NYC Fair Team Favorites | Ed Ruscha at MoMA

New Yorkers are lucky to have access to some of the best art museums in the world. However, with so many amazing shows to see, it can be difficult to make the room in your calendar to take in everything you want.

To help you decide your next artful day out, we sent Affordable Art Fair NYC Fair Director, Erin Schuppert, to the show at MoMA, ED RUSCHA / NOW THEN, to find her favorite pieces. This show is open through January 13, 2024, so make your way to MoMA to get inspired! 

“ED RUSCHA / NOW THEN  will feature over 200 works in mediums–including painting, drawing, prints, photography, artist’s books, film, and installation–that make use of everything from gunpowder to chocolate.”

– MoMA, ED RUSCHA / NOW THEN

This exhibition provides visitors with a fresh way of looking at a body of work that has aided the inspiration of multiple generations of artists in all disciplines, from architecture to design, or literature to filmmaking. You’ll be treated to Ruscha’s postwar contributions, with a focus on the more underground elements that make up his career spanning six decades.

Explore Erin’s Favorites

Friction and Wear

In the 80s, Ruscha was taking inspiration for his text from films, books, overheard conversations, and television ads. I liked this work for the very sterile way the almost scientific language evokes something sensual.

“…language evokes something sensual.”

Babycakes Suspended

Being in this exhibition, you really get a sense of Ruscha’s sense of humor. This work on paper depicts a book that the artist made two years earlier consisting of images of desserts alternating with images of babies. The use of gunpowder as a medium to depict something so fragile and innocent is also interesting. 

Hurting the Word Radio

The tromp l’oeil effect of the word “RADIO” being squeezed by a c-clamp makes me feel sort of nostalgic for a time I did not even experience. By the mid-sixties, the radio was already phasing out to make room for television, but it was also a time of rock and roll and pop brilliance. 

“…makes me feel sort of nostalgic for a time I did not even experience.”

Tulsa Slut

The text in this work is a palindrome, which means it can be read forwards and backwards. Ruscha has placed in against a symmetrical, mirrored image of snowy mountains. It’s at once silly and serene, trivial and monumental. 

“at once silly and serene, trivial and monumental.”

Painkillers, Tranquilizers, Olive

Some of the surrealist works were a nice break from the text-based works. This one caught my eye for being evocative of a sad party. The olive seems to be sitting against this red gradient background while the pills bounce or float just behind it. It reminds me of an adult Fantasia sequence where inanimate objects are brought to life in an ominous way.

Museum shows are a great way to get some style inspiration before your visit to an Affordable Art Fair. As in the case of Ed Ruscha’s exhibition, you’re invited to look back at past styles influenced by a time of radical change and, in turn, inform your own taste based on the emotions stirred.

Find it at Affordable Art Fair

Looking for a similar vibe at Affordable Art Fair NYC? Here’s a taste of some artworks that were featured in our most recent editions of the fair that fit a similar aesthetic.

Make your way to MoMa before January 13, then keep ’em peeled for the Affordable Art Fair NYC Spring ticket drop coming soon! Be the first to hear about ticket information, exclusive offers, and artful inspiration by signing up to our newsletter ?