On visiting the Glyptothek in Munich in 1984, Jim Dine (*1935) was inspired to create a book of prints that would be his own Glyptothek. In preparation for the prints, he created a suite of forty drawings known as the "Glyptotek Drawings".

Using unexpected vantage points and inventive cropping, Dine animates his classical subjects and imbues his compositions with an energetic pulse. Many of the drawings are highly worked, and all feature a rich variety of media.