By Menachem Wecker
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| Detail of "Evil" by Ed Ruscha, screenprint on wood veneer, 1973, 19 7/8" x 30 1/8", featured in "Ed Ruscha: OKLA," running Feb. 18 to July 5, 2021 at Oklahoma Contemporary (Courtesy of the artist and Gagosian) |
If Ed Ruscha's name is unfamiliar, you're in extensive company. Since 2015, Google searches for obsolete mimeographs have outpaced those for the Catholic-born octogenarian, whom museums practically venerate, from the London Tate to Los Angeles' Broad. For those who extol price tags, a 1964 Ruscha oil painting sold in Nov. 2019 for nearly $52.5 million. Even less common, Oklahoma Contemporary addresses Ruscha's Catholicism. Of 70 exhibited works, 10 appear in a section named for one of them, "51% Angel, 49% Devil" (1984). Catholic ceremony and visual icons have affected him subtly and appear occasionally in his work. "I am a confirmed atheist today, but the church helped me get where I am." [More]