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Smaller Dish

A work made of dry-pigment on paper.

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  • A work made of dry-pigment on paper.

Date:

1985

Artist:

Ed Ruscha
American, born 1937

About this artwork

Against the cool rich blue field, Edward Ruscha’s overlapping ellipses resemble a bright white halo. The drawing was initially inspired by the circular space of a rotunda in a public library, for which the artist was commissioned to produce a mural. The mural was to contain a quotation from Hamlet-“Words without thoughts never to heaven go”-a reference that explains the double rings’ celestial resonance. In the process of exploring the rotunda’s shape on paper, Ruscha transformed it into a cup-and-saucer, an empty dog bowl, and the present small dish.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Ed Ruscha

Title

Smaller Dish

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1985

Medium

Dry-pigment on paper

Dimensions

Sight: 101.6 × 152.4 cm (40 × 60 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Lannan Foundation

Reference Number

1997.118

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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