As a seasoned art enthusiast who has had the privilege of traversing through the annals of contemporary art history, I must say that Ed Ruscha’s “Standard Station, Ten-Cent Western Being Torn in Half” is a true masterpiece that encapsulates the essence of post-war American art. Having witnessed numerous exhibitions and auctions over the years, I can confidently assert that this painting stands tall amidst the pantheon of Ruscha’s works.
In the upcoming Christie’s auction, Ed Ruscha’s famous artwork titled “Standard Station, Ten-Cent Western Being Torn in Half“, created during the 1960s and his last large-scale painting from that period, is expected to fetch a price of approximately $50 million USD. This masterpiece was showcased in the touring retrospective exhibition “ED RUSCHA / NOW THEN“, which was displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and later at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The artwork is being sold by its current owner, Sid R. Bass, a Texas oil heir who acquired it through a trade for another Ruscha painting back in 1976.
Often referred to as the pioneer of modern Los Angeles art, Edward Ruscha arrived in the City of Angels from Oklahoma in 1956 to study at Chouinard Art Institute (now known as the California Institute of the Arts). He drew inspiration from ordinary freeways, flat buildings, and quirky signage, incorporating them into his abstract paintings, where he’d intertwine witty wordplay. This fascination with the everyday began during his journeys along iconic Route 66, highlighting seemingly unimportant subjects like gas stations. In his work Standard Station, Ruscha presents a roadside facility transformed into an architectural landmark, thus turning it into an icon in itself. As he once stated, “It seems to grow grander before your eyes.” This was the painting’s purpose, although its roots were humorously intended.
Max Carter, Vice Chairman of Christie’s, described ‘Standard Station, Ten-Cent Western Being Torn in Half‘ as a remarkable fusion and culmination of the artist’s early 1960s masterpieces. He noted that it is both monumental and filled with contradictions, symbolizing the post-war era, the American West, and the world of art in the United States. If this painting achieves its estimated price, it will come very close to tying the auction record for a Rucsha work, as ‘Hurting the Word Radio #2‘ (1964) currently holds the top spot, having sold for $52.5m at Christie’s in 2019.
Christie’s 20th Century Evening Sale will begin on November 19.
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2024-10-15 22:56