b. 1916 Taplow, UK - died 1986 Paris

Brion Gysin was raised in Edmonton, Alberta, but spent most of his adult life between Tangier, London, New York, and Paris, where he died in 1986. Painter, writer, sound poet, lyricist, and performance artist, Gysin came to prominence in the late 1950s when he lived and worked at the infamous Beat Hotel in Paris. Throughout his life he collaborated with a number of well-known writers, poets, artists, and musicians, though his relationship with the writer William S. Burroughs was most critical to the evolution of his thinking. His work has been included in exhibitions at Galleria Trastevere (Topazia Alliata), Rome; October Gallery, London; Galerie de France, Paris; Museé d”Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris; the Institute of Contemporary Art, London; and Guillaume Gallozzi Gallery, New York. A retrospective of his work was held at the Edmonton Art Gallery in 1998. “Brion Gysin: Dream Machine” is the first comprehensive presentation of Gysin’s work in an American museum.