Letha Ch’ien April 7, 2021Updated: April 7, 2021, 7:44 am
Executive Director Linda Keaton works behind plexiglass at her desk at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art on March 12. Photo: Yalonda M. James, The Chronicle
It’s hard to think of a show more perfect for a moment than “Ed Ruscha: Travel Log” at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art. After a year of quarantine, Ruscha’s images of travel across Route 66 and mountains like the Matterhorn scratch our pent-up itch to move and see something new. Even better, it makes you appreciate the travel you’ve done before.
The show, on view till May 30, reveals the American artist exploring the idea of travel in a wide range of pieces including “word painting” lithographs, artist books, photography and prints. In artwork ranging from iconic images of the Hollywood sign and gas stations to newer lithographs, Ruscha offers not just souvenirs of travel, but something greater: the memory of travel as something to savor long