Ed Ruscha: in conversation | National Gallery

From the wilderness of 19th century New York State to 21st century downtown Los Angeles, watch American artist Ed Ruscha in conversation with Christopher Riopelle, The Neil Westreich Curator of Post 1800 Paintings and art critic Alastair Sooke, as they explore Thomas Cole's influence on Ruscha's series of artworks spanning two decades: 'Course of Empire'.
'Ed Ruscha: Course of Empire'
Room 1
Until 7 October 2018
See Ed Ruscha's modern take on the cyclical nature of civilisation, evocative of Thomas Cole's series of the same name.
Learn more here: bit.ly/2tW4QEh
Thomas Cole: Eden to Empire
Watch empires rise and fall, and lose yourself in the vast American wilderness, in the first UK exhibition dedicated to Thomas Cole − the greatest American landscape artist of his generation.
Book tickets online and save: bit.ly/2HtzspA
11 June - 7 October 2018
Ground Floor Galleries
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Although it was theoretically a good idea to make this video, in practice it is very opaque, and not helped by Alistair Sooke’s constant interruptions. Ruscha comes across as almost a living expression of his work: laconic, ironic and remote. The conversation about Millais’ ‘Ophelia’ almost defies interpretation.