Minimalist artist Dan Flavin (1933–96) is best known for his brightly colored fluorescent light installations, which have captivated art lovers for decades. But he was also an accomplished draftsman, and this is the first book to fully explore the central role that drawing played in Flavin’s art.

Not only did Flavin produce numerous sketches for each of his light installations, he also regularly drew outdoors, primarily riverscapes and beach scenes. A number of those drawings are included in this volume, as are a group of remarkable pastels of sails, a subject he turned to when he was in his fifties. This book also draws on Flavin’s journals, in which he wrote about his passion for drawing, which he called “an intensely concentrated personal form of artistic relief.” Yet despite the importance of drawing in Flavin’s life, his drawings are little known, in part because he almost never sold—or even gave away—his drawings. Most of the works reproduced here were never shown publicly and are being published here for the first time.

Offering a surprising new angle on a major artist, Dan Flavin: Drawing will surprise—and delight—his many fans.