Provenance
Ace Gallery, Los Angeles
Exhibited
Seattle, Richard Hines Gallery, Opening Exhibition, 1978
San Francisco, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, I Don't Want No Retrospective: The Works of Edward Ruscha, 25 March-23 May 1982, then traveled to New York, Whitney Museum of American Art (8 July-5 September 1982), Vancouver, Vancouver Art Gallery (4 October-28 November 1982), San Antonio, San Antonio Museum of Art (27 December 1982-20 February 1983), Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (17 March-17 April 1983)
Mexico City, Museo Tamayo, Edward Ruscha: La Mirada Distanciada (The Long View), 16 March-16 July 2006
Literature
S. McRae, "Welcome to Ruscha's L.A.", Vancouver Sun, August 4 1978.
J. Kutner, "Ruscha: Shapes and Shadows of L.A.," Dallas Morning News, 1982, p. 17 (illustrated)
R. Dean and E. Wright, Edward Ruscha: Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings, Volume Two: 1971-1982, New York: Gagosian Gallery / Steidl, 2005, p. 239 (illustrated)
Catalogue Essay
She Slept With Two Wind-Up Alarm Clocks sees Ed Ruscha at his most expansively inscrutable. Miniscule text hovers in a vast and featureless L.A. nightscape, a widescreen red sky that offers no clue to the words’ significance; both eerie and quietly comic, it is a compelling example of the mastery of text and image that have made Ruscha one of the most important artists of the last half-century.

Although he frequently disavows any deep association with the city, Ruscha’s art is undeniably informed by the aesthetic and cultural sensibilities of Los Angeles. The present lot distils key aspects of this setting to piquant expression. The long, thin composition and apocalyptic sunset-streetlight colours are reminiscent of his silhouetted landscapes featuring the Hollywood sign (and ‘Halloween’ variations thereof); as a material feature of the LA skyline, these 45-foot letters emblematise both the film industry and the proliferation of signs in Los Angeles – billboards, gas stations, shopfronts, bumper stickers – that are all part of its temperament, all designedto be visible when driving down its endless sunbaked freeways. L.A. is a city of roads and signs. Here, floating free of any framework, words oscillate between object and symbol. As Peter Schjeldahl explains, ‘You can’t look at a word and read it at the same time, any more than you can simultaneously kneel and jump. You may think you can, because the toggle between the two mental operations is so fast. Graphic advertisers play that switch back and forth. Ruscha learned to freeze it in mid-throw, causing a helpless, not unpleasant buzz at the controls of consciousness.’ (Peter Schjeldahl, ‘Seeing and Reading: Ed Ruscha at the Whitney,’ New Yorker, 26 July 2004).

This kinetic thrill of attempting to ‘read’ Ruscha is inflected by the disconcertingly long, narrow profile of the canvas, common to many works from the late 1970s. The artist has called this ‘just a natural progression of extensions of syntax … It’s the idea of things running horizontally and trying to take off. It’s almost like an airstrip in a way.’ (Ed Ruscha in conversation with Paul Karstrom, Alexandra Schwartz (ed.), Leave Any Information at the Signal, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2004, p.161). Further, the horizontal axis of the act of reading echoes the asyndetic stretch of driving down freeway and boulevard: the painting’s shape lends it an evocative mileage that captures the panoramic nature of L.A. existence. This is an idea that found early expression in Ruscha’s 1966 photobook Every Building on the Sunset Strip. Its painstaking documentary subject is self-explanatory; the published product contains a single accordion-folded sheet that opens out to a length of 27 feet, the continuous assembled photograph itself less than two inches high.

The painting’s words themselves carry a hint of nocturnal menace, only heightened by their darkly brooding backdrop. Taking his texts from a huge variety of sources, Ruscha captures an almost synesthetic fascination for the qualities of language. ‘Words have temperatures to me. When they reach a certain point and become hot words, then they appeal to me. “Synthetic” is a very hot word. Sometimes I have a dream that if a word gets too hot and too appealing, it will boil apart, and I won’t be able to read or think of it. Usually I catch them before they get too hot.’ (Ed Ruscha in Howardena Pindell, ‘Words with Ruscha,’ Print Collector’s Newsletter 3:6, Jan-Feb 1973, p.125). Here, disintegration impends among mystery: ‘she slept;’ has she woken up? Why does she have two alarm clocks? Who is she?

If we look to the red sky for elucidation, however, we may be led astray; Ruscha gives precedence to the oblique semiotic action of the words alone. ‘A lot of my paintings are anonymous backdrops for the drama of words. In a way they’re words in front of the old Paramount mountain. You don’t have to have the mountain back there – you could have a landscape, a farm. I have background, foreground. It’s so simple. And the backgrounds are of no particular character. They’re just meant to support the drama, like the “Hollywood” sign being held up by sticks.’ (Ed Ruscha in conversation with Bill Berkson, Shift, 2:4, 1988, p.16). This conjunction of text and drama stands as neat metonym for Ruscha’s practice at large, but the background’s links to landscape and cinematic title-screen nonetheless conjure an importantly West Coast perspective. The diminutive text looms ready to advance and engulf in Panavision clarity; we squint for meaning as at an optician’s chart, and feel the graphic zoom of billboard lettering approaching roadside in a haze of Pacific Rim sunlight.
Artist Biography
Ed Ruscha
American • 1937
Quintessentially American, Ed Ruscha is an L.A.-based artist whose art, like California itself, is both geographically rooted and a metaphor for an American state of mind. Ruscha is a deft creator of photography, film, painting, drawing, prints and artist books, whose works are simultaneously unexpected and familiar, both ironic and sincere.

His most iconic works are at turns poetic and deadpan, epigrammatic text with nods to advertising copy, juxtaposed with imagery that is either cinematic and sublime or seemingly wry documentary. Whether the subject is his iconic Standard Gas Station or the Hollywood Sign, a parking lot or highway, his works are a distillation of American idealism, echoing the expansive Western landscape and optimism unique to postwar America.
View More Works

PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT WEST COAST COLLECTION

37

Ed Ruscha

She Slept With Two Windup Alarm Clocks

1978
acrylic on canvas
40.6 x 152.4 cm (16 x 60 in.)
Titled 'SHE SLEPT WITH TWO WINDUP ALARM CLOCKS' lower centre. Signed and dated '1978 Edward Ruscha' on the reverse.

Estimate
£400,000 - 600,000 ‡

Sold for £362,500

Contact Specialist
Peter Sumner
Head of Contemporary Art, London
psumner@phillips.com
+44 207 318 4063

Contemporary Art Evening Sale

London 29 June 2015 7pm

1
Rob Pruitt
Country Boy
Estimate £60,000 - 80,000 ‡
Sold for £80,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
2
Ai Weiwei
Coloured Vases (in 6 parts)
Estimate £150,000 - 250,000 ‡
Sold for £266,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
3
Jonas Wood
Fish Tank
Estimate £50,000 - 70,000
Sold for £158,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
4
Harold Ancart
Untitled
Estimate £20,000 - 30,000 ♠
Sold for £47,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
5
Nate Lowman
Orange Maxima
Estimate £200,000 - 300,000 ‡
Sold for £218,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
6
Robert Gober
Drain
Estimate £100,000 - 150,000 ‡
Sold for £254,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
7
Rosemarie Trockel
False Alarm
Estimate £200,000 - 300,000 ‡♠
Sold for £218,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
8
Mark Grotjahn
Untitled (Three Sided with X Out of Shell Standing Flat SF4.a)
Estimate £140,000 - 180,000
Sold for £182,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
9
Carol Bove
Untitled
Estimate £120,000 - 180,000 ‡
Sold for £140,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
10
Sherrie Levine
Caribou Skull
Estimate £300,000 - 500,000 ‡
Sold for £494,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
11
Raqib Shaw
Arrival of the Horse King from the series Paradise Lost
Estimate £700,000 - 1,000,000 ♠
Sold for £722,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
12
Mark Bradford
Waiting on Forever
Estimate £400,000 - 600,000 ‡
Sold for £458,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
13
Chris Ofili
Homage
Estimate £300,000 - 500,000 ‡♠
Sold for £302,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
14
Banksy
Study for Happy Choppers
Estimate £300,000 - 400,000 ‡♠
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
15
Cindy Sherman
Untitled #423
Estimate £200,000 - 300,000 ‡
Sold for £290,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
16
Andreas Gursky
James Bond Island III
Estimate £300,000 - 500,000 ‡♠
Sold for £362,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
17
Andreas Gursky
Chicago, Mercantile Exchange
Estimate £650,000 - 850,000 ‡♠
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
18
Andy Warhol
Untitled (Imperial Car Detail)
Estimate £150,000 - 250,000 ‡
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
19
Cindy Sherman
Untitled #264
Estimate £200,000 - 300,000 ‡
Sold for £218,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
20
Carroll Dunham
MOUND F
Estimate £120,000 - 180,000 ‡
Sold for £194,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
21
Takashi Murakami
Pom and Me
Estimate £400,000 - 600,000 †
Sold for £482,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
22
Damien Hirst
Veneration
Estimate £450,000 - 650,000 ♠†
Sold for £482,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
23
Ai Weiwei
Circle of Animals / Zodiac Heads
Estimate £3,000,000 - 5,000,000 ‡
Sold for £3,442,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
24
Ai Weiwei
Grapes
Estimate £250,000 - 350,000 †
Sold for £422,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
25
Yue Minjun
Free at Leisure No. 11
Estimate £500,000 - 700,000 ‡
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
26
George Condo
Stanley Steamer (Fat Jim)
Estimate £180,000 - 220,000 ‡
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
27
Andy Warhol
Marilyn Monroe
Estimate £1,000,000 - 1,500,000 ‡
Sold for £1,202,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
28
This lot is no longer available.
29
Andy Warhol
Flowers
Estimate £650,000 - 850,000 ‡
Sold for £722,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
30
Bruce Nauman
Hanging Heads # 1 (Blue Andrew, Mouth Open / Red Julie with Cap)
Estimate £1,500,000 - 2,500,000
Sold for £1,762,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
31
Fred Sandback
Untitled (Rust Brown Diagonal)
Estimate £120,000 - 180,000 ‡
Sold for £146,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
32
Andy Warhol
Gun
Estimate £300,000 - 500,000 ‡
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
33
Andy Warhol
Gun (Cowboy six shooter)
Estimate £250,000 - 350,000 ‡
Sold for £266,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
34
Ed Ruscha
Fairly Small Torpedos
Estimate £100,000 - 180,000 ‡
Sold for £230,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
35
Ed Ruscha
Ship Talk
Estimate £400,000 - 600,000 ‡
Sold for £884,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
36
Ed Ruscha
Anchor Stuck in Sand
Estimate £300,000 - 500,000 ‡
Sold for £374,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
37
Ed Ruscha
She Slept With Two Windup Alarm Clocks
Estimate £400,000 - 600,000 ‡
Sold for £362,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
38
Gilbert & George
Spitalfields
Estimate £120,000 - 180,000 ‡♠
Sold for £146,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
39
Sigmar Polke
Carnival
Estimate £1,000,000 - 1,500,000 ♠
Sold for £1,142,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
40
Albert Oehlen
Landschaft
Estimate £250,000 - 350,000 ‡♠
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
41
Gerhard Richter
Abstraktes Bild (894-14)
Estimate £180,000 - 220,000 ‡♠
Sold for £194,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
42
This lot is no longer available.
43
Lucian Freud
Annie
Estimate £250,000 - 350,000 ♠
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
44
Maurizio Cattelan
Richard
Estimate £60,000 - 80,000 ‡♠
Sold for £74,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
45
This lot is no longer available.
46
Thomas Demand
Vault
Estimate £60,000 - 80,000 ‡♠
Sold for £104,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
47
Sarah Lucas
Wichser Schicksal (Wanker Destiny)
Estimate £200,000 - 300,000 ♠
Sold for £182,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
48
Neo Rauch
Wald
Estimate £80,000 - 120,000 ‡♠
Sold for £278,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
49
Damien Hirst
Phenylpropiolic Acid
Estimate £100,000 - 150,000 ♠†
Sold for £146,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
50
Richard Prince
Untitled (Van Door)
Estimate £150,000 - 250,000 ‡
Sold for £136,900
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
51
Sergej Jensen
Untitled (Schwarz/Durchsichtig)
Estimate £25,000 - 35,000 ‡♠
Sold for £32,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
52
Danh Vo
We the People (detail), Element #D2
Estimate £120,000 - 180,000 ‡♠
Sold for £194,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.
53
Richard Prince
Untitled (Three Men's Hands with Watches)
Estimate £100,000 - 150,000
Sold for £164,500
Create your first list.
Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.

Contemporary Art Evening Sale

London 29 June 2015 7pm

Create your first list.

Provenance

Exhibited

Literature

Catalogue Essay

Artist Biography

Ed Ruscha

37

Ed Ruscha

She Slept With Two Windup Alarm Clocks

Contemporary Art Evening Sale

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.

Create your first list.