Contemporary Drawings from the Stenn Family Collection

Explore how postwar artists used drawing to experiment, innovate, and challenge conventions in this richly illustrated celebration of conceptual art on paper

Over the last five decades, Chicagoan Irving Stenn Jr. has assembled a remarkable collection of twentieth-century art. Working alongside Art Institute of Chicago curators and other experts, Stenn acquired works by leading artists of the post-World War II period, from Josef Albers and Mel Bochner to Sol LeWitt, Kazimir Malevich, Hélio Oiticica, and less well-known artists. This richly illustrated volume features works from Stenn’s transformative gift to the museum, offering an intimate exploration of twentieth-century drawing at its most adventurous and spanning Abstract Expressionism, Pop, Minimalism, and Post-Minimalism.

As a foundational group of conceptual drawings, these works reveal drawing as a vital site of experimentation and innovation in postwar art. A never-before-published transcript of a lecture-performance by the late artist Mel Bochner playfully engages with key artists and works in the collection. Through more than 300 color illustrations, readers encounter both celebrated masterworks and overlooked gems that demonstrate the enduring power of drawing as an artistic medium.

Distributed for the Art Institute of Chicago