Among the art world royalty in London this week for Frieze Art Fair is American artist Ed Ruscha, for the opening of his exhibition of new works at Gagosian Gallery. Media-shy Ruscha gave a rare audience to Wallpaper* – while having a suit fitted on Savile Row.
Ruscha certainly has style when it comes to words and colours. His paintings put carefully selected phrases and American-isms (like 'oof' and 'honk') into new contexts, carefully designed to help us reconsider their use and impact. His works are famed for their elegance, exactitude – they're bold, confident messages about bold, confident American culture.
But does such an artist have personal style, in the sense of clothing? 'I wouldn’t call myself a clothes hound,' says Ruscha, while he attends his fitting for a very fine bespoke grey suit at Huntsman in London. 'For years I liked second hand clothing,' he confesses.
In fact the artist, always impeccable, looks really quite at home on his first visit to Savile Row. How does it feel? 'It feels like... fitting like a glove,' he says. In an unusual collaboration, the artist has agreed to make a limited-edition range of suits with the historic tailors.
While the tailoring will be left to the professionals, Ruscha has designed the suit lining. 'I like the idea of the concealed secret,' says the artist, indicating the loud message contained in his jacket's silky lining. 'You know that you wear the jacket and clothing like this but then there’s this surprise, almost like you’re flashing'.
The lining print is taken from one of the artist's seminal works from 1986, Boy Meets Girl, which is currently on show at the Gagosian. When asked if, nearly 30 years on, the painting still felt relevant, he said: 'Boys still meet girls and girls still meet boys.' The painting’s owner, actress Lauren Hutton, will own one of the Ruscha suits, as will the artist's dealer Larry Gagosian. The last suit in the edition of six will be sold at a charity auction in New York later this month.
The artist is typically unforthcoming on his latest series of artworks, which went on show today. The paintings take big, abstract themes – science, the universe, time – and play with language, and the associations and assumptions of scale and order that we make through words. He says, 'I call this show "Extremes and In-betweens". They are exactly that – extremes and in-betweens.'
While the tailoring will be left to the professionals, Ruscha, pictured with his son Eddie, has designed the suit lining
The lining print is taken from one of the artist's seminal works from 1986, Boy Meets Girl, which is currently on show at the Gagosian. 'I like the idea of the concealed secret,' says the artist, indicating the loud message contained in his jacket's silky lining
The Ruschas cut a dash in the limited-edition tuxedos
INFORMATION
Huntsman’s special edition Ed Ruscha suit will be auctioned at the 2016 Alzheimer’s Association Rita Hayworth Gala on 25 October at Cipriani’s in New York. Proceeds from the auction will benefit Alzheimer’s research. To bid, visit the Rita Hayworth Gala website
‘Extremes and In-betweens’ is on view until 17 December. For more information, visit the Gagosian website
Photography: Iona Wolff
ADDRESS
Gagosian
20 Grosvenor Hill
London, W1K 3QD
-
Montcalm Mayfair opens a new chapter for a once-overlooked London hotelA thoughtful reinvention brings craftsmanship, character and an unexpected sense of warmth to a London hotel that was never previously on the radar
-
Magniberg’s latest bedwear collaboration with Our Legacy is beautifully sun-faded and lived-inColoured using dyes derived from plants and minerals, the new bedding sets and pyjamas are meant to evoke the feeling of ‘a well-worn band T-shirt or your favourite vintage sweatshirt’, says Our Legacy co-founder Jockum Hallin
-
Meet the Next Generation of creative stars to know in January Wallpaper*, out nowFrom young designers, artists and architects about to make the world a better place to emerging cultural hotspots for your radar – discover a new dawn in Wallpaper* January 2026, on newsstands
-
Each mundane object tells a story at Pace’s tribute to the everydayIn a group exhibition, ‘Monument to the Unimportant’, artists give the seemingly insignificant – from discarded clothes to weeds in cracks – a longer look
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekThis week, the Wallpaper* team had its finger on the pulse of architecture, interiors and fashion – while also scooping the latest on the Radiohead reunion and London’s buzziest pizza
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekIt’s been a week of escapism: daydreams of Ghana sparked by lively local projects, glimpses of Tokyo on nostalgic film rolls, and a charming foray into the heart of Christmas as the festive season kicks off in earnest
-
Wes Anderson at the Design Museum celebrates an obsessive attention to detail‘Wes Anderson: The Archives’ pays tribute to the American film director’s career – expect props and puppets aplenty in this comprehensive London retrospective
-
Meet Eva Helene Pade, the emerging artist redefining figurative paintingPade’s dreamlike figures in a crowd are currently on show at Thaddaeus Ropac London; she tells us about her need ‘to capture movements especially’
-
David Shrigley is quite literally asking for money for old rope (£1 million, to be precise)The Turner Prize-nominated artist has filled a London gallery with ten tonnes of discarded rope, priced at £1 million, slyly questioning the arbitrariness of artistic value
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekThe rain is falling, the nights are closing in, and it’s still a bit too early to get excited for Christmas, but this week, the Wallpaper* team brought warmth to the gloom with cosy interiors, good books, and a Hebridean dram
-
Ed Ruscha’s foray into chocolate is sweet, smart and very AmericanArt and chocolate combine deliciously in ‘Made in California’, a project from the artist with andSons Chocolatiers
