Edward RuschaHOLLYWOOD TANTRUM 1979

During the mid 1970s, Ruscha made a series of drawings in pastel using pithy phrases against a field of colour. The sentences and phrases evoke American vernacular and slang, draw attention to a particular experience of the artist, or recall the excesses of Hollywood culture. This work brings to mind the cliché of the demanding Hollywood diva, and is one of numerous works which shows the artist’s ongoing concern with the culture of his adopted hometown of Los Angeles.