Paul Ruscha's Full Moon

by Paul Ruscha

Paul Ruscha's home is a monument to the compulsions of collecting. He has been amassing everything from appliances to office supplies since he was a typewriters, toasters, hair dryers, cameras, cocktail shakers, coffee makers, old pens, baseball caps, odd pieces of wood, and the press-apply stickers that adorn every inch of the cabinets in his overcrowded kitchen. His numbered paper inspection slips from the pockets of new items of clothing go back to the dawn of numbered paper inspection slips. And because he has spent the last 20 years working as his artist-brother Edwardïs in-house studio photographer and documentarian, the paintings, sculpture and objects mixed in with all of this ephemera are significant pieces of twentieth century art. Paul Ruscha's Full Moon is an incomplete and imprecise inventory of an eclectic, well-loved treasure-trove. Texts explicate the nature of Ruscha's attachment to various items, and recall the artists whose work is included.

263 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2006

Reviews

[Tosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book that is both art book as well as text regarding one man's art collection and what it means to him. Paul Ruscha sort of leads us by the hand (eyes) and talks about specific art works and artists - the thing is he sometimes goes off-topic that is usually hysterical or super interesting.

The other great thing about this book is Paul has a great appreciation for low-art as well as high-art. If it rocks him, it rocks him. This is how people shold collect art. He also talks about his family (he's Ed's little brother) via the collection as well. One of the better art books out there -that's for sure!

[Mira · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is funny, informative, full of stories about artists and Ruscha's life...open and honest. He is a great writer and has a knack for summing up the quirks in people in the most wordy and interesting ways.