Allen Ruppersberg Sourcebook; Reanimating the 20th Century

In 2011, Independent Curators International (ICI) launched Sourcebook, a new publication series with a focus on artists and their practice, offering a fresh perspective on political and cultural issues impacting and inspiring the artistic process. Each volume is edited by an artist, from a selection of his or her own archive, and is comprised of images, documents, articles, letters and newspaper clippings. For the second Sourcebook in the series, ICI has invited conceptual artist Allen Ruppersberg to cull his archives, stored between his family home in Cleveland and his studio in Los Angeles. Articulated around nine important works spanning the breadth of the artist’s practice from 1978–2012, the publication delves into the primary material that Ruppersberg uses as his medium: popular culture ephemera, newspapers, magazine covers, snapshots, home movies, educational slides, advertising and posters. This material becomes the visual registry that is reconfigured in numerous Ruppersberg projects.