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Contemporary Art, 1960s–present

Conceptual Art and Other Modern Art Movements

What is Fluxus?

Fluxus is a difficult-to-describe, anti-art movement (sometimes called neo-dada) promoted informally by an international group of artists who were interested in the relationship between art and life. The term “Fluxus” was invented in 1961 by the Lithuanian American artist George Maciunas. The word itself comes from Latin and means “to flow.” Artists associated with Fluxus include (among others) Joseph Beuys (1921–1986), George Brecht (1926–2008), Nam June Paik (1932–2006), Yoko Ono (1933-), and LaMonte Young (1935-), an experimental composer and performance artist. The artist Dick Higgins (1938–1998) created a rubberstamp upon which he explained Fluxus as “a way of doing things, a tradition, and, a way of life and death” (as quoted in Dempsey 229). Fluxus art was inherently collaborative. Artists worked together to create pieces by sending art through the mail, for example. Collaborative Fluxus festivals or “Fluxconcerts” featured experimental music and other types of short, fast-paced performances. Fluxus defies narrow description. It was intended to 244 be open, simple, and have a sense of humor.



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