Between the Lines

Between the Lines: 70 Drawings and 7 Essays will be released on November 24, 2026

In collaboration with Radius Books, the Andrews-Humphrey Family Foundation is publishing an expanded edition of Benny Andrews’s Between the Lines: 70 Drawings and 7 Essays. This new edition brings together Benny Andrews's long-out-of-print collection of drawings and essays with new scholarship focused on his life, work, and legacy. Originally published in 1978, the book includes essays that confront racism and power in the art world — most notably his seminal text "Understanding Black Art." The drawings, rendered in his distinctive contour line, span subjects ranging from his early life in Georgia to the surreal symbolism of his Bicentennial Series. The original volume remains the most extensive published collection of Andrews's drawings, and this new edition will feature the original preface and portrait by his close friend, the painter Alice Neel, along with a new essay by artist Alex Jackson, and a new foreword by Allie Biswas to contextualize Andrews's life and work for a contemporary audience.

Between the Lines: Online Appendix

The purpose of this page is to provide additional context and resources on Between the Lines: 70 Drawings and 7 Essays, and is currently under construction. The completed page will include a transcript of a 1973 panel discussion titled “The Black Artist and the White Critics,” which Andrews references, a handwritten draft of Alice Neel’s preface, contextual information about Andrews’s drawings, and more.

Below you can see a selection of pages from the original edition of Between the Lines.