Ed Ruscha Note For Sale

About this work

Ed Ruscha remains one of the most influential figures to emerge from the Los Angeles art scene of the 1960s, his work serving as a critical bridge between Pop Art and Conceptualism. His investigation of language, typography, and the American vernacular landscape has secured his position in major institutional collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Tate Modern. Ruscha's prints, in particular, have demonstrated consistent strength on the secondary market, reflecting sustained collector demand for his graphic works. Note, executed in 2018, exemplifies Ruscha's continued engagement with text-based imagery and unconventional materials. The five-color screenprint on sandpaper presents a characteristic interplay between word and surface, the industrial grit of the substrate lending tactile complexity to the printed image. This material choice reflects Ruscha's longstanding interest in substrates that carry their own visual and conceptual weight—a practice he has explored since his experiments with organic materials in the 1960s and 1970s. The sandpaper surface disrupts the expected smoothness of traditional printmaking, introducing an element of resistance that transforms the reading experience into something more physical and deliberate. Issued in an edition of eighty-five, this work offers accessibility to Ruscha's practice while maintaining the scarcity that collectors seek. The modest scale of nine by eleven inches concentrates the viewer's attention on the essential relationship between text, texture, and meaning that has defined Ruscha's career across six decades. For acquisition inquiries regarding this work, please contact Guy Hepner.