Ed Ruscha Value: Top Prices Paid at Auction

In November of 2024, Standard Station, Ten-Cent Western Being Torn In Half (1964) became the most expensive work of art by ex-commercial artist and central figure of the American Pop Art movement, Ed Ruscha (pronounced roo-shay). It achieved this record-breaking result at Christie's New York. The work has appeared as part of countless exhibitions across America, including at MoMA, New York, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, despite being privately owned since 1970. The monumental canvas exemplifies Ruscha's singular ability to transform everyday American imagery into powerful artistic statements. It combines two of his most iconic motifs - the Standard gas station and the split Western paperback - creating a complex commentary on American consumer culture and the romance of the road. Its exceptional price not only set a new auction record for Ruscha but evidenced the growing market appreciation for his most significant works from the 1960s.

In November of 2019, Hurting The Word Radio No. 2 (1964) became the most expensive work of art by ex-commercial artist and central figure of the American Pop Art movement, Ed Ruscha (pronounced roo-shay). 

It realised an astonishing US$52,485,000 at Christie’s New York. An early example of Ruscha’s text-based paintings, the record-breaking piece sets the word ‘RADIO’ against a bright blue background. Despite its concern with bold, simple text, the piece’s rendering of this word is far from simple. Distorting (‘hurting’) it with a pair of vices, Ruscha constricts and twists the text, providing his own unique take on the visually arresting iconographies of American consumer capitalism.

In November 2023, in Sotheby’s New York, Ruscha’s 1964 painting Securing The Last Letter (Boss), became the second highest price fetched by the artist. The artwork sold for a remarkable $39,400,500 (£32,053,095). With a hammer price of $34million (£27,659,680), the piece exceeded its estimated value of $35-40 million.

In Securing The Last Letter (Boss), Ruscha juxtaposes the word ‘BOSS’ in vivid orange against a deep navy background, dramatically altering its final letter with a C-clamp. This artwork exemplifies Ruscha's exploration of language's physicality, blending Pop Art and conceptualism with a unique graphic intensity. Part of a crucial series during Ruscha's early career, this painting is one of the rare instances where he incorporates the clamp motif, signifying its importance within his body of work and underscoring its esteemed provenance and collection history.

In November 2014, a 1963 work by commercial artist and foremost member of the US Pop Art movement, Ed Ruscha, broke a record. Entitled Smash, Ruscha's artwork realised US$30,405,000 at Christie’s auction house in New York. An early example of the artist’s text paintings, it is emblazoned with the word ‘SMASH’, and references the bold, typographic basis of American commercial advertising of the 1950s and 60s. In doing so, it is imbued with Ruscha’s own origins as a member of the art department at a major Los Angeles advertising agency.

Annie is one of American Pop Artist Ed Ruscha’s most iconic works. On the 10th July 2020 it realised an enormous US$22,975,000 at auction at Christie’s New York, making it Ruscha’s forth most expensive work to date. Annie showcases the painterly origins of another of Ruscha’s later works, Annie, Poured From Maple Syrup (1966), a mixed-media piece that once graced the walls of the Norton Simon museum in California. An early work – and turning point – in Ruscha’s œuvre, Annie recreates the logo of American comic strip, Annie (1962). Affording the simple text a monumental stature, the work measures nearly six feet in height.

In May 2023, Ruscha’s iconic Burning Gas Station was sold for $22,260,000 (£17,791,973) at Christie’s New York. With a hammer price of $19million (£ 15,186,320), the piece became the fifth highest price fetched by a Ruscha artwork.

Created between 1966-69, Burning Gas Station is part of a pivotal series in the artist’s oeuvre, depicting gas stations as central motifs. This piece, part of a limited set of Standard Stations, showcases an iconic station engulfed in flames, symbolising a rebellion against conventional art standards. Characterised by its dramatic composition and Ruscha's signature ombre effect in the night sky, the painting merges postwar American motifs with a surrealist vision of destruction and transformation. Not exhibited publicly since 1976, it stands as a testament to Ruscha's innovative approach to blending commercial art techniques with fine art, imbuing the everyday with profound conceptual depth.

On 19 May 2022, Ed Ruscha's 1993 Cold Beer Beautiful Girls sold for £15,058,814 during the Contemporary Evening Auction in Sotheby's, New York, exceeding its lowest presale estimate of £12 million.

This work stands as a pivotal representation of Ruscha's celebrated artistic journey, showcasing his unique blend of conceptual depth and stylistic hallmark, and it transforms the enticing phrase into a nuanced critique of American ideals and consumer culture. Cold Beer Beautiful Girls not only captures the essence of Ruscha’s Californian roots but also his ability to interweave desire with the fabric of American pop culture, marking it as a defining piece in his illustrious oeuvre.

In November 2021, an iconic work by king of bold text Ed Ruscha, entitled Ripe (1967), sold for an outstanding US$20,000,000 at Christie’s auction house in New York. An oil on canvas piece, its focus is a single word: ‘ripe’. An example of Ruscha’s so-called ‘liquid paintings’, the text resembles flowing pomegranate juice. Ripe stands as one of Ruscha's initial ventures in rendering three-dimensionality on canvas, a method that would evolve into his series of liquid paintings.

In November 2023 at Sotheby’s New York, Ruscha’s 1968 painting Mint (Green) fetched £10,554,202 ($12,973,500), with a hammer price of $11million. The painting shines with a vibrant yellow background, embodying the blend of permanence and fleeting moments through its ‘liquid’ word depiction.

This piece is part of Ruscha's rare series of twelve ‘liquid’ word paintings made between 1966-69, emphasising the fluidity and malleability of language, a recurring theme in the artist’s work. Mint (Green) has been recognised as a key example of Ruscha's innovative approach to art, with its exhibition history and esteemed ownership adding to its significance in the art world.

Truth, painted in 1973, is another notable sale that asserted 2024 as a momentous year for Ed Ruscha. It achieved this impressive result at Christie's New York in May. The work's exceptional provenance adds to its significance, having been dedicated by Ruscha to its first owners, Merle and Pearl Glick, in 1973 with the playful inscription "It rhymes with tooth" on the reverse. After changing hands just once in 1980, its reappearance at auction generated considerable interest. The painting exemplifies Ruscha's ability to imbue single words with layers of meaning through his distinctive treatment of typography, colour, and space.

Georges' Flag (1999) sold at Sotheby's New York in November 2024, just one day after the record-breaking sale of Standard Station, Ten-Cent Western Being Torn In Half (1964). As the latest work on this list, Georges’ Flag represents a different point in Ruscha’s career - a period that has grown in popularity in recent years. Unlike many of Ruscha’s most sought-after works, the composition does not include text, instead relying on rich colour and instantly recognisable imagery to establish meaning and context. This meaning, however, reflects significant contemporary global and US political events and proved crucial to its success in 2024. Ruscha’s appeal undoubtedly now extends beyond his iconic works from the 1960s, with collectors experiencing a steady appreciation of value.