Fluxus Means Change: An Avant-Garde Archive

Analysis of the unique collecting practices of Jean Brown and the importance of her archive for the Getty Research Institute’s collections

A metal rack of three horizontal bands and four curving vertical ribs. A paper tag on the top lists the French title of the work, racque (not really a French word), $18.95, and its imported status.

Le mug racque (The mug rack), Jean Brown after Marcel Duchamp. Metal, 19 1/2 × 12 1/2 in. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (890164)

About

Goal

This project focused on Jean Brown’s collection of Dadaist, surrealist, and Fluxus works, examining her innovative, highly personal, and prescient approach to collecting. Frequently working directly with artists, Brown collected mail art, artists’ books, multiples, and Fluxus works, as well as artists’ archives, ephemera, and an art library. This collection not only was one of the first major 20th-century art acquisitions for the Getty Research Institute, but served as the basis for a catalogue and 2021 exhibition.

Resources