Ed Ruscha: Ribbon Words

The is the first publication to focus on Ed Ruscha's (born 1937) Ribbon Word works, begun in 1966. It features reproductions of more than 50 masterpieces, along with three essays by the show's curator Dieter Buchhart, as well as contributions by Glenn O'Brien and Alexandra Schwartz, highlighting the works' wide array of subtle color and nuanced drawing technique, and showing how Ruscha's paper ribbons became three-dimensional, illusionistic objects. Ruscha developed this body of work from calligraphic lines and cursive handwriting in order to give his drawings the appearance of three-dimensional forms. His imaginary ribbon-word objects provoke multiple cultural meanings as they suggest sculptures modeled by light. Ruscha's breathtaking work, using an inimitable trompe l'oeil technique with the application of gunpowder, constitutes a major contribution to 20th-century art.