Ed Rusha's Los Angeles: Ed Ruscha

Ed Ruscha – Ed Ruscha’s Los Angeles
Hardcover Monograph | First Edition, 2010 | MIT Press / The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
By Alexandra Schwartz

Part of the acclaimed October Files series, Ed Ruscha’s Los Angeles by Alexandra Schwartz is a critical deep dive into the cultural and artistic impact of Ed Ruscha, framed through the lens of the city he mythologized. This scholarly yet accessible volume explores how Los Angeles—its sprawl, signage, highways, and vernacular—became both medium and muse for one of America’s most influential conceptual artists.

Through a curated selection of essays by leading critics and art historians—including Douglas Crimp, Lawrence Alloway, and David Hickey—the book contextualizes Ruscha’s work within contemporary art history, conceptualism, and the broader mythology of the American West. From his iconic word paintings to his self-published photography books, Ed Ruscha’s Los Angeles captures the layered relationship between place, language, and image.

Features:

• Part of the MIT Press October Files series (No. 15)

• Includes contributions from Douglas Crimp, Anne Rorimer, Jeff Wall, Dave Hickey, and others

• Edited and introduced by Alexandra Schwartz

• Ideal for scholars, collectors, and fans of West Coast art, Pop, and Conceptualism

Edition Notes:

• Hardcover with dust jacket

• 200 pages | 6 x 9 inches

• First edition, 2010

• ISBN: 9780262195882

• Published by The MIT Press in association with The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles

Intelligent, incisive, and deeply rooted in both place and practice, Ed Ruscha’s Los Angeles is essential reading for anyone looking to understand the lasting impact of Ruscha’s vision—and the city that made it possible.