Ed Ruscha
dal 26/5/2010 al 4/9/2010
Segnalato da
26/5/2010
Ed Ruscha
Moderna Museet, Stockholm
The exhibition is largely hung in chronological order and the paintings are grouped thematically. Between these themes, new connections arise; many mutual bonds have been made in the course of half a century of painting. Ed Ruscha's oeuvre shows a strong consistency; his method of rummaging through our culture for material makes this exhibition an incisive and ever-morphing portrayal of Los Angeles, and thus, in a broader sense, of our time.
Curated by Lars Nittve and Ann-Sofi Noring
Ed Ruscha, born in 1937, is an icon of modern art and exceedingly prolific to this day. His paintings are ambiguous and provocative, recycling scraps from popular culture and redefining established genres. Is he one of the first pop artists, a trail-blazer of conceptual art, a late surrealist, a pioneer of postmodernism, or a bit of everything, all rolled into one?
Ed Ruscha started out in graphic design, photography and film-making; ever since he left the Midwest for California, however, painting has been his main focus. This exhibition presents works ranging from his debut at the famous Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles, Documenta Kassel and the Venice Biennale, to the present day, when new generations are discovering his radical oeuvre.
The ostensibly commonplace subject matter, as though taken from an advertising campaign or shot from the driver’s seat, is inserted in new painterly contexts: early portraits of words, absurdly realistic paintings of mountain ranges and petrol stations, and later, more monumental works where complete sentences are contrasted against a dreamlike background. His works reveal a characteristic fascination for the power and enigma of language, and feature sharp paradoxes, ambiguities and contradictions. Ed Ruscha shifts the meaning of what we see, right before our eyes, and says: The most an artist can do is to start something and not give the whole story. That’s what makes mystery.
The exhibition is largely hung in chronological order and the paintings are grouped thematically. Between these themes, new connections arise; many mutual bonds have been made in the course of half a century of painting. Ed Ruscha’s oeuvre shows a strong consistency; his method of rummaging through our culture for material makes this exhibition an incisive and ever-morphing portrayal of Los Angeles, and thus, in a broader sense, of our time.
Ruscha is a legendary artist in the USA, and especially in California, where he finds his subject matter. For many years, he has enjoyed the esteem of European pop art lovers and is now definitely one of the world’s most highly acclaimed artists, and in great demand. Moreover, he has never before been featured in a solo exhibition in Sweden.
Exhibition organised by Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, London in association with Moderna Museet, Stockholm.
Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, London, 14 October 2009-10 January 2010
Haus der Kunst, Munchen, 12 February-2 May 2010
Moderna Museet, Stockholm, 29 May-5 September 2010
Image: Norms, La Cienega, on Fire, 1964 © Ed Ruscha Photo: Paul Ruscha
Press Secretary
Maria Morberg tel +46 8 51955200 e-mail m.morberg@modernamuseet.se
Press preview on 27 May, 10 am-12 pm
The exhibition will be introduced by Ed Ruscha himself, the director of Moderna Museet, Lars Nittve, and Ann-Sofi Noring, head of Art & Learning.
Artist Talk with Ed Ruscha on Friday 28 May at 16.
Moderna Museet
Island of Skeppsholmen - Stockholm
Hours: Tue 10-20
Wed-Sun 10-18, Mon closed
Admission:
80 SEK / 60 SEK (reduced price)
Free admission for those 18 and under