Collection Overview

"The photo collage is a way to travel that must be used with skill and precision if we are to arrive [...] The collage as a flexible hieroglyph language of juxtapostion: A collage makes a statement." - WSB (1962)Now available:

BURROUGHS, William S.  [Collection of Photo-Collages by with Photos by and of William S. Borroughs].  [William S. Burroghs], various [Mexico, Tangier, Paris, etc.]: nd [1954-1961].  Various sizes.  Silver Gelatin Prints.

A rare and remarkable archive of early photographic work from William S. Burroughs.  The heart of the collection is comprised of seven photo-collages by Burroughs from his original scrapbooks.  All were exhibited (with Burroughs' guidance and cooperation) as part of the 1996 show PORTS OF ENTRY: William S. Burroughs and the Arts at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (only #1 was included in the catalog).  The collages date to the mid-to-late fifties when Burroughs was living in Tangier and writing what was to become the text of Naked Lunch.  As such, they offer a uniquely rare portrait of Burroughs' state-of-mind while he was in the midst of creating what was to become one of the seminal works of the Beat movement.  Most obviously, these collages echo Burroughs' famed "cut-up" technique and reflect the influence of long-time collaborator Brion Gysin, whom he would have recently met at the time of these creations.  Perhaps more importantly, however, these works reveal Burroughs in many ways re-creating in visual form the "Interzone" of his early novels, an "imaginary city" which was "a combination of New York, Mexico City, and Tangier" in which he "construct[ed] hallucinatory, interconnected narratives for its numerous characters" (Gewirtz, BEATIFIC SOUL 17).  With their incorporation of numerous personal elements -- photos taken by Gysin and Ginsberg, images of himself and his friends, scenery of places he'd lived and traveled -- the collages also parallel the autobiographic motifs and inspirations of the author's novels.  Furthermore, these collages prefigure Burroughs' later work, both visual and written: from his shotgun paintings (with their themes of damage and violence) to his continued explorations with collages of the written word.  Representing what are almost certainly the earliest Burroughs visual works ever brought to market, the examples here presented are also easily among the earliest visual experiments Burroughs engaged in, period.  In addition, the archive includes numerous scrapbook photographs taken by WSB (including some poignant images of his son Billy Burroughs), two portraits of Burroughs by Brion Gysin, a 1961 photo of WSB by Allen Ginsberg, and a romantic portrait of Ian Sommerville.  Taken as a whole, these documents open a window on William S. Burroughs as he began what was to be the most important, influential and fertile period of his career.

Offered as a collection: SOLD

The collection may be viewed by following the navigation links to the left.  Though not shown, each collage is professionally mounted with matching fold-down beveled mat framing.  The smaller Gysin portrait and the Ginsberg portrait are similarly mounted, though smaller.  The remainder of the collection is loose.  Click on any image to enlarge.

PROVENANCE: William S. Burroughs, Lawrence KS (with Simon Lowinsky NYC); Estate of Richard Lorenz.