A small wooden box with a printed label, and various objects and printed material inside
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College

A shallow, flat, square wooden box has a label on its lid that shows an illustration of a case with various objects in distinct compartments. Text that runs in a rectangle around the perimeter of the illustration shows the object’s title and the name of the artist and the publisher. Inside the lid a card is printed with three columns of text, and the shallow compartment is papered with an illustration showing dozens of various objects, animals and figures. Sitting on top of this illustration are several actual objects including plastic numbers, a key, tiny shells, and different colored balls.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
M26392
People
George Brecht, American (New York, NY 1926 - 2008 Cologne, Germany)
Designed by George Maciunas, American (Kaunas, Lithuania 1931 - 1978 Boston, MA)
Published by Fluxus, American
Title
Universal Machine II
Classification
Multiples
Work Type
multiple
Date
1976
Culture
American
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/30009

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Wooden box with printed label, printed sheets, glass, misc. small objects
Technique
Mixed technique
Dimensions
box: 28.26 x 28.26 x 3.81 cm (11 1/8 x 11 1/8 x 1 1/2 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Barbara Moore, Bound/Unbound, New York, New York, partial gift partial purchase; to Harvard University Art Museums, June 28, 2005.

State, Edition, Standard Reference Number

Standard Reference Number
S. 79

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Barbara and Peter Moore Fluxus Collection, Margaret Fisher Fund and gift of Barbara Moore/Bound & Unbound
Copyright
© Estate of George Brecht / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Germany.
Accession Year
2005
Object Number
M26392
Division
Modern and Contemporary Art
Contact
am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
This object is also sometimes referred to as Universal Machine III, This is due to the fact that the Universal Machine existed first as a unique object , second as an edition (of 100 numbered examples) published by Edition MAT MOT in 1965, and third as a Fluxus Edition.

Publication History

  • Jon Hendricks, Fluxus Codex, Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (New York, 1988), p. 214

Exhibition History

  • Multiple Strategies: Beuys, Maciunas, Fluxus, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 02/24/2007 - 06/10/2007
  • 32Q: 1100, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 10/04/2018 - 04/09/2019

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Modern and Contemporary Art at am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu