Edward Ruscha Spread 1972

Not on view

Following an invitation to participate in Documenta 5—an art exhibition that occurs every five years in Kassel, Germany—Ruscha chose to display a selection of his artist’s books, as well as a monumental drawing produced for the occasion. To make the work, he patiently rubbed chewing tobacco onto a large rectangular sheet of paper, spelling out the word spread before rendering it in reverse on the work’s back side. The drawing is hung from the ceiling so that its double-sided composition can be fully appreciated, floating like the hovering sheets and objects that Ruscha depicted in drawings of the period.

Gallery label from ED RUSCHA / NOW THEN, September 10, 2023 – January 13, 2024

Medium: Tobacco stain on both sides of paper
Dimensions: 42 x 144" (106.7 x 365.8 cm)
Credit: Purchased with funds provided by Kathy and Richard S. Fuld, Jr.
Object number: 594.2006.a-b
Copyright: © 2024 Edward Ruscha
Department: Drawings and Prints

Edward Ruscha has 254 works online.
There are 18,004 drawings online.

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