Author Description

This catalogue was published on the occasion of Ed Ruscha: Paintings at Gagosian, 541 West 24th Street, New York, an exhibition of new paintings by the artist. In these works, rendered with great delicacy and detail in idiosyncratic formats, Ruscha revisits the leitmotifs of the flag, the tire, and the mountain. The flag becomes newly distorted in RIPPLING FLAG (2020), this time abnormally widened to extend past the frame, its flowing surface creating twisted shapes and shadows over the red and white stripes. A shredded tire tread, or "gator," hovers over a barren, red-skied landscape in Hardscrabble (2020). And in new mountain paintings, Ruscha presents one of his archetypal snowy ranges, but inverts one of the peaks so that it appears to descend from the sky. Alongside reproductions of the eight paintings and installation photography, the publication includes a new essay by Tom McCarthy. Exhibition: Gagosian, 541 West 24th Street, New York, USA (14.11.2020 - 23.01.2021).