Royal Road Test

In collaboration with Mason Williams American

1967

Not on view

During the 1960s, Ruscha created a series of mass-produced, cheaply printed photographic books cataloguing the various kinds of banal roadside sites one might encounter on a typical drive through the American West, such as Twentysix Gasoline Stations (1962), Some Los Angeles Apartments (1966), and Nine Swimming Pools and a Broken Glass (1968). Ruscha's books paid tribute to and slyly parodied the romantic vision of the road epitomized by writers and artists such as Jack Kerouac and Robert Frank, while also subverting the rapidly expanding market for what the artist described as "limited edition, individual, hand processed photos." In Royal Road Test, Ruscha painstakingly documented himself dropping a vintage typewriter from a speeding Buick.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

References

Title: Royal Road Test
Artist: Edward Ruscha (American, born Omaha, Nebraska, 1937)
Artist: In collaboration with Mason Williams (American, born 1938)
Artist: In collaboration with Patrick Blackwell
Date: 1967
Medium: Black offset printing
Dimensions: 9 7/16 × 6 1/2 × 3/16 in. (24 × 16.5 × 0.5 cm)
Classification: Books
Credit Line: Stewart S. MacDermott Fund, 1970
Object Number: 1970.590.5
Curatorial Department: Photographs

More Artwork

By Edward Ruscha

In the same medium

From the same time and place

Twentysix Gasoline Stations, Edward Ruscha American, Black offset printing — Twentysix Gasoline Stations
Edward Ruscha
1963

Gray and Brass, John Sloan American, Oil on canvas, American — Gray and Brass
John Sloan
1907

That is Right, Edward Ruscha American, 16 lithographs; 11 B.A.T. proofs and one A.P. from the portfolio of 12 and 4 prints with notations — That is Right
Edward Ruscha
Printer Printed by Ed Hamilton
Publisher Published by Edward Ruscha
1989

Necklace, Meta Overbeck American, Gold, emeralds, Montana sapphires, topazes, enamel, American — Necklace
Meta Overbeck
Louis C. Tiffany
Manufacturer Tiffany & Co.
ca. 1914–15

Book, Linda Lindroth American, Offset lithographs, chromogenic print, and silkscreen (on cotton tee shirt) — Book
Linda Lindroth
1975

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.