Ed Ruscha – VERY

With his iconic interpretations of American society, Ed Ruscha (* 1937) stands out as one of the most prominent figures of 20th century American art. His art is closely associated with cool and elegant representations of stylized gas stations, Hollywood logos and archetypal landscapes. Since the beginning of the 1960s no one else has so radically interpreted the development of modern visual culture in and around L.A. where the artist lives and works. Deriving his motifs from the perspective of the road, the windshield and the movie screen, his works give a distinctive sense of the huge, flat city space located in the desert. Featuring over 50 works from the UBS Art Collection, the exhibition catalogue covers not only the time from c. 1960 onward, but also the technically and graphically innovative approaches that Ruscha has made use of over the years, including studies for his most iconic paintings and artist books. Taking its title from one of Ruscha's "word-pictures" VERY, the publication includes an essay written by George Condo and the curator of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art's interview with the artist.