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The Beaten Path, Route 66

On 14 June 2024 Castle Fine Art released Bob Dylan's 'The Beaten Path, Route 66': four hand-signed giclées, each in an edition of 295. 'Grandview Motel', 'Green Car', 'Monte Vista Hotel' and 'Truck and Bull' were sold individually or as a set, in a release given over entirely to the old highway.

All The Beaten Path, Route 66 Works By Bob Dylan (5)

Significance & Analysis

Route 66 had run through 'The Beaten Path' from the start, and in 2024 Dylan gave the road a chapter of its own. The paintings shown in London in 2016 already included landmarks along the highway from Texas to California, and the 2016 print 'Florida Country' shows a motel sign in Tucumcari, New Mexico. 'Blue Swallow Motel, Route. 66' followed in 'The Beaten Path 2019'. In those releases the highway was one subject among many; here all four images stay on it.

The titles point to the roadside: two places to stay and two vehicles. 'Grandview Motel' shows a Route 66 motel on Albuquerque's West Mesa, and the building still stands. Dylan once put his feeling for the road plainly: "A lot of people don't like the road, but it's as natural to me as breathing. I do it because I'm driven to do it."

The same summer, watercolours from a new body of work Dylan titled 'Route 66' were shown in London in 'Songs of the Open Road' at Halcyon Gallery, which ran until 1 September 2024.

The release sits between two broader chapters. 'The Beaten Path 2023' had gathered bridges, a bar, a motel and a train into a set of six. 'The Beaten Path 2024' followed in October and turned to drive-ins, roadside stores and kerbside buskers.

What Paper and Sizes Are The Beaten Path, Route 66 Prints?

Each print is a textured archival pigment giclée on Permajet Heritage Etching Rag, a 310gsm textured paper, issued with a certificate of authenticity. Framed, 'Green Car' and 'Monte Vista Hotel' measure 94 x 71.1 cm, and 'Truck and Bull' 88.9 x 76.2 cm. Unframed image and sheet sizes have not been published.

What Is the Difference Between the Portfolio of Four and the Framed Set?

The portfolio holds all four prints unframed and is an edition of 295, with artist's and printer's proofs alongside the numbered sets. The framed set offers the same four prints framed and ready to hang. The framed versions of 'Green Car', 'Monte Vista Hotel' and 'Truck and Bull' were also offered individually.