswijk, NLColor offset after the original from 1989. Signed and dated in print. In good condition, minimal marginal defects. A beautiful artwork that looks good in every room and especially...Category
20th Century Contemporary Prints and Multiples
MaterialsPaper, Lithograph
- Claudia Keller - "Hilly Landscape" - colour offset lithographBy Claudia KellerLocated in Winterswijk, NLColour offset lithograph from 1985. Signed, numbered and dated by hand. Edition: 180. In good condition. A beautiful artwork that looks good in every room and especially in the l...Category
20th Century Contemporary Prints and Multiples
MaterialsPaper, Lithograph