Bob Dylan: musician, legend, artist

He’s celebrated across the globe for his revolutionary music, with the Independent newspaper naming him ‘the most important figure in pop-culture history’ in 2011. But it isn’t just songs like ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ and ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ that have made Bob Dylan one of the world’s most influential people; his foray into fine art continues to take centre stage.

Upon their first release in the Drawn Blank book in 1994, Dylan’s sketches wowed critics and viewers alike with their confident hand and raw honesty. Capturing his chance encounters and observations whilst on tour, the release of The Drawn Blank Series in 2008 marked his UK fine art debut.

Likened to works by Pablo Picasso and Paul Cézanne, his paintings have been described by the Guardian as ‘evocative celebrations of life itself’. Dylan is lauded for his signature loose lines and instinctive brushstrokes, with later works embracing a bolder, more stylistic approach. Subsequent collections – including The Beaten Path, The Brazil Series, Train Tracks and Mondo Scripto – have created a new legion of Bob Dylan fans worldwide.

In November 2021, Dylan's retrospective exhibition, Bob Dylan: Retrospectrum, opened at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, following on from its success at the Modern Art Museum (MAM) Shanghai, the Today Art Museum in Beijing and the Jupiter Art Museum in Shenzhen. In 2023 the renowned touring exhibition came to a close at the MAXXI Museum in Rome. Featuring over 180 paintings, drawings and ironworks from throughout his artistic career, the exhibition is the largest collection of Dylan's work to ever be displayed in the United States and will run until April 2022.

SHOP ALL ART

Deep Focus

The Deep Focus series, completed in 2021, borrows visual techniques from film and photography, and illustrates how cropping and framing can alter the viewer’s perception of any scene. The title of the series refers to a cinematic technique that communicates narrative through the foreground, middle and background, rather than focusing on one visual plane over another.

Dylan’s cinematic references result in evocative, often mysterious, compositions suspended between life and theatre, while conjuring a distinctly tangible pictorial experience. Although these new works prominently depict figures and portraits, much of the iconography that was featured in Dylan’s earlier series The Beaten Path is still recognisable – diners, motels, roadsides and city streets.

The first limited edition artworks from this series include titles: 'Prize Fight', 'Tango Dancers', 'Edge of Town' and 'Hideaway Woman'.

SHOP

The Drawn Blank Series

Reimagining sketches created whilst on tour in America, Europe and Asia, this groundbreaking 2008 release marked Dylan’s first foray into fine art and includes the iconic ‘Train Tracks’ images.

Originally published in his Drawn Blank book in 1994, the series of landscapes, hotel scenes and nudes was originally sketched by Dylan between 1989 and 1992 while he was touring America, Europe and Asia. They were transformed using watercolour paint and gouache over an eight-month period in 2007.

The sell-out collection was followed by a second release in 2016, and a 10th-anniversary edition in 2018. In 2021, we unveiled two new editions, recreated from some of his earliest works from the series.

SHOP

The Beaten Path

A celebration of the American landscape, this collection invites viewers to accompany Dylan on his travels as he criss-crosses the USA through backstreets, alleys and country roads.

The first collection was released in 2016 as Dylan's first major programme since The Drawn Blank Series, and both this series and its follow-up release in 2017 were incredibly successful. Popular titles still available include 'Donut Shop' and 'East L.A. Side Street'.

SHOP

The Beaten Path, The Silkscreen Collection

After the sell-out success of The Beaten Path, Bob Dylan returned for 2017 with a stunning new silkscreen collection: six hand-signed, coloured silkscreen prints featuring some of his most iconic images.

This release marked the first time Dylan's work had ever been created via the silkscreen process (find out more about this traditional method here!). Each graphic is printed on a luxurious cotton paper with high-grade pigmented ink.

In 2019, he released a stand-alone 'Train Tracks' silkscreen, which featured museum glazing to showcase Dylan's painterly brushstrokes.

More recently, the 2023 release included six limited editions depicting Dylan's visual chronicle of American scenery depicting iconic images as he traces the heartland of the country. The newest additions to Bob Dylan’s The Beaten Path, The Silkscreen Collection comprised two hand-signed coloured silkscreen prints of the artist's most iconic images, exclusively from Castle Fine Art.

SHOP

Mondo Scripto

Featured in publications like Vogue and the Evening Standard, this 2018 release offered the first-ever visual representation of the artist’s lyrics. Each graphic was originally handwritten by him in pen on paper and accompanied by a pencil drawing. A second collection was released in 2020.

The American author Tom Piazza stated: "The unexpected couplings of these works and images offer a surprisingly intimate door into each song, adding dimension, delight and insight into the artist's relation to his own work."

Songs include ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door’, ‘All Along the Watchtower’ and ‘Lay, Lady, Lay’.

SHOP

The Brazil Series

Upon its 2015 release, this colourful collection was lauded for its unromanticised view of South America. Ramshackle favelas and genuine community spirit encourage viewers to relax and hear the music.

Brazil captured Dylan’s heart and mind during his many visits there, Outside of rehearsing and performing, he tried to gain an understanding and respect for its people and their culture.

SHOP

Train Tracks

Taken from the The Drawn Blank Series, the iconic 'Train Tracks' image boasts Dylan's signature loose lines and instinctive brushstrokes.

The train motif is featured in several of Dylan’s song lyrics, including ‘Freight Train Blues’, where he writes: ‘Well, the only thing that makes me laugh again/ Is a southbound whistle on a southbound train’. His travels from gig to gig across America are symbolised in the expanse of railway line.

In July 2020, he released four now sold-out graphics, which you can also view on our YouTube channel here.

SHOP

The Asia Series

A visual reflection on his travels in Japan, China, Vietnam and Korea, The Asia Series was a new direction for Dylan.

The four hand-signed limited edition graphics depict beautiful scenes of people, interiors, architecture and landscapes. Dylan drew upon a variety of source material, from observational sketches to archival film and photography.

SHOP

SUBSCRIBE TO BOB DYLAN EMAILS