Ed Ruscha: The Ancients Stole All Our Great Ideas by Jasper Sharp (1-Nov-2012) Hardcover

by Ed Ruscha (Illustrator), Jasper Sharp

In fall 2012, Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum unveils a new exhibition series, in which established international artists are invited to curate a show based on the Museum’s collections. This approach to reimagining a collection has several landmark precedents, such as the National Gallery London’s Artist’s Eye shows, for which Hockney, Freud and Bacon curated shows. The Kunsthistorisches Museum has selected Ed Ruscha to inaugurate their series. Ruscha first visited the Kunsthistorisches Museum in 1961; 50 years later, having spent time with its curators and its collection, he has produced the fascinating exhibition which this catalogue accompanies. Composed of paintings, sculptures and nature specimens that intrigue, amuse or confuse Ruscha, this exhibition and catalogue offers a portrait of the artist’s taste and thought. The catalogue reproduces Ruscha’s selection on 40 individual loose cards (with descriptive text on the rear, plus commentary by Ruscha), housed in a card slipcase.

Hardcover

First published November 1, 2012

About the author

Edward Ruscha is a towering figure of American Pop Art whose multidisciplinary practice redefined the visual language of the late twentieth century. Born in Omaha and raised in Oklahoma City, Ruscha moved to Los Angeles in 1956 to study at the Chouinard Art Institute, where he was mentored by Robert Irwin and Emerson Woelffer. Rising to prominence in the early 1960s alongside the influential Ferus Gallery group, he gained international acclaim for his "word paintings"—monosyllabic oils like OOF, BOSS, and HONK—which isolated typography against monochromatic backgrounds, reflecting his background in commercial art and a fascination with the "deadpan" irreverence of the Pop movement. His work is inextricably linked to the vernacular of Southern California, capturing the sprawling aesthetics of Los Angeles through iconic depictions of the Hollywood sign, stylized gas stations, and continuous photographic surveys such as Every Building on the Sunset Strip. A master of diverse media, Ruscha has famously experimented with unconventional materials, including gunpowder, blood, axle grease, and various food products like chocolate syrup and caviar, to create works that bridge the gap between commercial graphics and fine art. His influence extends significantly into the "New Topographics" photography movement and conceptual art, challenging traditional views of the urban landscape by dispassionately documenting America’s suburban structures. In 1962, his work was featured in the groundbreaking New Painting of Common Objects exhibition, widely considered one of the first Pop Art surveys in America. Throughout his storied career, he has been the subject of major retrospectives at the world’s leading museums, including the Centre Pompidou, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Museum of Modern Art. Ruscha has also contributed to public spaces through monumental commissions for the Getty Center and the Miami-Dade Public Library. In recognition of his enduring impact, he represented the United States at the Venice Biennale in both 1970 and 2005, and in 2013, he was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. His artistic reach even touched popular culture, with his typeface "Boy Scout Utility Modern" and his collaboration on cover art for Paul McCartney and The Beatles. Beyond his own production, Ruscha has served as a trustee for the Museum of Contemporary Art and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, underscoring his leadership within the arts community. His unique "cool gaze" remains a quintessential chronicler of the American West, blending the cinematic proportions of Hollywood with the mundane reality of the open road. Today, his works are held in premier permanent collections worldwide, cementing his legacy as a defining artist of the postwar era who transformed the way we read, see, and experience the modern environment.