Altered States: the greatest collection of drugs related culture uncovered

Altered States documents the bizarre belongings of the late Julio Mario Santo Domingo, the eldest son of Julio Santo Domingo, a Colombian businessman, who became an obscure collector and visionary, filling his mansions and warehouses with the world’s greatest private collection related to drugs, sex, magic, and rock and roll.

From Altered States, Published by Anthology Editions. All images from Altered States, Published by Anthology Editions

From Altered States, Published by Anthology Editions. All images from Altered States, Published by Anthology Editions

After his death, this library contained more than 100,000 items, everything from rare manuscripts, photos, posters, MacDonald ‘coke’ spoons, letters, opium pipes to pinball machines.

Exploring the innumerable influences of mind-enhancing drugs on art, science, and politics over the centuries, Domingo’s collection contained work by diverse figures and friends including Andy Warhol, Timothy Leary, Sigmund Freud, the Marquis de Sade, Charles Baudelaire, Allen Ginsberg, the Rolling Stones, Aleister Crowley, and many more.

Shedding light on an often misunderstood force in history, author Peter Watts waded through the whole collection and created Altered States – an unprecedented insight into the effect of drugs on life, politics and popular culture.

The collection is on an unimaginable scale, filling nearly three terraced houses and with Harvard recently showing only a small part of the vast collection. For fans of pop culture, this is not to be missed. Buy your copy here.

From Altered States, Published by Anthology Editions

From Altered States, Published by Anthology Editions

From Altered States, Published by Anthology Editions

From Altered States, Published by Anthology Editions

From Altered States, Published by Anthology Editions

From Altered States, Published by Anthology Editions

From Altered States, Published by Anthology Editions

From Altered States, Published by Anthology Editions

Altered States, Published by Anthology Editions

Altered States, Published by Anthology Editions

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