Date of Award
5-2009
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
College/School
College of the Arts
Department/Program
Art and Design
Thesis Sponsor/Dissertation Chair/Project Chair
Anne Betty Weinshenker
Committee Member
Mimi Weinberg
Committee Member
Elizabeth del Alamo
Abstract
Ray Johnson was a performance and collage artist who had a career that spanned six decades, yet there is relatively little known or written about him. After interviewing his friends and acquaintances I will bring to light new information and insights on Johnson’s work. In this thesis I discuss the performance art of Johnson and compare it to pieces by Fluxus and Happenings artists. I also address the influences that Zen Buddhism had on his life and work as well as his rejection of the established art world. I argue that Johnson was possibly the only artist to date who made a work of art out of his entire life.
File Format
Recommended Citation
DiTolla, Tracy, "Much Ado About "Nothings" : Ray Johnson and Fluxus" (2009). Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects. 1145.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/etd/1145