Renowned for his depictions of self, which early in his career were often purely symbolic—most famously in the form of a bathrobe or a set of tools—Jim Dine reveals in Last Year’s Forgotten Harvest another portrait of sorts, providing the viewer both with insight into his deep commitment to drawing and to the individuals in his orbit who have helped shape him. Presenting nearly seven decades of drawing, from 1957 to the present, Last Year’s Forgotten Harvest demonstrates the deep fusion between Dine’s practice and those who have long been part of his world. In the artist’s words: “Besides being a diary, having the quality of a diary, the exhibition is essentially about drawing.” Present here, then, are members of Dine’s family. His wife photographer Diana Michener appears in multiple, heavily worked portraits. Images of close friends and fellow creatives move throughout the publication, including drawings of artist Susan Rothenberg, printer Aldo Crommelynck, poet Robert Creeley, and printer and publisher Gerhard Steidl, with whom he created this book. The blemishes, wrinkles and even stains that imprint themselves upon skin similarly appear upon the surfaces of Dine’s drawings as he encounters and grapples with his subjects over time. Providing a poignant reflection upon a career characterized by digesting the world through making, Dine concludes: “This is what I’m left with. I’m left with drawing.”

Co-published with the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick

Exhibition: Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, 7 December 2023 to 2 June 2024