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Edward Ruscha

Anchovy

Maker

Edward Ruscha (American, b. 1937), designer
Serge Lozingot, printer
Tamarind Lithography Workshop, publisher

Title

Anchovy

Year

1969

Medium

  • color lithograph

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Color lithograph

Materials

color lithograph

Supports

  • Heavy weight cream calendered Rives BFK wove paper

Dimensions

Plate: 48.4 x 71.6 cm (19 1/16 x 28 3/16 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Original-Recto:numbered in pencil in LL:20/20; signed and dated in LR:E. Ruscha 1969 Verso:in pencil numbered above Tamarind chopmark:2550; inscribed to the right of Tamarind chop:CALENDERED RIVES BFK

Marks: Publisher chopmark in LR Tamarind Lithography Workshop Printer chopmark in LR: LS ("L" over "S") Serge Lozinge

Identification

Edition

20/20

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Twentieth Century Graphics Fund

Object Number

72.075

Type

  • Prints

Publications

  • Books

Selection III: Contemporary Graphics

Exhibition History

The Primacy of Paper
Recent Works from the Collection
Jan 15, 2010 – Jun 20, 2010

Label copy

Ed Ruscha’s fascination with words and the function of language has spanned his career. In his prints of the late 1960s, he toyed with words as both subject and object, choosing to highlight single words based on their phonetic qualities and evocative power. The word “anchovy,” placed against a monochromatic background with letters seemingly composed from spilled liquid, makes a humorous allusion to a fish swimming in water. By evoking a strange sort of familiarity, Ruscha creates an aura of the surreal that further accentuates the word as a physical entity.

A Special Genius
Contemporary American Graphics from the Museum's Collection
Sep 01, 1976 – Oct 03, 1976
Selection III
Contemporary Graphics from the Museum's Collection
Apr 05, 1973 – May 06, 1973

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

In copyright This object is in copyright

Tombstone

Edward Ruscha (American, b. 1937), designer
Serge Lozingot, printer
Tamarind Lithography Workshop, publisher
Anchovy, 1969
Color lithograph
Plate: 48.4 x 71.6 cm (19 1/16 x 28 3/16 inches)
Twentieth Century Graphics Fund 72.075

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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