Lenny Kislin
1946 – 2017
American
Antique art dealer turned artist Lenny Kislin found interest in the unusual when he started collecting objects in 1973. In 1991 he began to join these items together in what Kislin called “antique assemblage,” creating conceptual and narrative art objects that utilized and highlighted their strangeness. He also found humor in artworks from the past. Take, for example, his piece in Cultural Currency titled Uncommon Cents, which features recycled vintage price tags, likely from the turn of the 20th century. The price tags resemble coins, many of which are uncommon sale prices, like 6 ¼ cents! Through his efforts, Kislin hoped to encourage others to see the levity and new possibilities in seemingly useless and unwanted objects.
Kislin was born in the Bronx, NY, lived in Queens, and earned a law degree from Brooklyn Law School. However, he was deeply passionate about the arts. At various times in his life, he was a singer, musician, writer, collector, artist, and curator. He was also heavily involved in the Woodstock, NY, art scene, where he built a house in 1971 and started a family. In 1991 Kislin began upcycling his antiques into reimagined art objects, eventually selling his numerous pieces to public and private collections worldwide. Kislin died in 2017 at 71 years old.
