Ed Ruscha, Helmsdale

About

The Highland Touring Circuit included Swanson Gallery, Thurso; Timespan, Helmsdale; and Inverness Museum and Art Gallery. It was the first tour within the ARTIST ROOMS programme to be facilitated by The Highland Council, and enabled the work of the pre-eminent American artist Ed Ruscha to reach audiences across the Scottish Highlands, building on existing partnerships from Lochaber to Caithness.

Since the 1960s Ruscha has drawn on advertising slogans, pithy phrases and literary texts to explore American popular culture, particularly that of Hollywood and the West Coast. 'Major Works from Four Decades' featured works on paper made in the period between 1962 and 2005. Standout pieces in the exhibition included Red Rooster 1996, Dirty Baby 1976,Hollywood Tantrum 1979, Mad Scientist 1975 and Standard Study #3 1963. Taken together, these works demonstrated how this Los Angeles-based artist revolutionised our understanding of the relationship between written and visual symbols.