During his early years in Los Angeles, he began significant relationships with
John Baldessari,
William Leavitt,
Ed Ruscha,
William Wegman and
Allan McCollum. He participated in the 1969 exhibition
When Attitudes Become Form, and is recognized as a seminal practitioner of installation art, having produced works including ''Al's Cafe
(1969), Al's Grand Hotel
(1971) and The Novel that Writes Itself'' (1978). He moved to New York in 1985.
Exhibitions Since the late 1960s, his work has been the subject of over sixty solo exhibitions and nearly 200 group shows. In 1985, the
Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles organized an exhibition of Ruppersberg's work, which subsequently traveled to the
New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City. His work can be found in permanent collections of museums internationally, including: •
Foundation de Appel,
Amsterdam,
The Netherlands •
Museum für Moderne Kunst,
Frankfurt,
Germany •
Museum of Modern Art,
New York City,
New York, United States •
Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles,
Los Angeles,
California, United States •
Whitney Museum of American Art,
New York City,
New York, United States
Artist's philosophy Ruppersberg's philosophy is to use language as a means of expression in its own right. He drew on all the different sectors of the mass media and the consumer society from a critical viewpoint.
Works •
The New Five Foot Shelf. The installation consists of 50 books and 44 posters. Dimension of the installation: variable. Limited edition of 10 copies and 2 artist’s proofs. Produced and published in 2001 by Editions Micheline Szwajcer & Michèle Didier. Voir mfc-michèle didier • "The New Five Foot Shelf of Books" installation, produced and published in 2003 by Editions Micheline Szwajcer and Michèle Didier, Brussels. Voir mfc-michèle didier • "Chapter VI" artist book, produced and published in 2009 by mfc-michèle didier, Brussels •
The Novel That Writes Itself, artist book, produced and published in 2014 by mfc-michèle didier, Brussels
Awards •
United States Artists 2011 Oliver Fellow for Visual Arts ==Personal life==