Bob Dylan. Retrospectrum

Seeing many of my works years after I completed them is a fascinating experience. Retrospectrum presents six decades of Bob Dylan’s visual practice alongside his musical and literary canon, illustrating how perception evolves with life. The volume gathers works across media—from oil, acrylic and watercolor paintings to ink, pastel and charcoal drawings, and distinctive ironwork sculptures—offering a broad view of his creative trajectory.

The book surveys a range of themes and series that define Dylan’s visual output, including early ink sketches first published in 1973’s Writings and Drawings, which illustrated his lyrics up to that period. It also pairs these sketches with pieces from last year’s Mondo Scripto, where Dylan revisited beloved lyrics by hand-writing and illustrating them in his distinctive style. Iconic Train Tracks paintings represent The Drawn Blank Series (2008) and brought Dylan’s visual work to wide critical attention.

Published 27 April 2023 by Skira Editore, Retrospectrum comprises 256 pages in hardcover. It highlights the artist’s travel-inspired works such as The Asia Series (2010) and The New Orleans Series (2012), along with The Beaten Path Series (2015–present) and a selection of industrial ironworks created from repurposed objects.