Various Homages to Ed Ruscha

Though it is not quite accurate to say Ed Ruscha invented the artist’s book—that would neglect several others who can also claim some credit—but his laconically titled, apparently artless little books with their instantly recognizable design and typography established the template for artist’s books as we know them today. Even so, it is striking how many artists have since made books specifically referencing his. The publication of Burning Small Fires may have made Bruce Nauman the first to contest and acknowledge Ruscha’s model with a book of his own but he was hardly the last. This catalog compiles eleven other books that together demarcate a typology. In a nod to a well-known motif it might be called “Ruscha standard.” Collectively these books demonstrate the degree to which the straightforward “huh” inducing plainness of Ruscha’s formidable precedent continues to shape the ongoing development of the artist’s book. For a copy of the catalog please get in touch with us via email: info@GHbookseller.com