"Every Building on the Sunset Strip" (1966) by Ed Ruscha is a seminal work in the artist's career and a pioneering project in the field of artist's books. This innovative creation captures both sides of the Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, stretching over a mile-and-a-half, through a continuous photographic collage that unfolds to nearly twenty-five feet. The work was produced by mounting a motorized camera on the back of Ruscha's pickup truck, an approach that aligns with Ruscha's interest in the mundane urban landscapes transformed into art through methodical documentation (MoMA).
Ruscha's work is emblematic of a shift in the art world towards Minimalism and Conceptual art, where the idea or instruction behind an artwork took precedence over its physical execution. "Every Building on the Sunset Strip" is a perfect illustration of this paradigm, where the photographs themselves are not the art, but rather, the concept and process behind their collection and presentation are what hold artistic value. This work, along with Ruscha's other artist books like "Twentysix Gasoline Stations" (1962), challenged conventional understandings of what could constitute art and the artist's role in its creation (The Metropolitan Museum of Art).
This artist's book is also a reflection of Ruscha's broader artistic practice, which spans photography, painting, and bookmaking. Ruscha's exploration of Los Angeles—its architecture, signage, and urban sprawl—through his series of photographic books offers a unique window into the city's aesthetic and cultural landscape. These books were intended to be democratic and accessible, produced in large editions and sold at low prices, though they have since become rare collectors' items. "Every Building on the Sunset Strip" exemplifies Ruscha's commitment to this democratic ideal, aiming to document and share the everyday urban environment in a format that was both innovative and widely distributable (The Yale Review).
Ruscha's contribution to the development of the artist's book as a medium cannot be overstated. His work in this area bridges visual art and publishing, creating pieces that are neither traditional art books nor mere catalogs but works of art in their own right. These artist's books, with their focus on the ordinary and the overlooked, have had a lasting influence on both contemporary art and the way we perceive the urban environment (The Yale Review).
The importance of "Every Building on the Sunset Strip" and Ruscha's other artist's books lies not just in their aesthetic or conceptual innovation but in their ability to transform the mundane into the extraordinary, encouraging viewers to see the world around them in new ways. This work, in particular, serves as a critical document of a specific moment in Los Angeles's history, captured through Ruscha's unique lens (Art Gallery of NSW).