Get ready to indulge in a sweet masterpiece—because pop art legend Ed Ruscha has just turned California into a delectable work of art. But here’s where it gets controversial: is a $295 chocolate bar a genius fusion of art and luxury, or a decadent indulgence reserved for the elite? Either way, it’s a treat that’s as thought-provoking as it is delicious. Known for his bold, text-driven paintings and Hollywood-inspired imagery, Ruscha has inspired a limited-edition dark chocolate bar by andSons Chocolatiers that pays homage to his iconic style. But this isn’t just any chocolate bar—it’s a topographic tribute to California’s Central Valley, where the Santa Lucia Mountains kiss the Pacific Ocean. Each bar comes packaged with a reproduction of Ruscha’s 1971 lithograph Made in California, a vibrant orange artwork originally created for a UCLA exhibition. With only 300 bars available starting this December, it’s a collector’s dream—or a sweet debate waiting to happen.
And this is the part most people miss: Ruscha’s relationship with chocolate dates back 55 years to his groundbreaking Chocolate Room installation at the 1970 Venice Biennale. At the time, he was experimenting with unconventional materials for screenprinting and stumbled upon Nestlé chocolate paste, which reminded him of his oil paints. The result? A room covered in paper screenprinted with chocolate, blending art and sensory experience in a way that was ahead of its time. Fast forward to 2023–2024, and Ruscha revisited this iconic installation for his retrospective ED RUSCHA / NOW THEN, exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Now, with this chocolate bar, he’s bringing his artistic legacy full circle—literally molding California’s landscape into a form you can savor.
So, here’s the question: Is this chocolate bar a brilliant celebration of art and place, or a luxurious gimmick? Let us know in the comments—and while you’re at it, tell us: would you splurge on a piece of edible art?
