Ed Ruscha (b. 1937). Hollywood Sunset, 1983. Dry pigment on paper. 10-1/2 x 31-1/2 inches (26.7 x 80.0 cm). Signed and d...

Description

Ed Ruscha (b. 1937)
Hollywood Sunset, 1983
Dry pigment on paper
10-1/2 x 31-1/2 inches (26.7 x 80.0 cm)
Signed and dated lower right: Ed Ruscha 1983

PROVENANCE:
The artist;
Collection of Patricia Casado, Los Angeles California, gift from the above.

LITERATURE:
L. Turvey, ed., Edward Ruscha: Catalogue Raisonné of the Works on Paper, Volume Two: 1977-1997, New York 2018, no. D1983.33, p. 171, illustrated in color.

Hollywood, both as a physical location and as a symbol, had a profound influence on Ruscha's work. Moving to Los Angeles in the 1950s, Ruscha became fascinated by the city's sprawling urbanism, its signage, and its manufactured glamour. Hollywood represented not just the film industry, but a larger-than-life dreamscape filled with contradictions; beauty and decay, success and illusion. These themes found expression in his consistent use of bold typography and vernacular language, transforming commercial imagery into poetic meditations on American culture.

By the 1980s, Ruscha had already established himself as a master of text-based art, and Hollywood Sunset and Blue Hollywood are both an homage and a critique of California's notable city. They acknowledge the allure of the city, the infamous Hollywood sign that is instantly recognizable and a bucket list checkmark for tourists around the world. The term "Hollywood" operates on multiple levels: it is both a geographic location and a cultural symbol synonymous with glamour, artifice, and mass entertainment. While the typography evokes the cool detachment of commercial signage, the atmospheric backgrounds introduce an unexpected emotional resonance. Ruscha's deliberate use of a fading light source translates the cultural phenomenon of Hollywood into a visual metaphor for transience, fame, and the instability of the American dream.

Ruscha's choice of medium is telling. Dry pigment gives the work a powdery, luminous quality. Unlike the sharp edges of his oil canvases, the pigments in Hollywood Sunset diffuse softly across the surface, evoking the hazy glow of dusk. The medium allows for subtle gradations of color, suggesting both the smoggy atmosphere of Los Angeles and the fleeting radiance of a Californian sunset. Ruscha embraces this fragility, allowing the surface to echo the transience of his subject. The letters are bold, monumental, yet they emerge from a backdrop that is fading, smudged, slipping toward night. In this tension, the work captures the essence of Los Angeles itself; grand, iconic, yet perpetually at risk of vanishing into its own myth.

Ruscha's Hollywood Sunset and Blue Hollywood are striking works that encapsulate his fascination with language, landscape, and the cultural mythos of Los Angeles. These works bring together two of Ruscha's enduring motifs: the monumental use of text and the atmospheric rendering of the Western sky.


More information about Ed Ruscha. See also: Ruscha, Ed, Edward Ruscha, Ruscha, Edward Joseph Artist.



*Heritage Auctions strives to provide as much information as possible but encourages in-person inspection by bidders. Statements regarding the condition of objects are only for general guidance and should not be relied upon as complete statements of fact, and do not constitute a representation, warranty or assumption of liability by Heritage. Some condition issues may not be noted in the condition report but are apparent in the provided photos which are considered part of the condition report. Please note that we do not de-frame lots estimated at $1,000 or less and may not be able to provide additional details for lots valued under $500. Heritage does not guarantee the condition of frames and shall not be liable for any damage/scratches to frames, glass/acrylic coverings, original boxes, display accessories, or art that has slipped in frames. All lots are sold "AS IS" under the Terms & Conditions of Auction.