Lucy Sante on Collage: ‘You Have to Kill One Thing to Make Another.’
The New York Times • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Lucy Sante, a writer and historian known for her detailed exploration of modern visual history, has been guiding readers through archival materials for 45 years.
- She is acclaimed for her 1991 book "Low Life," which vividly reconstructs New York's Gilded Age using diverse archival sources like newspapers and photography.
- Beyond writing, Sante creates small collages from vintage periodicals and ephemera, with several dozen pieces currently exhibited in Manhattan galleries.
- Her collage materials come from extensive collections gathered over decades from flea markets, antiques fairs, and online auctions across Europe and the U.S.
- Sante’s artistic practice complements her scholarly work, emphasizing the physicality and historical resonance of found materials.
