Edward Ruscha

Ace Gallery, Los Angeles
Acquired by the present owner from the above

Los Angeles, ARCO Center for Visual Art, Ed Ruscha: New Works, January - February 1981
Vancouver, Ace Gallery, Edward Ruscha: Recent Paintings, June - July 1981

Kay Larson, "Art," Village Voice, n.p., 1980
Peter Schjeldahl, "Edward Ruscha," Arts + Architecture, Vol. 1, no. 3, Auguest 1982, p. 25, illustrated in color
Robert Dean, ed., Edward Ruscha: Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings, Volume Two: 1971 - 1982, New York, 2004, cat. no. P1980.26, pp. 348-349, illustrated in color

This work is in very good condition overall. There is evidence of light wear and handling at the edges with very fine craquelure at the pull margins. There is a 2 inch hairline abrasion located 7 inches from the top edge and 20 ½ inches from the right edge. Under ultra violet light inspection there is no evidence of restoration. Unframed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
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"I've been influenced by the movies, particularly the panoramic-ness of the wide screen. The wide screen says something about my work." Ed Ruscha, June 1989

Set against a sublime expanse rendered in hues of intense blue, the instantly recognizable form of Ed Ruscha's stoic typeset script enumerate the numbers 1981 and the word Future. Floating above the arcing horizon that spans the composition and intersects both bottom corners, the directional pull of these two text assemblages echo the form of the curve. Consequently the text is integrated into the composition while also remaining entirely detached from the pictorial context. There are no specific or deterministically literal associations here, as the artist himself has said: "Sometimes found words are the most pure because they have nothing to do with you. I take things as I find them. A lot of these things come from the noise of everyday life." (Ed Ruscha, ed., They Called Her Styrene, London 2000).

This panoramic work is a serene rendition of Ruscha's renowned Pop aesthetic, combining his delicately nuanced composition of space with his profound enquiry into the possibilities of text and language. Embodying a distinctive West Coast Pop sensibility, Ruscha forges new modes of enlisting pre-fabricated imagery and language drawn from popular culture. Having once worked as a sign painter, graphic designer, and type-setter in LA in the mid fifties, Ruscha harbors a deep affinity for the aesthetics of typology and the formalism of letters as purely aesthetic shapes. At the same time his work engages a Duchampian subversion of meaning; his works undermining established semiotic sign systems by de-contextualizing their linguistic ready-mades. 1981 – Future is a highly resolved demonstration of these multi-varied artistic themes and a stunning summary of Ruscha's highly influential output.