Elizabeth Goldman
Staff Writer
The Getty Museum’s “12 Sunsets: Exploring Ed Ruscha’s Archive” is a stunning collection of thousands of photos of every building on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. Being such a unique project, the virtual interactive exhibit offers a distinct experience for viewers.
The sheer size of the project makes viewers want to explore it further. However, being familiar with specific places along the boulevard is necessary to fully appreciate the exhibit. Additionally, the size of the exhibit makes it hard to observe on some devices.
Overall, it is a pleasant experience that pays off. Ed Ruscha is a California-based pop artist who has written over a dozen artists’ books and is known for his witty use of text in his paintings. He has produced a vast array of paintings, prints, drawings and photographs, including his “12 Sunsets,” a collection of 12 series of photos of Sunset Boulevard spanning from 1965 to 2007.
The project started in 1966 when Ruscha drove through the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood with a motorized camera on a pickup truck to photograph every building on both sides of the strip. Later, after replicating the process 11 times, the Getty Museum published his mostly unseen collection of more than half a million photos.
The unique idea with its intriguing format makes the exhibit well worth visiting. Even for those without a connection or interest in the boulevard, it is worth viewing the site to observe the general idea as it is extremely fascinating. With a virtual car on an interactive map, this one-of-a-kind exhibit offers a fun, enjoyable experience.
Especially for those who grew up in Los Angeles between 1960 and 2000, this exhibit is a wonderful look back in time along the familiar boulevard where so many memories were made. For others, it is still enjoyable to watch any part of the iconic boulevard change throughout the years.
Additionally, the size of the project is incredible and awe-inspiring with a dozen photos of each building on the boulevard combined into one magnificent panoramic image to be independently navigated through. With additional features such as maps, location searches and the ability to change the type of car shown on the map, the size of the exhibit alone makes it worth a visit.
Without background information, it is hard to enjoy this exhibit to its full capacity. The Getty provides some information but not enough to make much of a difference. With more research on Sunset Boulevard, Ed Rushca and the project, it is much easier to digest and enjoy the exhibit in its entirety.
The Getty Museum’s unique exhibit is an impressive masterpiece that provides a captivating, interactive experience that can be enjoyed by anyone, especially those who grew up with Sunset Boulevard nearby. Despite the minor setbacks in the potential lack of background knowledge, this massive undertaking by Ed Ruscha is well worth a visit for interested viewers of all kinds.
“12 Sunsets: Exploring Ed Ruscha’s Archive” is an ongoing virtual exhibit that can be viewed on the Getty Museum’s website for free.
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