Jimmy De Sana (1950-1990) is one of the defining American art photographers of the 1980s, a man whose work was suffused with a dark yet joyful beauty, a frank translation of the human form, and an uncanny power to imbue mundane items with ethereal mystery. His heady brand of Surrealism saw an evolution through his short lifetime, finding its abstract and spiritual peak among the last years of his life, as he lived through the final stages of debilitating illness.

From the 27th of November until January 2010, the Wilkinson Gallery in London will showcase the works of De Sana’s final years, with an exploration of intense colour, movement, sexuality and the absurd. The exhibition features several of Jimmy De Sana’s works that appeared in Proenza Schouler’s A#9, the latest issue of A released in June this year.

Many of the pieces carry signs of the psychological release of De Sana as he processed his sickness and gradually prepared for his fate, detaching from reality and photographing everyday objects from a refreshing, theatrical and somewhat alien perspective.

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All images courtesy of the Wilkinson Gallery.