“Richard Serra’s large-scale steel sculptures have made him a crucial figure in contemporary art, but his work also takes another striking, lesser-known form: drawing,” according to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which is exhibiting what the museum is calling “the first-ever critical overview of Serra’s drawings.”

“This landmark traveling exhibition brings together roughly 70 works made over the course of some 40 years—including many of the artist’s sketchbooks that have never been shown before—and will unfold chronologically, tracing Serra’s ever-evolving ideas and methods since the 1970s. A major breakthrough in his career occurred in 1974 when he began making wall-size abstractions that radically alter the relationship between drawing and architectural space. In these and many subsequent works, Serra uses black paintstick—an oil-based crayon—to build stark, densely layered forms that impact the viewer’s sense of mass and gravity, making for an experience that is as visceral as it is visual.”

“Richard Serra Drawing: A Retrospective” runs through January 16, 2012 at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 151 Third Street, San Francisco, California, 415-357-4000, sfmoma.org.

Franklin Einspruch is an artist and writer.