Ed Ruscha: Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings, Volume Three: 1983-1987

by Ed Ruscha (Artist), Robert Dean (Editor), Lawrence Weiner (Contributor)

Ed Ruscha, one of the most influential artists working today, and one of the great West Coast Pop artists, didn't start out as a painter. It was under the influence of teachers including Robert Irwin, Richards Ruben and Emerson Woelffer that he gave up his original goal of becoming a commercial artist to focus on fine art. This third volume in the ongoing documentation of his entire corpus of paintings captures him in his stride. As throughout the series, each painting, reproduced in color, is given a double-page spread with exhibition and bibliographic history. The artist's sketches for paintings are reproduced in facsimile. This volume contains 165 works, and, of particular note, includes a major public commission for the Philip Johnson-designed Miami-Dade Public Library, which was a turning point for Ruscha. Paintings done immediately prior to this commission can be seen as a summation of the artist's earlier preoccupations and techniques, while those done after the commission show a major shift in direction occasioned by the use of airbrush techniques to produce dark, atmospheric canvases with links to film noir and to such Los Angeles noir writers as Raymond Chandler. With an introductory essay by Robert Dean, a personal tribute by artist Lawrence Weiner, a chronology and a comprehensive bibliography and list of exhibitions.

Genres: Art

558 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2007

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.