James Turrell is a master of light. Renowned worldwide for his immersive installations that make light appear to float and open our gaze to the sky and infinity, he is less well known for his work in printmaking—an equally fascinating medium that he has explored with dedication and radical vision since the 1980s.

In close collaboration with Zurich copperplate printer Peter Kneubühler, Turrell created over 150 works between 1984 and 1991, capturing the interplay of light and shadow, space and illusion on paper. Turrell described this artistic partnership as a jazz duet: spontaneous, dialogic, and full of surprises.

The ETH Zurich Graphic Collection presents, for the first time, a comprehensive selection of these works—from the renowned First Light and Still Light series to sketches, trial proofs, and rare artist books. The exhibition reveals how Turrell makes paper glow while linking his motifs to architecture, astronomy, perceptual psychology, and mysticism.

This book accompanies the exhibition and offers new perspectives on an artist whose exploration of light bridges art, science, and spirituality.