# 28189

RUSCHA, Ed (1937 - )

Nine swimming pools and a broken glass

$1,650.00 AUD

  • Ask a question

[Los Angeles] : the artist, 1968. Octavo (181 x 140 mm), lettered white wrappers, glassine dustjacket, pp. [64] (10 pages with photographic illustrations, 52 blank pages, title page and copyright page), printed by Blair Litho., Los Angeles, on white paper. First edition, printed in an edition of 2400 copies (a second printing issued in 1976).

A fine, clean, unmarked copy in fine glassine jacket.

‘Although he considers himself primarily a painter, Ruscha has worked across a variety of mediums – printmaker, draftsman, photographer, film-maker, book-maker. His series of photographic artist books which began in 1962 with ‘Twentysix gasoline stations’ were incredibly popular upon release and remain highly influential. The majority of these books reflect his visual engagement with the banal spectacle of Los Angeles – a city he has described in as “the ultimate card-board cut out town” [‘A conversation with Edward Ruscha’, R Landau & J Pashdag from ‘Leave any information at the signal’ MIT Press 2004 p244]. With his ‘no-style’ photography Ruscha has documented the milieu of gas stations, hotel swimming pools, apartments, parking lots and the ‘strip’ of iconic Sunset Boulevard, delivering deadpan images to match predetermined book titles that are as bold as they are bland. His laid-back factual photography and choice of book format was a considered element. The flatness of the page directs our eyes to consider the graphic qualities of his subject, the busy yet blank facades of the Los Angeles environment.’ – Art Gallery of New South Wales https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/432.2008.a-m/

Reference :

Engberg, Siri.  Edward Ruscha: Editions 1959-1999 : catalogue raisonne. Minneapolis : Walker Art Centre, 1999.

Engberg B8