Ed Ruscha's list of photos for his artist book "Royal Road Test." Image courtesy Harry Ransom Center.
Los Angeles-based artist Edward Ruscha’s archive now belongs to the Harry Ransom Center, a humanities research library and museum at the University of Texas at Austin. Eighty percent of the $2 million cost was covered by donors, the center’s Jennifer Tisdale told A.i.A. by phone today.
The acquired materials include journals, sketches and notes that detail the development of his various books, from his earliest, the groundbreaking Twentysix Gasoline Stations (1962), to more recent projects, such as his 2010 interpretation of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. The archive also includes his portfolios and various art commissions. The collection will accessible in the Ransom Center’s reading room.
In a statement, Ruscha expressed optimism over the acquisition and its intended impact: “The Ransom Center is committed to the idea of having the public share in these treasures through exhibits and also encouraging scholarship by allowing the study of these important materials and subjects. The thought that my working documentation could be in this magnificent repository is a wonderful honor and destination of great respect. I now see that the Ransom Center is the home to end all homes.”
