In the late 1950s, dissatisfied with the status of post-war art in America, a new generation of artists sought to create work that merged artistic practice with the mundane events of everyday life. Drawing inspiration from improvisational jazz, Beat poetry, and... [more]

In the late 1950s, dissatisfied with the status of post-war art in America, a new generation of artists sought to create work that merged artistic practice with the mundane events of everyday life. Drawing inspiration from improvisational jazz, Beat poetry, and the experiments of John Cage, artists Jim Dine, Dan Graham, Claes Oldenburg, Allan Kaprow, and others created what came to be termed Happenings. The name originated with Kaprow's first New York show in 1959, which he called "18 Happenings in 6 Parts." Kaprow defined a Happening as "an assemblage of events performed or perceived in more than one place and time." These artistic events obliterated the dividing line between artist and observer by forcing the audience to participate in works that developed in the space around them. Physically engaged in the creative process, people would contribute to whatever was happening by performing actions that simultaneously expressed group cohesion and individual expression. Red Grooms' "Burning Building" was a farcical recreation of a fire, complete with performers who tumbled and jumped out of the set's windows. In several famous performances by Jim Dine, the artist featured himself falling through panes of glass and being shot. In these instances, Dine included the audience by placing them in imminent danger from shattering glass and flying bullets. Happenings were part of a movement, along with Assemblage and Environments, that sought to defy the conservatism and conformity of the era by challenging its ideas about art. Above all, Happenings made art a collective experience and a collective product in a way that drew people out of their usual orbits and broke down conventional roles and identities. [show less]