Dutch Details

116 black and white photographs made with a hand-held camera by RUSCHA while walking over a bridge over a canal and in doing so zooming in on a (Dutch) detail. This 12 th photo project by this American artist was done in the framework of the manifestation “Sonsbeek buiten de perken”. Edward RUSCHA was invited to come to the Netherlands in May 1971, where he made 10 series of photos, each time while walking in both directions over bridges, all situated in the Kanaalstreek in Groningen. From June to August 1971 these 10 series were exhibited, seriesin the North of the Netherlands and shown as Fotoprojekt in het kader van Sonsbeek 71. (The series were divided over 4 locations and in each three series were exhibited: 3 copies were made of one series). The complete series of 10 is reproduced in its entirety in this publication with 10 fold-out pages, each with 12 or 10 images. The largest part of the publication has been destroyed, making this publication one of the rarest publications of RUSCHA's work. 

Lit.: .Moeglin-Delcroix, Esthétique du livre d’artiste, pp 292-294, Hasselblad, The Open Book, pp. 198-199, Auer, 802 photo books from the M. + M. Auer collection, n° 537 & Heiting, Dutch photo publications 1918-1980, pp.488-490.

Added: the two volumes of the catalogue Sonsbeek 71 (text in Dutch and English), published in 1971 also about RUSCHA and this project + a copy of the folded printed sheet for the “Photo Project” of Ruscha in the 4 locations in Groningen in 1971.

Artist book

• Deventer, The Octopus Foundation (1971)
• Small oblong folio (114 x 380 mm.). (44) pp
• White printed stiff wrappers (somewhat soiled – fine copy)
• First edition