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The Beaten Path 2016

Washington Green released 'The Beaten Path 2016' in November 2016: 15 hand-signed giclées by Bob Dylan, each in an edition of 295. Sold through Castle Fine Art in standard, medium and large formats, individually or as sets, the prints reproduce his paintings of motels, fairgrounds, theatres and city bridges, first shown at Halcyon Gallery in London.

All The Beaten Path 2016 Works By Bob Dylan (26)

Significance & Analysis

This release is where Dylan's prints turned from the tour sketches of 'The Drawn Blank Series' to the American landscape, and it opened a run of releases under the same title that has continued for a decade. The exhibition of the paintings opened on 5 November 2016, and the prints went on sale the same weekend.

Dylan described the common theme as the American landscape and "how you see it while crisscrossing the land". In an essay published that week, he set out the rule he worked to, viewing "nothing as shallow or gaudy": "A simple hot-dog stand can have classical features, and I view it as such." The 2016 titles keep to that rule. 'Donut Shop', 'Theater, Downtown L.A.', 'Wilton Iowa Farmyard' and 'Classic Car Show, Cleveland, OH' name everyday places rather than landmarks. Some titles are less literal than they look: 'Florida Country' shows the sign of the long-closed Paradise Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico, on Route 66.

'Endless Highway' stands apart. It was the only scene editioned at the large size, a smaller print of it came with the limited edition book made for the exhibition, and in 2017 it was issued again in two new versions.

The release grew quickly into a series. In April 2017 six images from the exhibition were reissued as silkscreens in 'The Beaten Path: The Silkscreen Collection', and in October 2017 'The Beaten Path 2017' added a second set of 15 giclées. Later chapters followed in 2019, 2023 and twice in 2024, among them 'The Beaten Path, Route 66', which gave the highway behind 'Florida Country' a release of its own.

What Sizes Are The Beaten Path 2016 Prints?

There are three formats. The ten standard prints ('Amusement Park Alleyway', 'Bandera Texas', 'Brooklyn Heights', 'Donut Shop', 'East L.A, Side Street', 'Florida Country', 'Midnight Caller', 'Theater, Downtown L.A.', 'Vine Street, West L.A.' and 'Wilton Iowa Farmyard') are on paper of about 76 x 58.5 cm and measure 88.9 x 71.1 cm framed. The four medium prints are on paper of about 101.5 x 76 cm, and 'Endless Highway - Large' is on paper of about 127 x 95 cm. Each is an edition of 295 with artist's and printer's proofs, framed or unframed.

Which Sets Were Issued From The Beaten Path 2016?

Three. The boxed set of 15 brings every print together in presentation packaging and is an edition of 295. The set of ten collects the standard-format prints, and the set of four collects the medium prints: 'Classic Car Show, Cleveland, OH', 'Holbrook, Arizona', 'Little Italy, Lower Manhattan' and 'Manhattan Bridge, Downtown New York'. All three were offered framed or unframed.

What Is The Beaten Path Limited Edition Book and Print?

It is a book of the 2016 paintings, with Dylan's own quotes, a biography and photographs, presented in a hand-finished flight case covered in stickers. It comes with a hand-signed print of 'Endless Highway' made to mark the opening of the exhibition, with an image of about 25 x 42 cm on paper of about 32 x 47.5 cm. It is a separate print, far smaller than the large 'Endless Highway'.

How Do I Tell a 2016 Print From a Later Version of the Same Image?

By process, edition size and year. The 2016 prints are giclées in editions of 295. 'Brooklyn Heights', 'Endless Highway' and 'Manhattan Bridge, Downtown New York' were reissued in 2017 as silkscreens on Coventry Rag paper, and the 'Endless Highway' silkscreen is an edition of 195. 'The Beaten Path 2017' also includes two giclées with familiar titles, 'Endless Highway - Large (2017)' and a medium 'Manhattan Bridge, Downtown New York' dated 2017, so the year matters as much as the title.