Publications

Performance on Display – Zur Geschichte lebendiger Kunst im Museum

Dissertation project by Lisa Beißwanger

Live performances are now an everyday occurrence in art museums. Yet is this really a new development? When, how and why did art come to life in the museum?

Starting with the U.S. art system of the 1970s, a nucleus of early performance, this book explores the little-known beginnings of the phenomenon of “performance on display.” To do so, it examines selected performances and exhibitions-from dance to body art to performance art, and explores the role of distribution networks and state arts funding policies. Moving away from the established narrative of anti-institutional performance, this volume rewrites performance and museum history and opens up an exciting cultural-historical panopticon.

511 pages

145 illustrations

Bibliographic information:

Lisa Beißwanger, Performance on Display – Zur Geschichte lebendiger Kunst im Museum, Berlin: Deutscher Kunstverlag 2021.

Available in the De Gruyter Webshop.

Online access via the ULB for members of the TU Darmstadt:.