Explore the Era

Delve into the postwar Los Angeles art world in this online archive, which provides additional material related to the exhibitions on view at the Getty Center. Learn about hipsters and happenings, and the venues across the city where all the action took place through images from the archives and first-hand accounts with the artists.

Ed Ruscha Studio

Ed Ruscha in his studio

Ed Ruscha in his studio at 1024 3/4 N. Western Avenue in Hollywood, California, 1970. Image courtesy of Billy Al Bengston. Photo © Larry Bell

Artist Ed Ruscha moved to this large, bright studio on Western Avenue in Hollywood in 1965 and remained there for nearly 20 years. Ruscha produced not only paintings and drawings in this space, but also several of his artist books, including Every Building on the Sunset Strip (1966). As the writer A.D. Coleman described the studio in an interview published in The New York Times in 1972: “A punching bag hangs on one wall; a motorcycle sits in another room; there are paintings on the wall, and a framed photo of Bela Lugosi with cigar. Several cowboy hats hang from the edge of an unframed mirror resting on an easel. From the radio comes a mixture of rock, jazz, and cowboy yodeling.”

Historic Map Locations

Works of Art

  • The Los Angeles County Museum on Fire, 1965–68, Ed Ruscha.

    The Los Angeles County Museum on Fire, 1965–68, Ed Ruscha. Oil on canvas. 53 1/2 x 133 1/2 in. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1972. © Ed Ruscha. Photography by Lee Stalsworth

  • Some Los Angeles Apartments

    Some Los Angeles Apartments, 1965, Ed Ruscha. Self-published book, offset lithograph, 1965 (seconding printing 1970). 7 1/16 x 5 9/16 x 1/4 in. The Getty Research Institute, 86-B19485.c2. © Ed Ruscha

  • Real Estate Opportunities

    Real Estate Opportunities, 1970, Ed Ruscha. Self-published book, offset lithograph. 7 1/16 x 5 5/8 x 3/16 in. Open to pages depicting 12th & Sentous (southeast corner), and 1140 E. Pico. The Getty Research Institute, 86-B19480. © Ed Ruscha

  • Every Building on the Sunset Strip

    Every Building on the Sunset Strip, 1966, Ed Ruscha. Self-published book, offset lithograph, 1966 (second printing 1971). 7 1/8 x 5 3/4 x 3/8 in. Open unfolded: 7 1/8 x 297 in. The Getty Research Institute, 86-B19486.c1. © Ed Ruscha

Explore the Archive

  • Video: Ed Ruscha

    Video: Ed Ruscha speaks about his work, April 2011

  • Ed Ruscha's studio

    Ed Ruscha's studio at 1024 3/4 N. Western Avenue in Hollywood, California, 1970. Photo by Larry Bell. Image courtesy of Billy Al Bengston

  • Heavy Industry Publications, books by Ed Ruscha

    Heavy Industry Publications advertising books by Ed Ruscha, ca. 1968. Offset lithograph. © Ed Ruscha. The Getty Research Institute, Gift of Michael Asher, 2009.M.30.1