COLLAGE: A HISTORY
Collage (from the French coller, meaning “to glue”) is an art-making technique where different materials like paper, photographs, fabric, and found objects are assembled to create a new whole. While its roots go back hundreds of years, collage as a modern art form emerged in the early 20th century. Artists like Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso coined the term papier collé and helped introduce collage into the world of fine art, where it became a bold, playful way to break tradition.
Though collage became widely known in the 20th century, its roots stretch far deeper. As early as 200 BC, paper was invented in China, but it wasn’t until 10th-century Japan that artists began gluing paper to create layered works. In medieval Europe, collage techniques emerged in religious art, where gold leaf, gems, and metal embellishments were applied to sacred images and coats of arms.
In the 18th century, Mary Delany created intricate floral collages from paper, and by the 19th century, hobbyists, including Hans Christian Andersen, used collage to decorate albums and books. Victorian photocollages, often made by aristocratic women, blended photography and paper cutouts in ways that challenged conventional art and storytelling. While Picasso and Braque are often credited with inventing modern collage in 1912, these earlier examples reveal a much longer, richer history of cutting and layering.
Collage and Modernism
Although collage-like techniques existed earlier, many art historians agree that true collage emerged with modernism in the early 20th century. Artists like Picasso and Braque introduced glued materials, like newspaper into their paintings, challenging the flatness of the canvas and blurring the lines between painting and sculpture. This new technique brought external meaning into fine art, referencing current events and pop culture. More than just sticking things together, collage became a way of thinking. Prioritizing concept and process over perfection, and finding meaning in the unexpected.
PhotomontagePhotomontage is a collage technique that combines photographs—or parts of them—into a new, unified image. Traditionally done by cutting and assembling printed photos, the process was later digitized through software like Photoshop. Early examples include Victorian "combination printing" and works by artists like Richard Hamilton and Romare Bearden. While digital tools have made photomontage faster and more precise, many contemporary artists still approach it with the same complexity and care as traditional art, blending photography with painting, theater, and illustration.
Historically, photomontage has served as a powerful tool for political dissent. It was first used in 1915 by the Dadaists in protest of World War I, then later by the Surrealists, who used the technique to express unconscious thought through free association. Russian Constructivist Aleksander Rodchenko employed photomontage to create dynamic, socially engaged imagery, while German artist John Heartfield reconstructed media images to oppose fascism. From the 1970s to the 1990s, Peter Kennard used photomontage to critique economic inequality, police violence, and nuclear arms. The medium’s lasting impact was highlighted in the Dora Maar retrospective at Tate Modern (Nov 2019 – Mar 2020), which showcased her groundbreaking photomontages alongside those of other key figures in the genre.
The Art Critic, 1919 Raoul HausmannHistorically, photomontage has served as a powerful tool for political dissent. It was first used in 1915 by the Dadaists in protest of World War I, then later by the Surrealists, who used the technique to express unconscious thought through free association. Russian Constructivist Aleksander Rodchenko employed photomontage to create dynamic, socially engaged imagery, while German artist John Heartfield reconstructed media images to oppose fascism. From the 1970s to the 1990s, Peter Kennard used photomontage to critique economic inequality, police violence, and nuclear arms. The medium’s lasting impact was highlighted in the Dora Maar retrospective at Tate Modern (Nov 2019 – Mar 2020), which showcased her groundbreaking photomontages alongside those of other key figures in the genre.
Decoupage
Decoupage is a form of collage traditionally associated with craft, where cut-out images are glued onto objects for decoration and often sealed with varnish. Though it gained popularity in 17th-century Venice and France—with enthusiasts like Marie Antoinette—it likely originated in East Siberian funerary art and spread through China before arriving in Europe. In the 20th century, artists like Picasso and Matisse reimagined decoupage in abstract forms, with Matisse’s Blue Nude IIas a notable example. Today, decoupage remains a popular hobby, with both traditional and modern variations that range from simple layering to intricate, three-dimensional effects.
Blue Nude, 1952 Henri Mattise