A visual artist, writer, performer and cultural visionary, Gysin introduced his lifelong friend, writer William S. Burroughs, to the techniques of cut-ups and permutation. Together, they experimented in sound and image, using collage, tape recorder, light painting, writing and film. They co-authored Third Mind, the term they also used for their creative collaborations. Gysin began his career as a painter in Paris, studying at Sorbonne and in 1935, was exhibited with Picasso, Arp, Bellmer, Brauner, de Chirico, Dali, Duchamp, Max Ernst, Magritte, Miro, Man Ray, Tanguy at Galerie Quatre Chemins in Paris. He then left for New York in 1939. During World War II he studied Japanese and worked as a codebreaker. Japanese and Arabic calligraphy, influenced Gysin’s style of word/image glyphs. Paul Bowles invited him to Tangier, where Gysin remained for twenty-five years. Gysin lived and worked in Paris until his death in 1986.
Brion Gysin checklist:
Section A: Books, Pamphlets, and Broadsides
Section B: Contributions to Books and Pamphlets
Section C: Contributions to Periodicals
References consulted:
Maynard, Joe and Barry Miles. William S. Burroughs: A Bibliography, 1953-73: Unlocking Inspector Lee’s Word Hoard
Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1978. (ref. M&M)
Online resources:
· BeatBooks.com
· Reality Studio
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