ticketsMember | Make a donation

Flies

Edward Ruscha American
Printer Styria Studio American
Publisher Multiples, Inc.
1972
Not on view
Flies is one in a set of six screenprints called Insects that Ruscha made in the 1970s, a decade during which the artist experimented with organic materials ranging from foodstuffs to blood. Here, Ruscha used actual wood veneer as a backdrop and landing pad for his lifelike depictions of flies. Real insects are contained underneath the plastic cover of the natural linen portfolio that the artist created for each set of Insects; they are mixed in with red dirt, sent by Ruscha’s brother, from the playground at the elementary school in Oklahoma that Ruscha attended.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Flies
  • Series/Portfolio: Insects
  • Artist: Edward Ruscha (American, born Omaha, Nebraska, 1937)
  • Printer: Styria Studio (New York, NY)
  • Publisher: Multiples, Inc.
  • Date: 1972
  • Medium: Screenprint
  • Dimensions: Sheet (Each): 20 1/8 in. × 27 in. (51.1 × 68.6 cm)
  • Classifications: Prints, Portfolios
  • Credit Line: John B. Turner Fund, 1972
  • Object Number: 1972.598.1
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Sin
Edward Ruscha
1970
Standard Station
Edward Ruscha
1966
City
Edward Ruscha
1969
Rooster, Edward Ruscha American, Aquatint and etching
Rooster
Multiple artists/makers
1988
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
Multiple artists/makers
1989

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 complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.