Fluxus editions

Fluxus Art for everyone
Italian editions from the Bonotto Collection
edited by Patrizio Peterlini and Martina Corgnati
Danilo Montanari, Publisher
Italian and English
160 pages
2023

Sixty years after the “FLuXuS Internationale FesTsPiELe NEUEsTER MUSiK” Festival in Wiesbaden in September 1962, this book, edited by Patrizio Peterlini and Martina Corgnati, is the first to analyze, by means of publications, works, and documents, Italy’s key role in the proliferation of Fluxus, with specific focus on the production of “editions”: objects, graphics folders, and a wide variety of artist books. These works were created by cultural patrons and artists such as Rosanna Chiessi, Francesco Conz, Gino Di Maggio, and Peppe Morra, together with protagonists of the movement such as Eric Andersen, Joseph Beuys, George Brecht, Giuseppe Chiari, Philip Corner, Geoffrey Hendricks, Allan Kaprow, George Maciunas, Nam June Paik, Ben Patterson, Dieter Roth, Wolf Vostell, Bob Watts, and many others.

The creation of editions plays an essential role in the movement’s systematic proliferation, a strategic choice whose strong points are low production costs, easy distribution (including via mail), and low prices for accessibility to the general public. All of these characteristics conform to the idea of democratization of art promoted by Fluxus.

George Maciunas. Scritti Fluxus
edited by Patrizio Peterlini and Angela Sanna
Abscondita
Italian
192 pages
2023

The result of the collaboration between the Brera Academy (Milan) and the Bonotto Foundation (Colceresa), this is the first Italian-language monograph to collect a large selection of personal and public writings of George Maciunas (1931-1978), the founder of the famous Fluxus movement. The selection, edited by Patrizio Peterlini and Angela Sanna, includes posters, newsletters, theoretical writings, event scores, works, letters, and writings on the Fluxhouse Cooperatives project, and concludes with an interview of Charles Dreyfus Pechkoff. Covering the years 1962 to 1978, i.e., from the publication of the first Fluxus manifesto to the author’s death, the book highlights the fundamental aspects of the movement (of which Maciunas unsuccessfully claimed authorship), as well as his persevering work to organize, promote, and stimulate it. From a young age, Maciunas devoted equal effort to writing, revealing his erudite, complex, ironic, and non-conformist personality. Here we meet Walter De Maria, Dick Higgins, La Monte Young, Larry Miller, Nam June Paik, Yoko Ono, and countless other artists and musicians with whom Maciunas had close working relationships and friendships. Moreover, Italy was extremely important to him, as confirmed by many of these writings.