Details

Provenance

Alexander Iolas Gallery, New York

Exhibited

New York, Alexander Iolas Gallery, Ed Ruscha: Gunpowder Drawings , December 1967 - January 1968

Literature

Edward Ruscha, They Called Her Styrene, London, 2000, n.p., illustrated Condition This work is in very good condition overall. The sheet is hinged at the top on the reverse to the backing board. There is some pale time staining to the sheet. The sheet undulates very slightly along the top edge. Framed under Plexiglas. In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE. Catalogue Note "True to his commitment to the commonplace, the works - PEE PEE, NASHVILLE, RUSTIC PINES - reference a popular vernacular, with their respective connotations of adolescent humor, rock or country music, and a romantic hideaway in the woods. Gunpowder, as opposed to graphite, was a medium Ruscha could correct and control, rubbing the fine dry powder with cotton puffs into the fibers of a rag paper. As effortless, even virtuoso, as these works appear, they demanded a fastidious execution consisting of the application of many successive layers of gunpowder and fixative." Margit Rowell quoted in Exh. Cat., Cotton Puffs, Q-Tips, Smoke and Mirrors: The Drawings of Ed Ruscha , Whitney Museum of American Art, 2004, p. 16

Catalog summary

Ed Ruscha Wee Wee signed, dated 1967 and inscribed gp gunpowder on paper 13 1/4 by 21 7/8 in. 33.6 by 55.4 cm. Executed in 1967, this work will be included in a forthcoming volume of Edward Ruscha: Catalogue Raisonné of the Works on Paper. Provenance Alexander Iolas Gallery, New York Exhibited New York, Alexander Iolas Gallery, Ed Ruscha: Gunpowder Drawings , December 1967 - January 1968 Literature Edward Ruscha, They Called Her Styrene, London, 2000, n.p., illustrated Condition This work is in very good condition overall. The sheet is hinged at the top on the reverse to the backing board. There is some pale time staining to the sheet. The sheet undulates very slightly along the top edge. Framed under Plexiglas. In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE. Catalogue Note "True to his commitment to the commonplace, the works - PEE PEE, NASHVILLE, RUSTIC PINES - reference a popular vernacular, with their respective connotations of adolescent humor, rock or country music, and a romantic hideaway in the woods. Gunpowder, as opposed to graphite, was a medium Ruscha could correct and control, rubbing the fine dry powder with cotton puffs into the fibers of a rag paper. As effortless, even virtuoso, as these works appear, they demanded a fastidious execution consisting of the application of many successive layers of gunpowder and fixative." Margit Rowell quoted in Exh. Cat., Cotton Puffs, Q-Tips, Smoke and Mirrors: The Drawings of Ed Ruscha , Whitney Museum of American Art, 2004, p. 16