Ed Ruscha: An Archive Of Projects

Featuring a specially created cover by Ruscha, this book documents hundreds of diverse projects and ephemera produced by the artist alongside his major work, including installations, films, painted book covers, contour measurement profiles, and more.
Introducing readers to the astonishing breadth of Edward Ruschas’ (b. 1937) lifelong creative output, this book includes materials dating back to his childhood and extending to his present production. The projects presented here fall outside of Ruscha’s output of paintings, drawings, prints, and artist’s books. Many of them are previously unknown, and most are reproduced here for the first time. Comprised of three sections—Projects and Ephemera; Contour Gauge Profiles; and Painted Book Covers—the book offers Ruscha enthusiasts and scholars a hitherto unknown aspect of Ruscha’s practice, while also showing how these projects coincide with, and sometimes even prefigure, the artistic work for which he is best known. The approximately 270 Painted Book Covers, begun in 1990, use found books as supports for small paintings and drawings. The 57 Contour Gauge Profiles are silhouette-shaped profiles made by a mechanical device for reproducing contours. The largest section, Projects and Ephemera, consists of installations, sculptures and objects, films, book and poster design, utilitarian works and more.