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.
$1,856
Ed Ruscha, Some Los Angeles Apartments - Artist's Book, Conceptual Art, Pop Art
By Ed Ruscha
Located in Hamburg, DE
Ed Ruscha (American, b.1937) Some Los Angeles Apartments, 1965/1970 Medium: Artist’s book (black offset printing on 100 lb. white Vicksburg Vellum text paper) Dimensions: 17.8 x 14 x...
Offset
$3,000
H 12 in W 12 in
Rare original Keith Haring Vinyl Record Art (Keith Haring Crack Is Wack)
By Keith Haring
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Rare Keith Haring “Life is Fresh! Crack Is Wack!” 1987 sealed/unopened in its original shrink wrapping: A highly sought-after 1980s record album featurin...
Offset, Lithograph
$425
H 12.9 in W 12.9 in
Robert Rauschenberg Talking Heads Speaking in Tongues (new/sealed)
By Robert Rauschenberg
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Rare unopened Robert Rauschenberg designed Talking Heads Speaking in Tongues: In 1983, legendary pop artist Robert Rauschenberg designed the album cover for Talking Heads’ acclaimed...
Lithograph, Offset
$1,000
H 12 in W 12 in
Limited Edition Coloring Book (Artist Book of 20 Bound Offset Lithographs), 1985
By Keith Haring
Located in New York, NY
Keith Haring Coloring Book (Artist Book of 20 Bound Offset Lithographs), 1985, 1986 Artist Book of 20 staple bound Offset Lithographs Plate signed on cover page; with publisher and a...
Mixed Media, Lithograph, Offset
Keith Haring Paris 1987 (Keith Haring Pompidou)
By Keith Haring
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Keith Haring Paris, 1987: Well-suited for framing, this vibrant oversized illustrated bag was designed by Keith Haring during his lifetime for the P...
Plastic, Offset, Lithograph
$8,500
H 25 in W 24.5 in D 1.5 in
BBC 4 textile (HAND SIGNED and dated by Tracey Emin) screenprinted fabric Framed
By Tracey Emin
Located in New York, NY
Tracey Emin BBC 4 textile (HAND SIGNED and dated by Tracey Emin), 2002 Limited edition screenprint on linen (uniquely signed and dated 2017 in pencil) Pencil signed and dated 2017 on...
Linen, Mixed Media, Screen
$5,500
H 40 in W 25.25 in
RETNA - Madre, dazzling Silkscreen with Crystallina (diamond dust) hand Signed/n
By RETNA
Located in New York, NY
RETNA Madre (Mother), 2023 Silkscreen and crystallina (diamond dust) on Coventry rag paper Hand signed and numbered by RETNA from the limited edition of only 75 on the front (41/75) ...
Glitter, Screen
$9,200
H 57.75 in W 6.25 in
GEOMETRIC ABSTRACT 1969 “Twin Planes” Screenprint on Canvas
By Kenneth Noland
Located in New York, NY
Kenneth Noland "Twin Planes" USA, 1969 Screenprint on canvas laminated to board From an edition of 200 6.25"H 58.75"W (artwork) Original Period frame Overall good condition 'Twin ...
Lithograph, Canvas, Screen
$850
H 19 in W 19.5 in D 1 in
Black and White Contemporary Mixed Media Wall Sculpture Shaped Female Artist
By Rachel Shelton
Located in Buffalo, NY
Unique contemporary wall work mixing monotype print making, painting, and sculpture. The striking shape and contrasting black and white colors make this unique piece shine on the ...
Acrylic, Panel, Archival Paper, Monotype
$450
H 16 in W 16 in D 1.5 in
Blue and White (Single 16 x 16 inch monotype collage mounted on wood panel)
By Christine So
Located in Oakland, CA
This minimalist patterned collage calls to mind West African indigo textiles, Japanese Shibori fabric or perhaps the work of Ellsworth Kelley. The pattern mounted on wood panel was ...
Birch, Paper, Mixed Media, Panel, Monotype, Photogram
One: Yellow
By Patrick Lichty
Located in New York, NY
Patrick is a conceptual artist, curator, and theorist exploring how media shape our perception of reality as well as the borders between the digital and the material. He is best know...
$450
H 16 in W 16 in D 1.5 in
Shades of Blue 3 (Single 16 x 16 inch monotype collage mounted on wood panel)
By Christine So
Located in Oakland, CA
This striped collage in all shades of indigo calls to mind Indonesian or Guatemalan woven textiles. The pattern mounted on wood panel was made by hand-printing, then then slicing int...
Birch, Paper, Mixed Media, Panel, Monotype, Photogram
$7,000
H 10.5 in W 13 in D 2 in
Two Screenprinted pillow cases (one hand signed by Baldessari) in bespoke box
By John Baldessari
Located in New York, NY
John Baldessari Pillow Cases in Bespoke Presentation Box (one pillowcase hand signed by John Baldessari) for The Thing Quarterly Issue 22, 2014 Silkscreen on 100% cotton 320 thread count sateen pillowcases (Hand signed by John Baldessari) Boldly signed in ink by John Baldessari on one of the pillowcases (see photo) Unframed One of the pillowcases is hand signed in ink by John Baldessari: John Baldessari was one of the artists who were invited to contribute an object (or "thing") with text for a special project for "The Thing" publication (read on for more on "The Thing") ; the conceptual object therefore had to incorporate text. Baldessari's contribution in 2014 was a silkscreened pillowcase with text. A limited (unknown) number of these pillowcases were marketed and sold as a set of two in a bespoke box. However, exceptionally, Baldessari hand signed a very few of pillowcases in ink. This is one of the very special sets bearing one hand signed pillow case - purchased directly from "The Thing". (a copy of the 2014 receipt is shown here.) The rest of these boxed sets were not hand signed. The pillowcase is brand new, and will look gorgeous once pressed and framed by a professional framer. More about this boxed set: Issue 22 of THE THING Quarterly is by LA-based conceptual artist John Baldessari. It consists of two 100% cotton sateen pillowcases featuring an image of a woman clutching a pillow. The black and white image is taken from a Hollywood film still in Baldessari's collection and has been silkscreened on each pillowcase with environmentally-friendly, water-based ink. The pillowcases are standard-sized and envelope-style. For those who like their thread count high, the issue clocks in at a solid 320 thread count. Measurements: Box 10.5 inches by 13 inches by 2 inches Pillow 20 inches vertical by 26 inches What was The Thing Quarterly? THE THING was an experimental publication created in collaboration with Will Rogan as part of an artist residency. We saw it as a quarterly periodical in the form of an object. Each year, four artists, writers, musicians or filmmakers were invited to create an everyday object that somehow incorporates text. The object is reproduced and hand wrapped at wrapping parties and then mailed to the homes of the subscribers with the help of the United States Postal Service. It began as part of an artist residency in San Francisco’s Southern Exposure. Will and I had met in grad school at UC Berkeley and discovered our mutual affinity for quarterlies. He was a librarian at SFAI for five years and I had been a high school teacher for five years. WE were both interested pushing the boundaries of publication. Our plan was to create a 1 year publication with four artists, but from the very start the project generated so much interest and international excitement that we found ourselves running a publication complete with a brick and mortar storefront and a staff of four individuals. After 10 years, 34 issues, 59 projects and countless live events, we decided to end the publication in order to pursue our individual projects. We are still working together on a less ambitious new project, and hope to launch it at some point in 2021. CONTRIBUTORS: have included John Baldessari, Dave Eggers, Miranda July...
Fabric, Cotton, Screen, Ink, Mixed Media, Cardboard
Ed Ruscha, I Can't Find My Keys Nowhere - Porcelain Plate
By Ed Ruscha
Located in Hamburg, DE
Ed Ruscha I Can't Find My Keys Nowhere, 2023 Medium: Fine bone china (plate) Dimensions: 10 1/2 in diameter 26.7 cm diameter Edition of 250: Not signed, not numbered Condition: Mint...
Porcelain
Three Quarters of What
By Ed Ruscha
Located in London, GB
Three Quarters of What, 2015 signed and dated lower right dry pigment and acrylic on paper 19 x 28.3 cm 7 1/2 x 11 1/8 in
Mixed Media