Allen Ruppersberg. You and me or the Art of give and take

Allen Ruppersberg (born 1944) came of age as an artist in late-1960s Los Angeles, where he was part of the burgeoning L.A. Conceptual movement—that unique band of artists that included Bas Jan Ader, Ger van Elk, William Leavitt, Allan McColllum and William Wegman. Like these artists and other L.A. Conceptual pioneers such as Ed Ruscha and John Baldessari, Ruppersberg used photographs (both made and found) in combination with text and narrative strategies to mingle, blend and upend both fiction and fact—most famously in “Where´s Al?” (1972) and “Between the Scenes” (1973). In this wonderfully designed spiral-bound artist´s book, Ruppersberg repurposes a 1956 “Guest Informant” book from the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco as a backdrop for a selection of photographs and postcards from 1985–1989, culled from his own collection, and alluding to earlier works such as “Al´s Grand Hotel.” You and Me also includes new essays on Ruppersberg by such longstanding fans as Greil Marcus and Constance Lewallen.