Eraser head: David Lynch's sketches

Eraser head: David Lynch's sketches – in pictures

This year the acclaimed director of Mulholland Drive turned to music, releasing a decidedly weird album called Crazy Clown Time. Now publisher Steidl has collated a book, Works on Paper, featuring more than 500 of his drawings dating from the 1960s onwards. But are they Turner prize or turn away? You decide

guardian.co.uk, Friday 9 December 2011 17.06 GMT


So hot right now … but will Lynch set the art world alight with Post-it note efforts such as the one above? Photograph: Steidl/Fondation Cartier

This tiny but painstakingly coloured piece recalls Rothko's window-like creations. Photograph: Steidl/Fondation Cartier

Lynch's doodles appear on anything he had to hand. Cinematographer Frederick Elmes was the director of photography on Blue Velvet, so it's possible this drawing was completed during its filming. Photograph: Steidl/Fondation Cartier

A surrealistic landscape, complete with doppelganger trees and raining shadows. Photograph: Steidl/Fondation Cartier

Two works that form a kind of mini-suite are drawn on a matchbox. Is the long central shape in the lower one a cave opening or a towering beast?Photograph: Steidl/Fondation Cartier

A piece drawn on a napkin during the filming of Dune, which was released in 1984. Photograph: Steidl/Fondation Cartier

An assortment of random shapes showcases a practised shading technique. Photograph: Steidl/Fondation Cartier

A whirlwind of scribbled thoughts, images and conversational fragments, possibly from Lynch's desk or beside his phone. Photograph: Steidl/Fondation Cartier

Another mindbending landscape, this one drawn on a notepad and reminiscent of Dalí. Photograph: Steidl/Fondation Cartier

The top image, again on a Post-it, looks like a twisted kind of musical notation. Photograph: Steidl/Fondation Cartier

A horse-like contraption fitted with what could be hinges – or hidden eyes. Photograph: Steidl/Fondation Cartier

Finally, the director captures perfectly the likeness of a 'Brunsing pig'. Or maybe that's 'Brunoing'. If you haven't seen either, they both look like this. Photograph: Steidl/Fondation Cartier