ED RUSCHA
18 March – 16 May 2004
Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
Circular Quay West
Sydney Australia
Open daily 10am – 5pm
Admission FREE
www.mca.com.au
Image credit: Ed Ruscha, BUMP AND BUBBLE 2003, Acrylic on canvas, 162.6 x 183 cm
Courtesy of the artist and Anthony d’Offay London
ED RUSCHA, at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), is the first major Australian exhibition of work by one of America’s most influential and independent contemporary artists, Ed Ruscha. Presenting a comprehensive selection of the artist’s photographs, paintings, books and drawings from the 1960s to the present day, this exhibition includes a number of hyper-realistic paintings of snow-capped mountain peaks, superimposed with incongruous words, created especially for the MCA and subsequent exhibition venues in Rome and Berlin.
Primarily drawn from the artist’s studio, and augmented with institutional and private loans from Europe, the USA and Australia, this exhibition presents over 80 works on paper from the early 1960s, including the artist’s ongoing body of work collectively entitled The End, and 42 large-scale paintings from the late 1980s to the present day, which encompass the single word, silhouette, aerial streetscape and mountain themes for which Ruscha is so well known.
Also included are a number of photographs from Ruscha’s well-known series Parking Lots, Pools and Vacant Lots and many of the artist’s books – including Ruscha’s first publication, Twentysix Gasoline Stations (1962), which harks back to the artist’s frequent drives between Los Angeles and his family home in Oklahoma while he was at art school. Subsequent artist’s books include the equally deadpan Some Los Angeles Apartments (1965), Thirtyfour Parking Lots (1967), Nine Swimming Pools (1968) and A Few Palm Trees (1971).
In association with the exhibition Ruscha’s two rarely seen 16mm films, Premium (1971) and Miracle (1975), will be presented in a special one-night-only screening on Thursday 29 April at 6.30pm
ED RUSCHA
SPECIAL EVENTS
International Artist Lecture
Thursday 18 March, 6.30pm
One of the most important lectures to be held at the MCA this year, Ed Ruscha delivers an illustrated talk exploring his career-long interest in popular culture, typography and language.
Bookings: 02 9250 8484 or education@mca.com.au
Film Screening
Thursday 29 April, 6.30pm
Margaret Pomerantz of SBS Television’s The Movie Show hosts a special one-night only screening of Ruscha’s two rarely seen film works Premium 1971 (24 minutes) and Miracle 1975 (28 minutes). The exhibition remains open until 6.30pm, with a special pay-bar available following the screening.
Bookings: 02 9250 8484 or education@mca.com.au
The Collecting Series
Tuesday 4 May, 6.30pm
Collecting Painting is the second in a series of MCA panel discussions exploring everything you need to know about collecting painting – from making your first purchase through to caring for your collection. Collecting Painting will be chaired by Miriam Cosic, Arts Editor, The Australian. Panellists include Archibald Prize winner Adam Cullen; Vasili Kaliman (Kaliman Gallery); art consultant Amanda Love; and Gabrielle Pizzi (Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi).
Bookings: 02 9250 8484 or education@mca.com.au
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, is Australia’s leading museum dedicated to exhibiting, interpreting and collecting contemporary art from across Australia and around the world.
Located on the edge of Sydney Harbour adjacent to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Museum of Contemporary Art overlooks the Sydney Opera House and is situated within Sydney’s historic and cultural precinct, The Rocks.
The Museum of Contemporary Art presents an engaging program of exhibitions and special events on art and related issues. From major thematic exhibitions and surveys of established artists, solo exhibitions and new work by emerging artists, painting and sculpture to new media, the MCA program covers the range and diversity of contemporary art.
