Nine Swimming Pools and a Broken Glass

Here’s one to dip a toe into. First published in 1968, Nine Swimming Pools and a Broken Glass is an essential example of the seminal series of self-published artist’s books by American conceptual artist and former sign painter Ed Ruscha. Departing from his earlier black-and-white publications, this book introduced vivid color photography to document the architectural vernacular of Southern California. This slender volume features nine deadpan, depersonalized images of empty motel and residential swimming pools. This unembellished, documentary-style index of suburban leisure is sharply disrupted at the very end by a single photograph of a broken glass tumbler. This jarring inclusion infuses an underlying narrative of danger, anxiety, and stark reality into an otherwise sterile, manicured paradise. Be careful where you step.