James Turrell: Light in Space and Prints

An investigation into a lesser-known facet of Turrell's exploration of light: his printmaking practice across sketches, trial proofs and rare artist's books

American artist James Turrell (born 1943) is a master of light. Renowned worldwide for his immersive installations that create the effect of floating light, he is less known for his work in printmaking--an equally fascinating medium that he has explored with dedication and radical vision since the 1980s. In close collaboration with Zurich copperplate printer Peter Kneubühler, Turrell created over 150 works between 1984 and 1991, capturing the interplay of light and shadow, space and illusion, on paper. Turrell described this artistic partnership as a jazz duet: spontaneous, dialogic and full of surprises. The ETH Zurich Graphic Collection presents, for the first time, a comprehensive selection of these works--from the renowned First Light and Still Light series to sketches, trial proofs and rare artist's books. The volume reveals Turrell's mastery of the medium and his ability to make paper glow; it also identifies his sources of inspiration across architecture, astronomy, perceptual psychology and mysticism.