“My pictures are not that interesting, they are simply a collection of facts."
The art of words and ordinary things
Pop artist Ed Ruscha is a staple of 20th-century American art. He rose to prominence in the early 1960s with his cartoon-inspired paintings like HONK (1962), OOF (1963) and SPAM (1962). At the time, Ruscha frequently made the 1000-mile road trip on Route 66 between his hometown, Oklahoma, and his chosen city, Los Angeles. On these journeys, he created the photographic series Twentysix Gasoline Stations (1963), which remains one of his most well-known works to date. Ruscha also made the series into a book and, throughout his career, has returned to the same pictures again and again – turning th...
Bio
Ed Ruscha (he/him) was born in 1937 in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. Aged 19 he moved to Los Angeles where he still lives and works today.
Graphic Design
After studying lettering, design and advertising at Chouinard Art Institute, later known as CalArts, Ruscha worked as a graphic designer at an advertising agency. He soon quit to focus on his own art but continued to freelance for many years as a sign painter, typesetter and designer.
At Auction
Ruscha’s personal auction record was broken when his 1964 oil painting, Hurting the Word Radio #2, sold for $52,485,000.
