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NEW YORK — Ed Ruscha (b. 1937-) has been closely associated with the Pop Art movement but his work transcends Pop, having roots in Dadaism, Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism while aligning with Conceptual art. Known for his inventive oeuvre that elevates mere words to art forms, his work spans painting, printmaking, film, drawing and photography. Ruscha has been experimenting with prints for more than 50 years, and for about as long, eager collectors have acquired Ruscha prints for reasonable sums.

Prints by blue-chip and well-known artists are more affordable to collect than their original paintings, and are the time-honored entry point for collectors of fine art. In recent years, however, the market has grown. Prices have continued to climb and demand has continued to escalate for these works.

Gagosian, the Los Angeles gallery that represents Ed Ruscha, noted on its website that his prints explore a wide array of themes, from language and typography to architecture. “Ranging freely across materials both traditional and unconventional, Ruscha’s printmaking is a fluid forum for his spirited investigation of what a limited-edition artwork can be. Attracted to the reproducibility and happy accidents specific to the medium, Ruscha began making lithographic editions in the early 1960s, infusing the Pop and Conceptual sensibilities of the time with vernacular wit and melancholy.”

Ruscha has said he is fond of taking things out of context, and considers it one of his tools as an artist to make subject matter out of that which has not been generally considered subject matter. Words have been among Ruscha’s most enduring artistic themes. He creates still lifes, of sorts, out of language and impels the viewer to consider not only the meaning of the words but how people communicate with each other. They are often referred to as “liquid word” artworks for the way the painted words appear, fluidly and as if in motion. Ruscha both paints and makes prints of words and phrases that pique his curiosity and artistic sensibilities. Whether they are one-syllable words such as Ripe or Mint, or phrases such as Off We Go, the artist has found a nearly endless source of inspiration in language.

One of his best-known prints is of the word US peeking out behind stalks of grass and barley; the line “amber waves of grain” from America the Beautiful immediately comes to mind when viewing this piece. A 1994 Mixografía print in colors from a numbered edition of 75 of US earned $27,500 plus the buyer’s premium in November 2022 at Santa Monica Auctions. Ruscha has printed many artworks at the Mixografía studio in Los Angeles, which developed a unique technique to create highly dimensional fresco-like prints, using wet handmade paper.

According to the Tate, which has in its collection a similar example, the serif letters are darker in their center, blurring and fading to a hazy outline at the edges. In this manner, the letters almost appear to be pulsing outwards and both the text and the grasses are leaning to the right.

Ruscha not only pays attention to the presentation of the text but carefully considers the context of the canvas. Such works typically feature monochromatic backgrounds that enhance the words displayed but also echo the themes, such as in Rusty Signs, Dead End I, a 2014 Mixografía print in colors on handmade paper. The stenciled letters Dead End, all capitalized, appear as if this was a road sign spotted on some dusty backwoods road, set on a mottled rusty colored background. The print realized $10,000 plus the buyer’s premium at Rago Arts and Auction Center in November 2021.

Ruscha’s liquid word images are some of his most conceptual works due to the way he depicts the letters conveying a feeling. Viewers can almost feel the letters zoom by in Turbo Tears, a 2020 lithograph in colors, which achieved $8,500 plus the buyer’s premium in September 2023 at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA). The signed work came from the Tate Modern 21 Years print portfolio and is 84 out of an edition of 120. The price is strong given its place in the edition, as many collectors prefer low-numbered works.

An unusual entry among his prints is a 1981 screenprint profile not of words but of a young woman. Titled Profile of Miss Clark, it brought $5,500 plus the buyer’s premium at Santa Monica Auctions in November 2022. Ruscha dated several actresses in the early 1980s, including Candy Clark, in the time between divorcing his wife in 1978 and remarrying her in 1987. The subject matter is perhaps not as visually striking as his language-based works, but as this is a signed printer’s proof outside the numbered edition of 22 — and included in his catalogue raisonné — the work proved tempting to collectors.

Ruscha finds much of his inspiration in California’s urban architecture and cityscapes, particularly signs and textural materials. Perhaps even paying homage to his Nebraska upbringing is his Mixografía relief diptych print New Wood, Old Wood, which sold for $4,500 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2023 at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA). The 2007 print is numbered 30 out of an edition of 75.

One fine early print that sold comfortably within its estimate is also devoid of any text. The signed 1971 lithograph I’m Amazed, sizable among his prints at 40 by 60in, realized $3,000 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2020 at Greenwich Auction. This work came from his Fourteen Big Prints portfolio.

Whether Ruscha is turning words into abstract compositions as commentary on pop culture and consumerism or creating images that compel audiences to hone their interpretive skills, his prints enhance and further his legacy as an artist. And, just as important if not more so, they ensure that his art remains accessible to a wide range of collectors and not solely the uber-wealthy.

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