Ed Ruscha NOW/THEN

Ed Ruscha’s paintings are synonymous with the Los Angeles landscape — the big pop art lettering, the large-scale images of gas stations, apartment buildings, and even the Hollywood sign. The first retrospective of his work in 20 years takes up all of LACMA’s second-floor gallery space and features both large-scale paintings as well as photographs and written documentation. Highlights are, of course, the chocolate room (please don’t lick the walls, even though it’s tempting!), Ruscha’s photography series of Sunset Boulevard, and his huge 1965-68 work, Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Fire, in its namesake location.