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DE SANA, JIMMY (1949-1990)
Book maquette for “Submission,” with 31 erotic prints, many are sado-masochistic. Silver prints,
10x8 inches (25.4x20.3 cm.), and the reverse, each with De Sana’s title and numeric notation (title
and sequence placement) on recto and his signature (twice) and date, in ink, on verso. 1979
[15,000/25,000]
From the Collection of Robert A. Stefanotti, a gallerist who represented De Sana.
From a young age, Jimmy De Sana was influenced by the novels ofWilliam Burroughs (with whom he
collaborated on Submission). He developed a distinct sensibility, at once beautific and homoerotic.
De Sana arrived in NewYork from the South when he was still in his early 20s. He involved himself
in the alternative art and music scenes of 1970s NewYork, taking portraits of John Giorno, Jack Smith,
Laurie Anderson, Debbie Harry, Billy Idol and the Talking Heads. His photographs were widely
reproduced in avant-garde journals and newspapers.
A self-styled artistic figure, De Sana’s approach to photography was bold and disturbing. His pictures of
the body and sexuality convey a perverse tone that was very much his own. In 1980, he self -published
the cult classic, Submission, for which Burroughs wrote: “Look at these pictures in Submission — My
dear, it’s all so Christian and medieval and gloomy.”
