Ed Ruscha: Extremes and In-betweens

This book was published on the occasion of Ed Ruscha: Extremes and In-betweens at Gagosian, Grosvenor Hill, London, an exhibition of paintings completed in 2015 and 2016. One set of paintings features an interplay of words and meanings, with terms arranged in ascending and descending spatial and temporal hierarchies. Another group of four large-scale paintings on paper depicts mountains, a motif that has recurred in Ruscha’s work since the 1990s. These paintings of mountain peaks also include groups of relational words and are vignetted, suggesting cinematic associations.

The catalogue is fully illustrated with color plates and details of the sixteen paintings, along with photographs of the installation. Essays by Yve-Alain Bois and Ben Eastham consider the symbolism and correspondences of the series, positioning it in relation to concepts of modernity and Ruscha’s larger oeuvre.