Elysian Fields

This book presents various recent sculptural series by Jim Dine, which explore some of the beloved personal motifs he has defined and re-defined over decades: from Pinocchio to the self-portrait, from antique torsos to tools.

Sculpture has long held a central, scintillating role within Jim Dine's expansive practice-raw plastic expressions of his visions, seemingly caught in the processes of their own becoming. This book presents various recent sculptural series by Dine, which explore some of the beloved personal motifs he has defined and re-defined over decades: from Pinocchio to the self-portrait, from antique torsos to tools. Images of Dine's sculptures are shown here alongside photographs of the artist at work in the studio-splattered with plaster, hammer and chisel (even chainsaw) in hand-as he releases his creations from their original material states. In focus is the series of 23 monumental plaster heads "Elysian Fields," named after the mythological paradise for the blessed dead. As ever in Dine's art (both sculpture and beyond), his focus lies on what he calls "the romanticism of the handmade": "I'm proud to be a worker in the field of art. […] I believe that from clashes and accidental conflicts great beauty can emerge."