Over 50 years
Russ has been working on
Book project catalogue.

This book focuses on Ed Ruscha's (born 1937) interest in the "act of reading" and his special relationship with artist books, which he has been exploring for 50 years. It was published in conjunction with the "Reading Ed Ruscha" exhibition held in 2012 at the Kunsthaus Bregenz, built by Peter Zumthor (Zumthor) on the shores of Lake Constance. It contains 400 color images, including plates of exhibitions and installations.

Since 1961, when Rucha, who now lives in California, exhibited his first word painting in Paris, words and phrases have frequently appeared as symbols and motifs in his paintings. He has also painted many books as objects. In the process of pursuing the "act of reading" in his own way, Rucha produced 16 small artist books (Twentysix Gasoline Stations, Various Small Fires, etc.) between 1962 and 1978, which are legendary in the world of artist books. This book contains all the pages of all 16 books.

In the preface, Canadian novelist, playwright, and visual artist Douglas Coupland looks at Ruscha's texts through the lens of literature and poetry, while art historian Beatrice von Bismarck writes an essay reexamining the book as a work of art, a publication, and an exhibition. Yilmaz Dziewior, the curator who edited the book, provides an overview of Ruscha's words and the relationship of artist books to Ruscha. This is the best book you can find to get to know Ruscha.


Text by Kushida Osamu