Conjuring the Void

The Art of Black Holes

Lynn Gamwell, Neil deGrasse Tyson

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Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

MIT Press
21 October 2025

Science: general issues

An evocative and richly illustrated exploration of modern art about black holes. Inescapable and mysterious, black holes have long captured the imagination of visual artists, even before their existence was first confirmed in 1971. In Conjuring the Void, Lynn Gamwell explores this fascinating intersection of art and science. Starting with a chronological description of key developments in the science of black holes, Gamwell builds a foundation for the reader through visualizations of black holes created by scientists, depicting how a black hole s extreme gravity affects visible objects in its vicinity. From there, the book explores how artists have addressed the challenge of visualizing black holes by developing new methods of working with diverse materials, including a black paint that absorbs 99.96% of visible light. Gamwell looks at how certain themes within the science of black holes nothingness, emptiness, darkness, void, silence are prominent in traditional Eastern thought traditions as well as in modern abstract art. She also considers the work of contemporary artists such as Anish Kapoor, Olafur Eliasson, Takashi Murakami, and Danh V?, and discusses how they have explored these themes and more in their artworks. The book concludes with a look forward, describing dramatic developments in the imagery of black holes and their changing influence on visual culture.

By: Lynn Gamwell, Neil deGrasse Tyson
Imprint: MIT Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 305mm, Width: 229mm,
Weight: 567g
ISBN: 9780262049962
ISBN 10: 0262049961
Pages: 208
Publication Date: 21 October 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Lynn Gamwell teaches the history of art, science, and mathematics at the School of Visual Arts in New York. She is the former director of the Art Museum of the State University of New York at Binghamton, a coauthor of Dreams 1900 2000, which won a 2000 Gradiva Award, and the author of Exploring the Invisible and Mathematics and Art.