Born in Nebraska in 1937, Ed Ruscha and his artwork is closely related to his home of Los Angeles, where he attended Chouinard Art Institute. During his Pop art and beat generation years, he was known for exploiting the elastic scale of words: “OOF,” “SPAM,” and “HONK.” Later works channel the landscapes of Southern California, including Hollywood, such as his Mountain Series. His work is represented in MoMA's collection.